Singers Who Made Me Cry

Sometimes, you get the feels.  Maybe it was because of the singer, or maybe the song just touched your heart. The lyrics evoked sad but sometimes happy and inspiring memories. Suddenly, tears run down your face, and you surreptitiously wipe them lest an annoying person (any one of your family members) catch you in a vulnerable moment.

I must admit that I still cry when I watch the videos, no matter how often I've seen them.

 

IAM TONGI, "MONSTERS"

“He looks like Iz” was my first thought when I saw Iam Tongi appear on the latest American Idol auditions. Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwoʻole was a Hawaiian/Polynesian music legend who sang the iconic version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow.”

Iam is his own person, an 18-year-old making his own path and history. He moved out of Oahu and settled in Seattle because, as he said, their family was “priced out of paradise.”

Iam dedicated his song to his father (who used to harmonize with him), who passed just months before his AI appearance. James Blunt wrote “Monster” for his dying dad. What a tearjerker of a performance.

 

JIN FROM BTS- “THE ASTRONAUT”

Kim Seok Jin from BTS made me cry twice. The first time I ever watched BTS on the internet was when he sang the anthemic “Epiphany” to a full stadium that has suddenly gone quiet when he started playing on the piano. And then, when he sang, “I’m the one I should love,” I became emotional. The audience loved his impassioned performance, and I fell into the rabbit hole, hook, line, and sinker.

Jin tugged at my heartstrings again with the song “The Astronaut.” He collaborated on a farewell song with Coldplay to the BTS fanbase Army before he had to start his military duty in South Korea. The video was a love song to his fans, his reassurance that he would come back again. Jin’s live appearance at the Coldplay concert in Argentina was even more touching because it was his last performance before he had to don his soldier uniform. A last hurrah on the performance stage until his discharge from the military in 2025.

“When I am with you, there is no one else.” The brotherly love between Jin and Chris Martin was awesome, so beautiful in its sincerity. Chris was hyung (older brother in Korean) to Jin, who was visibly moved by the warm and enthusiastic response from the audience. It was supposed to be a Coldplay concert, but the fans welcomed him with open arms.

 

 

 

CAROL BANAWA, “IINGATAN KA”

The song was originally a theme song from a Filipino tv romance drama sung by Carol Banawa. Carol’s soothing voice is a serenade for mothers for their unconditional love for their children. Now, it's their offspring who have to take care of them.

Carol is based in Canada, an OR registered nurse.

Iingatan ka, aalagaan ka

Sa puso ko ikaw ang pag-asa

Sa 'ting mundo'y may gagabay sa iyo

Ang alay ko'y itong pagmamahal ko

May nagmamahal, aakay sa iyo

Aking inay, ikaw ang nagbigay ng buhay ko

Buhay na kay ganda

Pangarap ko na makamtan ko na

 

 

ERIC CLAPTON, "TEARS IN HEAVEN"

Eric Clapton wrote this song to mourn his 4-year-old son Conor who fell to his death from a high-rise apartment in Manhattan. A parent's worst nightmare. The tragedy is incomprehensible, the pain unimaginable, the loss heartbreaking.

SUNG-BONG CHOI, "NELLA FANTASIA"

There is no way that anyone would watch this without tearing up. A rags-to-riches story of a boy who survived a terrible childhood to fulfill his dream of being on a musical stage.
Sung-bong Choi was orphaned at 3, ran away from the orphanage at 5 years old, and lived on the street.

Until he came on stage on Korean Got Talent and surprised everyone with a powerful rendition of “Nella Fantasia.” His audition clip went viral, and he was on his way to living life happily ever after.

Note: I did not want to shatter everyone’s image of Sung-bong Choi, but he went viral again in 2021 when he faked a cancer diagnosis to collect donations from his fans. He attempted suicide and was later diagnosed with recurrent depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.