SALT LAKE CITY — Five and a half months after auditioning for “America’s Got Talent,” Kenadi Dodds is ready to take the stage again.
The 15-year-old country singer from Logan — who aspires to one day put on big shows that channel the energy of Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift — first impressed “AGT” judges with her original song, “One Way Ticket to Tennessee.”
“Well you’re a little firecracker, aren’t you?” Simon Cowell told the teenager during the March audition that aired June 30. “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.”
Tuesday night, Dodds takes the next step of her journey.
Her second performance on “AGT” will look a lot different than the first one. For starters, Cowell won’t be there to cheer her on. The TV personality continues to recover at home after falling off an electric bike and breaking his back last month.
And instead of performing without an audience — Dodds was one of the last modified auditions to take place before “AGT” ended up completely shutting down production due to COVID-19 — the budding singer will play for a virtual audience (similar to the NBA bubble).
But even with all of the changes, Dodds — who previously auditioned for “AGT” twice before making it on the big stage — is optimistic about tonight’s appearance.
“I will be performing live on my favorite show ‘America’s Got Talent,’” she posted a few days ago on Facebook. “I can’t believe I’m in the quarterfinals!!!”
Dodds, who is a big Cowell fan and grew up watching competition shows like “American Idol,” previously posted on Facebook that making it to the “AGT” live shows was a dream come true.
“Thank you everyone for your love and support,” she wrote on Facebook. I hope you all please watch for me in the live shows and vote for me. I’m going to need every vote I can get!”
Who is on tonight?
In addition to Dodds, here are the 10 other acts featured on tonight’s episode, which airs at 7 p.m. MT on NBC.
- Alex Hooper — (roaster)
- Bello Sisters — (hand balancing)
- Brandon Leake — (spoken word artist)
- Broken Roots — (singers/musicians)
- C.A. Wildcats — (cheerleaders)
- Celina — (singer)
- Divas & Drummers of Compton — (music act)
- Lightwave Theatre Company — (projection)
- Noah Epps — (dancer)
- Resound — (singers)
Where is Simon Cowell?
- After falling off an electric bike and breaking his back last month, Cowell underwent a six-hour surgery, according to the Deseret News.
- Since the accident, Kelly Clarkson and Kenan Thompson have filled in for Cowell on the live shows.
- No one filled in for Cowell during the live episodes last week.
- As of Tuesday morning, “AGT” has not announced a replacement for Cowell on tonight’s show. He will not have a replacement on tonight’s episode, the show told the Deseret News.
How do the live shows work?
- The live shows take place at Universal Studios Hollywood where, with safety precautions in place, acts either perform on a soundstage, in a theme park or at the backlot, the Deseret News previously reported.
- This is the last week of the quarterfinals. After Wednesday night’s reveal, 22 acts will have advanced to the semifinal round — 20 acts moving forward based on viewer votes, and two wild cards selected by the judges.
- The winner of “AGT” will be revealed Sept. 23.