Ever since 2015, when now 15-year-old Kenadi Dodds, a Latter-day Saint country singer from Logan, Utah, saw Shania Twain from the front row at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, she has envisioned becoming a country star. She has had a few opportunities to help make her dream a reality.
Five months ago, in early March 2020, she auditioned for NBC’s reality television show, America’s Got Talent. She had also previously tried out for NBC’s The Voice at least three times. This season marked her third attempt at getting on the America’s Got Talent stage. She wowed the judges with an original song, “One Way Ticket to Tennessee,” which she co-wrote with her dad, Chris Dodds, a year and a half ago. The audition aired to eight million people on 30 June 2020.
During the critique of her audition, Simon Cowell told her, “Well you’re a little firecracker, aren’t you?” Your voice sounds as if you were from Nashville when you sing. I love artists, particularly people your age, who know what kind of lane they want to go down. . . .You know where you want to go, and I think we can help you get there.”
Not long after her audition, the lights were turned off and the stage grew deathly silent as America’s Got Talent, following the suit of schools, restaurants, houses of worship, and businesses, shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The audition round had to be completed virtually.
Nevertheless, the rising country star did not allow the temporary setback to deter her from honing her musical talents and continuing to share her music videos on her YouTube channel, which currently has more than 6,000 subscribers. Her latest music video is a cover of “Should’ve Said No” by Taylor Swift, which was released on 28 July 2020.
America’s Got Talent resumed filming in June, and with several safety precautions in place, four weeks of live shows kicked off on 1 August 2020. Now Kenadi is preparing to go on America’s Got Talent again. She will next appear on the show on Tuesday, 1 September 2020, for the last round of the quarterfinals.
Kenadi recently posted on Facebook that she is on “AGT” ground and has been rehearsing for her next performance. On Monday, 24 August 2020, she posted, “First day of America’s Got Talent rehearsals. I can’t believe I’m here!” Hopefully, you all are getting ready to vote! I’m so excited for you guys to hear my song!”
Kenadi previously told the Deseret News that she has wanted to perform for Simon Cowell since she was four. The Deseret News reports that at the age of four, Kenadi dubbed her “My Little Pony” stuffed animal the head honcho of all her other stuffed animals. She and her other toys “would regularly ‘perform’ for the authoritative pony who, in the young girl’s eyes, resembled competition judge Simon Cowell.” She told her dad that she had selected the pony to embody Cowell “Cause the way the stitched the mouth on. They stitched it into a frowny face.”
Reflecting on her audition, which was performed without a live audience (just the four judges and her family backstage were present) due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kenadi said, “I don’t think I was scared. I think it was new, and I did not quite know what to expect. … But I was mostly just excited. Doing those things, you just really got to shut out any nerves and just remember what you’ve practiced getting there, what got you there. . . .It was really weird just to see it so echoey and quiet, you know? But I just stood there on that X and did my thing.”
While waiting to return to the America’s Got Talent stage, Kenadi, a rising sophomore at Logan’s Green Canyon High School, kept busy. She finished her freshman year with straight A’s. She also learned the art of audio engineering, with hopes of producing her own album someday. And she wrote three songs: A song she surprised her dad with on Father’s Day; a song called “Dancing Through the Stars” that she wrote for her nine-year-old sister, Alexis, and “My Dopamine,” a drug awareness project she completed for her health class.
If Kenadi wins the competition, she has plans of using some of her winnings toward designing her own guitar. She said, “I see my shows in the future hopefully looking kind of a mix between Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, that kind of thing. I just want people to be able to escape and have their money’s worth. I want to have fun and put on a show.”
Above all else, Kenadi wants to make people smile.
Kenadi Dodds’ Journey on America’s Got Talent Continues
On Tuesday evening, 1 September 2020, Kenadi performed “Dancing Through the Stars” — a song she wrote for her nine-year-old sister — during the quarterfinal round.
After her performance, judge Heidi Klum had nothing but praise for the song and what it represented. She said, “I think you’re great. I think you’ve done a fantastic job and no matter what happens tonight or tomorrow in the results show, I do believe that the Music Row — which I know you want — I know they’re going to call for you. I have it in my gut, I think you’re absolutely amazing. I also love the bond that you have with your sister.”
