On American Idol’s second night of auditions, a TikTok star named Kenedi Anderson showed up and performed.
Not only did Kenedi impress all the judges, but she earned the second platinum ticket of the competition.
She also received high praise from Katy Perry, who said she felt threatened by the 17-year-old’s powerful voice.
Kenedi Anderson wins platinum ticket on American Idol
Kenedi Anderson is a TikTok star who has over 55,000 followers and over 1.2 million likes.
She even promoted her appearance on American Idol on TikTok for her fans and picked up over 100,000 new likes.
It was well worth the promotion as well, as Kenedi picked up the platinum ticket and impressed all the judges.
Kenedi came out and sat at the piano and sang the Lady Gaga song, Applause.
Katy Perry went through a range of emotions during the song and even asked if she could be Kenedi’s manager.
“I’m feeling threatened!” Katy said after the performance. “[The singers] are younger, they’re skinnier, they’re prettier… they sing really good! Siri, make an appointment at the plastic surgeon!”
She said Kenedi was “born to be a star.”
Kenedi equally impressed Lionel Richie.
“You might be the biggest star we’ve ever seen.” Lionel Richie declared her “the next big thing in the music business”
Luke Bryan said, “Get ready to be your own hero. I truly believe your musical journey for the rest of your life just started right here.”
After the episode, Kenedi took to TikTok again, posting, “IN DISBELIEF RN. THE LAST 19 HOURS OF MY LIFE HAVE BEEN INSANE IN THE BEST WAY. THANK YOU EVERYONE I LOVE Y’ALL.”
Who is Kenedi Anderson on American Idol?
Kenedi Anderson is a high school student from Virginia who made her name originally on TikTok.
She calls herself a singer-songwriter and released her first original song in December 2020.
Check out her American Idol audition here.
Kenedi Anderson joined Huntergirl as the first two singers to pick up the new platinum tickets this season on American Idol.
“This ticket gives them the ability to go to Hollywood Week, which we’ve already filmed and was so rigorous and survival of the fittest, and they get to basically observe from the box seats at the theater,” Katy said.
“One day, they get to rest their voice, strategize, check out the competition and select who they want to duet with. They get a tiny advantage because they’re the cream of the crop.”
American Idol Season 20 airs on Sunday nights on ABC at 8/7c.