SEATTLE WASHINGTON: Iam Tongi, the teenage singer who won the latest season of American Idol, has issued an apology after he made a 'mistake' while singing the national anthem at a major baseball event. The 18-year-old performer from Hawaii was invited to sing the Star-Spangled Banner at the 2023 MLB Home Run Derby, which took place at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Monday.
However, he forgot to remove his baseball hat before he started singing, which some viewers considered to be a sign of disrespect. Tongi explained that he was so nervous that he did not remember to take off his hat, even though his uncle had reminded him to do so just moments before he walked onto the field.
'First try at singing the National Anthem. So nervous that it was in front of such a huge crowd'
"First try at singing the National Anthem. So nervous that it was in front of such a huge crowd. And apologize for being so nervous and forgot to take off the hat," Tongi said on his YouTube channel, where he shared a video of his performance. He also took to Twitter to express his regret and promise to do better next time. "A few seconds later the nerves took in and didn’t remember until it was all done. I will try to do better next time," he tweeted.
'May be one of the best anthems I’ve heard in sports history!!'
Even though Tongi forgot to remove the hat, he received positive reactions from fans, with the majority praising his voice and honesty. One fan commented on YouTube: "Literally just watched this! May be one of the best anthems I’ve heard in sports history!! Didn’t try to over sing it didn’t twist it into anything outrageous and kept it pure simple and beautiful! Great job young man!!!" Another wrote on Twitter: "Brah your performance was absolutely patriotic and inspiring. Your voice resonated with so much passion and talent. Don't worry about the hat, it's a tiny blip compared to the incredible impact you made on that huge stage." Reportedly there were a few critics too raised objections over Tongi not removing the hat.
'My dad always told me that your music's not meant for everyone'
The young artist, who is of Tongan and Samoan heritage, made history when he won the popular talent show in May, beating runners-up Colin Stough and Megan Danielle. However, his victory was also marred by controversy, as some viewers accused the show of being rigged in his favor. Tongi told Daily Mail that he did not mind the negative attention and that he learned from his late father that "your music's not meant for everyone." He said he likes to respond to haters online with kindness and that he loves his music regardless of what others think.
"A lot of people are like, "Colin Stough was robbed," or whatever. And I just love it," he said before adding "'My dad always told me that your music's not meant for everyone. There's going to be people that are not going to like it and that's OK, that's normal'. Everyone gets their own opinion. Everyone gets to think what they think. So, it's fine."
