American Idol star Kenedi Anderson shocked audiences when she quit mid-competition after receiving a platinum ticket in 2022 – and now she’s stunning fans again after announcing a dramatic new career path.
The 20-year-old singer from Crozet, Virginia, took to Instagram to share her news: She revealed that she has decided to serve on an 18-month full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before she later revealed in a TikTok video that she will complete her mission in Honolulu, Hawaii.
‘[It’s] the least I can do after all God has blessed me with,” she wrote in her lengthy article Instagram post. “I hope to bring back a more Christian and charitable person.”
Kenedi accompanied the post with a series of photos of her wearing blue jeans and a white short-sleeved button-up shirt, posing with the Book of Mormon.
The budding star, who quit the talent show in season 20, added that she hopes to help others “find the joy and peace that I have found in this gospel.”
American Idol alum Kenedi Anderson shared her new career path in an Instagram post, revealing she’s going on an 18-month mission
Kenedi, who left the talent show in season 20, added that she hopes to help others “find the joy and peace that I have found in this gospel.”
In a video shared to her TikTok, Kenedi filmed herself opening her mission letter, discovering she will be serving in Honolulu, Hawaii.
“All I’ve ever wanted to do with my music is help others feel healed and heard the way I’ve felt those things through music,” she continued.
‘So hopefully this is a step closer to that goal. I truly believe this is where I should be in my life right now and what I should be doing.”
The singer further made it clear that she is not quitting music and is working on releasing new music in the future.
“I’m taking a break to focus on what God has called me to do, but I’ll be back before you know it!” she wrote enthusiastically. “And you better believe I’ll be working harder than ever to release music for you!!”
Kenedi added that she “can only speak for myself,” and “not for my church.”
‘Not for my family. Not for my friends. But I believe in God. If you do that too, I respect you. If you don’t, I respect you,” she said.
Kenedi ended her message passionately by writing about the God she believes in, who loves everyone.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, what you believe in, what you stand for, how you express yourself, who you love, etc.,” the singer wrote.
“I hope we can all express love instead of hate,” she said. ‘I believe that we can all live peacefully in a world where we don’t all have to agree on everything. But we must absolutely respect and love each other, despite our differences.”
Kenedi posted a series of photos on Instagram of herself holding the Book of Mormon as she announced her news
After opening her mission letter, Kenedi learned that she would begin her mission on July 15
When she reached the part of the letter that revealed her mission call would take her to Honolulu, Kenedi let out a shout of joy before happily hugging her family members.
Kenedi said she is “grateful” for her fans and “hopeful” for the future.
‘I am so grateful for the life I get to live and I plan to take every opportunity I get to live it to the fullest!! You should too! Take chances! Be brave! I love you.’
In a video later posted to her TikTok account, Kenedi shared further details about her mission as she opened a letter from the church revealing where she will serve.
“Dear Sister Anderson, you are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” she began reading, admitting that she was “so worried that she couldn’t even read.”
Sitting next to two young family members, she then read the rules missionaries must follow, including “leaving behind all personal matters” to “devote her time and attention completely to serving the Lord.”
When she reached the part of the letter that revealed her mission call would take her to Honolulu, Kenedi let out a shout of joy before happily hugging her family members.
She then reveals that she will leave for her mission on July 15.
Kenedi’s posts attracted many comments from concerned followers, many of whom warned her about the missions.
“Oh girl. This breaks my heart. Following and being a child of God is great but girl please do more research,” one follower wrote.
Kenedi rose to fame after appearing on season 20 of American Idol. She withdrew from the talent show due to ‘personal reasons’ (pictured performing in 2022)
The singer further made it clear that she is not quitting music and is working on releasing new music in the future
Kenedi’s post provoked many responses from concerned followers, many of whom warned her about the missions
Another shared, “The Bible is the truth! I love your mission, but you’re reading the wrong book!’
“I’m so sad to see a woman like you being made fun of by this church,” said another. ‘It’s devastating. You’re so young. I know you’re getting a lot of encouragement here, but please consider my comment. The church is not what you think it is.’
‘So you have to give up a year and a half of your life and the man who kills someone but confesses his sins and asks for forgiveness also goes to heaven? Someone can help me understand,” another person asked.
However, there were some who were more supportive; several other missionaries expressed support for Kenedi.
‘THE SCREAM!!! Hahaha I like this so much! I had a similar reaction when I was called to Australia! You’ll have a great time!’ said one.
‘Congratulations!! I went to BYU Hawaii for a while and saw sister missionaries all the time. You’ll love it there,” said another.
Kenedi rose to fame after appearing on season 20 of American Idol. She withdrew from the talent show due to ‘personal reasons’.
The then-teenager wowed the judges with her performance of Lady Gaga’s Applause and was awarded a coveted Platinum Ticket, allowing her to bypass several rounds of the competition.
She was seen by many as the favorite to win after a series of impressive auditions with judge Luke Bryan hailing her as ‘the biggest star we’ve ever seen’.
Kenedi has an active TikTok page where she has 512,000 followers,
