The contestant took to Instagram to announce her decision.
American Idol contestant Kenedi Anderson has made a shocking exit from the reality singing competition. The 18-year-old singer took to Instagram on Monday to announce her decision.
Without going into exact detail, Anderson wrote: "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."
"I'm so grateful to American Idol, the judges, the producers, the amazing contestants, and all the fans who have supported me," she continued.
On Tuesday, a rep from Fremantle, who develops Idol, shared a statement to ET regarding Anderson's exit. "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 statement read.
Anderson's announcement comes weeks after Idol judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan were first blown away by her talent. After Anderson wowed the three with her second audition, Perry jokingly shared that she felt threatened by the teen.
"I'm feeling threatened," Perry quipped. "They're younger, they're skinnier, they're prettier. They sing really good!"
As for Bryan, he added that Anderson "may be the biggest star we've ever seen."
Anderson documented many joyous moments from her journey on American Idol on Instagram, including sharing the experience of performing one of her original songs for the judges.
"I got to sing my original 'This Way' on American Idol and it was SO cool!!!" she captioned a photo of herself passionately singing and playing piano. "THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE."
Anderson's first Idol audition, in which she sang a cover of Lady Gaga's "Applause" previously trended at number one on YouTube in early March.
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