Teen singer Kenedi Anderson nabbed a platinum ticket at the American Idol season 20 auditions in Los Angeles this season, and then went on to make the Top 24. But shortly after filming the round in Hawaii, she dropped out of the competition. Now, the young singer is moving on a second time. She recently graduated from high school.
“No more school for meeee hehehe” she remarked gleefully on Instagram alongside a gallery of photos. Kenedi moved around a lot as a kid, but her family currently lives in Crozet, Virginia.
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Kenedi Anderson sings “Butterfly Fly Away” at her graduation ceremony
Later on Tik Tok, Kenedi posted a clip of her singing “Butterfly Fly Away” from Hannah Montana: The Movie. She accompanies herself on acoustic guitar. Now that the young singer is fee from school, will she pursue a career in music?
@kenedianderson_ Kinda quiet but I hope u guys like :) Song: Butterfly Fly Away from Hannah Montana: The Movie #fyp #fyp? ? original sound – Kenedi Anderson
Kenedi impressed the American Idol judges–Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan–with a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Applause” while accompanying herself on guitar. After the judges gave her a standing ovation, raving over her performance, they handed her one of three platinum tickets which allowed her to skip the first round of Hollywood Week.
Rumors began swirling among fans when Kenedi didn’t join her fellow Top 24 contestants in Los Angeles for the next phases of the competition. That, and the show no longer uploading her performances to their official channels really got the rumor mill going.
After airing her Top 24 performance, American Idol announced that Kenedi dropped out of the show
While American Idol did air her Top 24 performance of “Human” by Christina Perri, host Ryan Seacrest announced afterward that she had left the competition.
“You might have noticed that there was no voting information during Kenedi’s performance just now since we taped these shows in Hawaii earlier,” explained Ryan. “Kenedi has decided to withdraw from our show for personal reasons.”
“We send her well wishes and needless to say we have incredible talent on this historic season.”
Immediately after Ryan’s announcement, Kenedi released her own statement:
“For personal reasons I’m unable to continue on American Idol,” Kenedi wrote. “This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but I know it’s necessary.”
Kenedi continued, “I’m so grateful to American Idol, the judges, the producers, the amazing contestants, and all the fans who have supported me. Thank you for giving me such an amazing opportunity to share my voice, chase my dreams, feel so much joy and happiness doing what I love, and make lifelong friends along the way.”
Days later, Kenedi dropped a clip of a new song, but then quickly deleted it. Called “No Strings Attached,” fans assumed she was addressing her situation with American Idol. But who knows. She has yet to specifically address why she left the show. But like Benson Boone before her, ast some point she probably will.
