SALT LAKE CITY — Brandi Dodds hasn’t seen her 15-year-old daughter, Kenadi, in about a month.
She hopes that absence will extend for just a little bit longer, though. It would mean her daughter made it to the top 10 of “America’s Got Talent.”
Kenadi — who was one of the last contestants to audition before “AGT” shut down production in March — went to Los Angeles last month to prepare for the show’s live episodes that have plowed ahead during the pandemic.
While juggling schoolwork, vocal lessons and rehearsals on the set of “AGT,” Kenadi made it past the show’s quarterfinal round earlier this month. Now, her live performance for the semifinals airs Tuesday night. And through it all, the budding country singer has been doing her best to keep her family in the loop.
Due in part to COVID-19 safety precautions, Kenadi’s mom and younger sisters have stayed behind in Logan while Kenadi and her dad navigate “AGT” territory. The entire family could’ve traveled to California, but only one guardian is allowed to be with Kenadi on set right now.
And offstage, the family of five would’ve had to cram into one hotel room — a space they could only leave to go on set.
“They have to do the show as safely as possible and keep everyone healthy,” Brandi Dodds told the Deseret News in a recent phone interview. “It just wasn’t practical at all for us, but I feel like ‘AGT’ has done such a great job of including the family. … Even though it’s Kenadi’s talents and her music, it really has been a family journey.”
A couple of weeks ago, during the show’s quarterfinal round, Kenadi performed a song she recently wrote for her 9-year-old sister, Alexis. Called “Dancing Through the Stars,” the ballad celebrates Kenadi’s relationship with her sister, who, like most members of Kenadi’s immediate family, has the eye disease retinitis pigmentosa.
Before the performance, “AGT” set up a special video chat between Kenadi and Alexis. During the call, which aired Sept. 1 on “AGT,” Kenadi surprised her sister with the news that she’d be performing the song on national television.
“I’m just really proud of how that song came out,” Kenadi said. “It was a tribute to my sister, and she was really excited about it. That was all worth it for me that I got to take that moment to highlight her and thank her for being me with me all throughout my journey.”
The song got praise from “AGT” judges Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara. Howie Mandel, though, wasn’t as sold on it. But Kenadi said his feedback didn’t change her positive view of him or make her nervous to share more original music in the future.
“I feel like the beautiful thing about music is not everybody’s gonna relate to the song the same way other people do. Everyone relates to music differently,” she said. “And it’s OK that Howie didn’t like that song. I’m just glad that I made it through. I know what kind of songs Howie likes, and I’ve got things up my sleeve.”
Kenadi said her last “AGT” appearance proved it can sometimes be hard to impress with original music compared to performing songs that are popular or at least familiar to people. But she’s long considered herself a songwriter, and she wants to get her music out in the world — criticism and all.
“A lot of country songs that I liked (growing up) didn’t quite fit my image lyrically, and I couldn’t relate to a lot of them,” she said. “And so I started writing songs so that I could relate. … Also, you can’t have a career just doing covers. You need to have your original work.
“Every time I write a song it gets better and better than the last one,” she continued. “It’s so much fun to see the progress and growth that comes through songwriting. I get to tell stories and express myself with a pen and paper, which I think is really special.”
Each time she takes the “AGT” stage, Kenadi thinks of all that has gone into getting to that moment. Prior to this season, the young singer had auditioned for — and been rejected by — “AGT” twice. Kenadi said her dad, a former Paralympic athlete, has put his own dreams on hold to help his daughter achieve hers.
“I’m just so grateful that I get to continue this beautiful journey on ‘AGT,’” she said. “It’s been so many ups and downs, and it’s been so emotional. A lot of work goes into this. A lot of time and effort goes into each song that I perform.
“I am so excited to show you what I have next.”
Below is the list of acts that will be on tonight’s episode, according to an “AGT” representative. Wednesday night’s episode will reveal the five acts moving on to the final round that airs Sept. 22 and 23.
- BAD Salsa — Dance duo
- Jonathan Goodwin — Daredevil
- Bello Sisters — Hand balancing act
- Kenadi Dodds — Singer/musician
- Brett Loudermilk — Sword swallower
- Max Major — Mentalist
- Celina — Singer
- Voices of Our City Choir — Unsheltered citizens choir
- Cristina Rae — Singer
- W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew — Dance group
- Daneliya Tuleshova — Singer