'American Idol's Kenedi Anderson Teases Shady Song After Mysteriously Quitting Competition
Former American Idol frontrunner Kenedi Anderson is teasing new music after walking away from the competition she was favored to win. Just days after Anderson confirmed she dropped out of American Idol Season 20 for "personal reasons," the 17-year-old singer who wowed the judges with her vocals shared a TikTok video of herself singing a seemingly shady new song.
In the video, uploaded on Wednesday, April 13, Anderson told her fans, "Here is the chorus of a song I wrote not too long ago," as she sat at her piano and began to play. The Virginia native then began to sing the chorus, "I need to find, need to find something better than what I had, and with no strings attached. Don't I deserve that? Something with no strings attached." Anderson did not release the full song, and the TikTok video has since been deleted. The video, as first reported by the Daily Mail, was not uploaded to any of Anderson's other social media accounts, and while she has not yet addressed the clip, some fans theorized Anderson may have signed a record deal. Anderson has not commented on those rumors.
The mysterious clip was posted just days after Anderson's American Idol exit. Shortly after Idol host Ryan Seacrest told viewers during the Monday, April 11 episode that "since we taped these shows in Hawaii earlier, Kenedi has decided to withdraw from our show for personal reasons," Anderson herself confirmed her exit on Instagram.
"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. "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."
A representative for show producer Fremantle Media told PEOPLE in a statement, "We are disappointed to see Kenedi leave, but we are excited to watch this celebratory 20th season unfold with the incredible talent vying to be the next American Idol." The exact reason for Anderson's exit hasn't been disclosed. The teen earned one of three platinum tickets during her Idol audition and became not just a favorite among judges and viewers, but also became the frontrunner of the competition prior to her sudden exit.