Judge Howie Mandel, however, was not as sold on the performance. He told Kenadi, “I love you and I think that you’re an amazing talent. I have to be honest that that song didn’t do it for me personally. If you remove the story, if you remove what it was about … “ Before he could finish Klum interjected and criticized him for not being more encouraging of original music.
Judge Sofia Vergara agreed that “Dancing Through the Stars” wasn’t as strong as “One Way Ticket to Tennesssee,” the original song that Kenadi sang for her audition. She did say that the song was “beautiful” and thought that Mandel was being “very negative.” She told Kenadi, “I think people are going to love you, and I hope that people vote for you tonight because you deserve it.”
After the judges’ reactions, host Terry Crews asked Kenadi what it would mean to win “AGT.” She replied, “It would mean the world to me. We’ve worked so hard and sacrificed so much, and I’m just so grateful to be this far and to have come this far. If I get voted through, it would just mean the world to all of us.”
On Wednesday night’s episode of America’s Got Talent, after the viewers votes were in, the rising 15-year-old country star from Logan, Utah, was the first act to be pushed through to the semifinals. Through her tears, Kenadi said, “I can’t believe this! Thank you so much for your votes. It means so much to me.”
After the episode aired, Kenadi posted a video on Facebook to thank her family, friends, and fans for their support. In the video, she said, “When I was on that stage, I was just so grateful to be that far. I am very emotional right now, like I just keep crying out of nowhere. … I promise I’ll work hard, and I want to make you guys proud next round, so I’m going to get right to work and just make it up to you guys for giving me this beautiful opportunity.”
The semifinals air 8 and 15 September 2020. The winner of America’s Got Talent will be revealed on Wednesday, 23 September 2020.
You may also enjoy reading: It’s been a crazy, chaotic, busy and exciting time for the Dodds family by Rod Boam, and Kenadi Dodds Dazzles With Carrie Underwood Cover On America’s Got Talent Final by Sarah Curran for ET Canada.
I was VERY impressed with Kenadi Dodds performance in the finals. I was hoping that she had a chance to win the competition with that performance, it was that awesome.
I have considered doing so in the past but this is the first time that I made the effort to sign up for NBC.com on my computer to give Kenadi an extra 10 points – normally I just vote from the app on my phone.
Good luck with everything going forward. I look forward to hearing your voice on the radio and seeing you perform from the stage in Nashville.
Thank you very much I appreciate your support!
You are working on the talents given you. Father helps those who Add to their talents and use them to helpnothers as you have with family and he will bless you and your family.
Always hold to the rod and help all those you can and the feelings you will feel will be far better than money can buy. The meek will inherit the earth. Be proud of yourself and your family and show Simon the happiness that he can share with his personal family and other members of his big family and thank him for all he does to help out the needy and unfortunate and tell him how much the Lord knows his heart.
You can help others with your music and the songs you do. Sing I stand all amazed on your chanel to be a example of what the Lord does and how much you appreciate him. Over 50 years ago I was a missionary the only person I knew who went out with a broken leg in a cast on my brother had come home with a broken arm and a cast home in the middle of his mission but salt lake call me to come on for years I didn’t know why a couple years ago while conducting a baptismal meeting during my talk I related what happened to me as soon as I got to the mission home in Los Angeles walking with crutches the mission president came up to me and he said we have a very good bone specialist and I will send you to see him. A long story made short 1968 the doctors in Kentucky did not pin by broken Bones He didn’t take my cast off for several months. He showed me how to wrap my foot with a sports wrap from my toe to several inches above my ankle and I walked like that for months I was never to ever tracked house to house while I’m on my mission and all those years I hadn’t figured out why not was I concerned about why. Surprisingly I said to the people the Lord called me out on a mission so that I wouldn’t end up a cripple and sent me to s mission that had a excellent doctor. What came out of my mouth 50 yrs later surprised me. My grandfather born shortly after the civil war later joined the church he became a doctor with persecution was heavy on the saints here he had 11 children and he moved them all to Arizona he hadn’t been out there very long until the church called him to move back to the southern states mission and assist apostle callus who was the mission president at the time he later returned back to Arizona and the church calling to come back to Kentucky and be the district president over most of the state of Kentucky once again he loaded the family up and brought them back East again as he had done one day we’re on a mission the whole family went with him when I return home from a mission our first state was organized and my dad was the patriarch in my third year of college at UK I returned home for Christmas and I saw the condition the family was in so I dropped out of college and took a job locally and run their business and also work the job cuz Dad has had a stroke obviously married to return missionary from West Virginia our sons went on missions. Eventually went back to college and finished up passed up many high paying positions to assist my parents because my mom needs to help we built a house on the farm.
