Iam Tongi becomes 1st person from Hawaii to win "American Idol"

• His win sparked an outpouring of celebration, including from Gov. Josh Green and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi who said on Facebook that Tongi "made us all so very proud."

Tongi's audition, where he sang a cover of James Blunt's "Monster," was the most viewed in the show's history with over 16 million views.

• During the finale, he performed a cover of "Cool Down," a 2009 hit from the Hawaii group Kolohe Kai.
• “Hawaii is a very close-knit community, and so when we see somebody trying to succeed, a lot of us are all cheering from the privacy of our living rooms, just making as much noise as possible,” Roman De Peralta, Kolohe Ka's singer, told the Post. “He just pulled on the heartstrings of not only Hawaii, but the whole world.”