American Idol Audition: Kenedi Anderson earns Platinum Ticket, Katy Perry Goes Gaga
The judges handed the season’s second Platinum Ticket to Kenedi Anderson in Los Angeles, which will allow the 17 year old singer to skip the first round in Hollywood. Her star power became apparent the moment she entered the audition room and sang Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP era hit “Applause” at the piano.
In her video package, the Crozet, Virginia singer shared that because her family moves around a lot, she’s never made a ton of friends. Her dad’s job in the football industry takes the family all over the country. Kenedi also spoke about her clan being very sports-oriented, while music is her thing. She is the second oldest of six kids, and is very close to her family.
Kenedi gave some Faouzia type vibes with her super-pop approach and cool vibrato. Her tone is crystal clear with a lot of artistic touches. The singer’s vocal acrobatics were reminiscent of last year’s Heather Russell who had a standout audition. Her approach to the Gaga number inspired awe as it displayed control, but had all the embellishments that turn really good singing into interesting and pop-centric money-making music.
Katy Perry calls herself a “Keni Cat”, naming and making herself the first member of Kenedi’s new fan base
The judges were also awed, as they stood the moment Kenedi finished singing. Katy exclaimed, “Can you sign this?” Lionel added that he needed “two backstage passes.” Katy asked Kenedi, “What are the name of your fans.” When she responded that she doesn’t have any, Katy made up a fan name, declaring herself a “Keni Cat,” and joked that she felt threatened. She went as far as asking Siri to make an appointment at the plastic surgeon, because the new singers are “younger, skinnier, and prettier.” Luke called the singer a “five-star recruit.” And then Lionel congratulated her and said that she answered their prayers. Luke then went on to call her top 10 and the biggest star. Katy added that she was “born to be a star.”
Eventually, the judges invited Kenedi’s mom into the room to explain the Platinum Ticket. Winning the ticket in Los Angeles, was a tough feat, as the city was full of rangy pop singers.
In the bonus clip of the week, check out Kenedi’s recent take on the massive hit, Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which is the number 1 song in America. On Tik Tok, the clip has over 700K likes with 2.7 million views. Interestingly, Kenedi had a solid following and a few videos with quite a few likes. But she hasn’t truly had a huge viral break yet. Timing is everything. Kenedi shot this viral video just days before her audition aired.
American Idol auditions 2 singers Mike Parker (S15 The Voice), Allegra Miles (S18 The Voice Semi-finalist, the show short-clipped her), and closer Lady K joining Kenedi in my group of this week’s favorites. Christian Guardino and Leah Marlene also delivered solid vocals that displayed potential.
