Sharing her story? After Kenedi Anderson’s American Idol departure shocked devoted viewers and fans, she has seemingly lined up her next move.
“Here is the chorus of a song I wrote not too long ago,” Anderson, 17, said in a since-deleted TikTok video earlier this week, per the Daily Mail, before she started belting out the original lyrics.
“I need to find, need to find something better than what I had, and with no strings attached,” the Virginia native crooned on Wednesday, April 13. “Don’t I deserve that? Something with no strings attached.”
While Anderson has yet to address the meaning of her new song, the track’s social media debut came days after her exit from the ABC competition. Though she was an early frontrunner on season 20, Anderson withdrew during the Monday, April 11, episode.
“You might have noticed that there was no voting information during Kenedi’s performance just now,” host Ryan Seacrest explained after she sang Christina Perri’s “Human” for the judges and audience. “Since we taped these shows in Hawaii earlier, Kenedi has decided to withdraw from our show for personal reasons. We send her well wishes.”
The teenager has since issued a statement about her exit from the show.
“For personal reasons, I’m unable to continue on American Idol. This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but I know it’s necessary,” she wrote via Instagram after the episode aired. ”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.”
Anderson’s musical talents made headlines after scoring one of the three platinum tickets, which allowed her to skip a round of Hollywood auditions, after her initial tryout for judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
“You don’t understand. We can sit here all day long and sing songs, but we are looking for the next ‘thing’ in the music business,” the “Hello” crooner, 72, gushed during the March 6 episode. “You have graced us because your voice, your look, your sound.”
Amid her mysterious exit, a source close to production told Us Weekly that the reality TV show was “disappointed” about her departure but remained “excited to watch this celebratory 20th season unfold with the incredible talent.”
American Idol airs on ABC Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