I had a good job raised a good family. Since 1984 I have put a roof over 38 different people,s head that were homeless. Today we have four people living in one of our houses. Over the years the people would always be able to support yourself after him. Time two of those four people today have an income now the other two probably never they have no problems most important of everything we all feel good the same attitude is rubbed off on my children they have the same caring attitude towards people. As a young boy I saw my uncle and my father Lisa big farm with a big two-story house and they put a homeless family and put them to work on the farm and help them out and it’s been handed down all these years and there’s nothing that compares to what you feel for the good things that you do to help other people money can’t buy that happiness.
So you keep these things in mind there is nothing in this world to make me any happier. Remember this you never know who you’re dealing with one man we kept several years was a government agent investigating the corruption in the area one day he brought me a letter and asked me to read it it was from the federal government with the ticket to California to come and testify on a murder trial that happened more than one time I could go on with the rest of the story but you can probably figure it out he’s dead now of natural causes
Just remember in life the Lord will take care of you. I never got rich but I have a rich relationship with all my children and grandchildren. I have served 4 missions.
Here in the Bible belt if you don’t believe in the trinity you’re not a Christian that is an incorrect statement Trinity was never used in the Bible for the reason being that it refers to the pagan gods from the time of Constantine the Great brought up to the invasion of the Americas they invited the world with a document called the papal bull they interviewed the people and ask them if they were Christians if they said yes then they would say do you believe in the trinity no they didn’t believe in the Trinity because I knew who the Trinity was it was a pagan gods because Isis was around 2500 years before Christ was born and Isis Osiris and Seth were the trinity that day and time the pagan gods are Constitution United Nations and Bill of Rights was brought to protect the Lord’s people from war and delivered to Chief Hiawatha of the Iroquois Nation by one who was called the peacemaker. 1988 US Gov. Recognized the Iroquois. Visit YouTube He Walked The Americas and view the testimonies of the Lamanites stories of Christ visiting throughout the Americasss a witness of Cortez story.
Nauvoo was growing faster than Chicago with increasing numbers of church people who were a threat to the politicians because 1.5 million acres at $ 20 ,@ acre. ,30 billion dollar,s
Taking it back a book by Angel Brandell documents the genocide of the Gov. And Churches of the days. Showing how millions of people were murdered and stealing of the people’s home and wealth and kidnapping of native children 5 – 18 yrs old and this took place up till the 1960s. Children’s graves at missions, foster homes, orphanages. With church records having detailed records.
Introduce the B O.M WITH Rev14:6
And Amos 3: 7
What church is right. Go to acts 3. 19-22. Fill in the puzzles that Gods church organization will look like. Eph 4. 11-14. Temples. High Priest. Peter 3 18-29. Corinthians 15:29. The everlasting gospel in Rev. Will add to the Old And New Testaments. Use YouTube to show how church donations are used under the direction of the Lord. LDS welfare, cattle ranches, potatoes, canneries and why all people will confess Jesus is Christ even though they may have lived and died never hearing of Jesus and hose he had Baptism for dead after he preached to spirit prison. You will use this in Tenn. As you introduce the church to people you become friends with. You have to shock those in the Bible Belt
I had converts before and after my mission with these Bible Belt friends I cherished. You will have plenty of chances to share your testimony..