SALT LAKE CITY — After Kenadi Dodds auditioned for “America’s Got Talent,” the pandemic hit and things took an unexpected turn.
Her school closed and choir concerts were canceled. Store shelves were empty. She wouldn’t be seeing her friends anymore.
But Kenadi made the most of the moment.
The 15-year-old country singer from Logan — who is now a sophomore at Green Canyon High School — started learning about audio engineering, with the hopes of producing her own album someday, the Deseret News previously reported.
And she wrote three songs. Kenadi performed one of them — a tribute to her 9-year-old sister, Alexis, called “Dancing Through the Stars” — for the quarterfinal round on “AGT” Tuesday night.
But the judges had mixed feelings about it.
After Kenadi’s performance, which saw her belting the ballad from a white piano, “AGT” judge Heidi Klum had nothing but praise for the song and what it represented.
“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,” Klum said. “I have it in my gut, I think you’re absolutely amazing. I also love the bond that you have with your sister.”
Howie Mandel, though, wasn’t as sold on the performance.
“I love you and I think that you’re an amazing talent,” he said. “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 … “
Mandel didn’t get to finish his thought. Klum interjected to criticize him for not being more encouraging of original music. But Mandel then reminded her — and the virtual audience booing him — that he was the one who gave “AGT” winner Grace Vanderwaal, who often performed original songs on the show, the golden buzzer in 2016.
While “AGT” judge Sofia Vergara agreed that “Dancing Through the Stars” wasn’t as strong as the original song Kenadi sang for her audition, “One Way Ticket to Tennessee,” she did say it was “beautiful” and thought Mandel was being “very negative.”
“I think people are going to love you, and I hope that people vote for you tonight because you deserve it,” Vergara said.
After the judges’ reactions, host Terry Crews asked Kenadi what it would mean to win “AGT.”
“It would mean the world to me,” Kenadi said. “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.”
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.