American Idol Comes to Provo

Note from Kenz:

Those of you who auditioned yesterday, good job on making the best decision ever.  It was so fun to see some of my old idol am.  I love and miss you all. 

American Idol came back to Utah... this time the Bus came to Provo.

Kenz isn't auditioning this year but when her "Idol Fam" comes into town you can bet she is going to go say HELLO!!

Many of you thought Kenz got a raw-deal when she was on the show.  

But time heals everything and Kenz has nothing but POSITIVE memories and feelings about the show. She always says "American Idol was the best experience of my life. " 

She is nothing but grateful!

Her Idol Fam are her friends and she loves staying in touch with them all. 

One of her favorite people from her experience is Nancy Yearing. 

Nancy went above and beyond for Kenz (actually several people did - Megan, Kate, Patrick, to name a few...).  Of course, Kenz say Nancy and made a bee-line to go see her.

and her SMILING pup Dustin Hoffman :)

I admit... I felt a little left out when Kenz got to see everyone so I made her FaceTime me so I could (sort of) be apart of it all again. :)

Miss Draper Workshop

Kenz was asked to speak to the girls running for Miss Draper about Staying True to Yourself.

She shared her experiences with American Idol and about the internet.

She also encouraged the girls to embrace their weirdo and

Stay Rad

Fox Interview Life a Year After Idol

Kenzie LOVES Annie Cutler!

Click HERE to see the video

5:45 pm Teaser!!  We watched this over and over and over.  Too Funny!

LDS LIVING Article

LDS LIVING - click HERE to see the magazine.

Click HERE to read the entire article.

Eighteen Mormons on Reality TV 

Who Stood for Their Standards.

American Idol

You can’t talk about Mormons on reality TV without mentioning American Idol and David Archuleta. However, the famed singer wasn’t the first Mormon to compete on the show. Carmen Rasmusen Herbet made it into the top six during the 2003 season of American Idol. During the show, her modest dress standards repeatedly put her at odds with the show’s wardrobe stylists. In fact, a stylist was quoted in Us magazine as saying, “She has a fantastic figure, so [her religious guidelines] are restricting.” But Carmen stood her ground every time—an impressive feat for a teen in a high-pressure showbiz environment. “I really think I found strength beyond my own,” Herbert says. “I wanted to do what was right. I wanted to dress modestly. I was taught to stay true to my values and stay true to myself—even after I went out into the world.”

Five seasons later in 2008, LDS singing sensation David Archuleta was also criticized for his values, in particular, his humility—skeptics thought it was an act. Immediately, David’s friends came to his defense. “People just didn’t understand how David could be shocked when the judges complimented him,” says Dean Kaelin, David’s voice coach. “People thought, ‘How could he not know how good he was?’ Not only does David have a beautiful voice, he is just a good, good kid. That was a shock to America. People couldn’t accept that he was just a humble kid.”

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David Archuleta: Still Making Headlines

After his success on American Idol, David Archuleta saw tremendous success both in his music career and out in the mission field.  In addition to his mission to Chile, Archuleta continues to stand for his beliefs and inspires through his music and his considerable charitable work.  

--> Order David Archuleta's most recent album, "No Matter How Far," from deseretbook.com today.

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Though Archuleta lost to David Cook in the show’s finale, he’s gone on to have a successful singing career—and even put his work on hold to serve a two-year mission in Chile. He returned home with honor in March of 2014. Other Mormons on the show include LDS singer Brooke White who competed on the same season as Archuleta and endeared herself to the judges and fans when she explained that he’d never seen an R-rated movie or had a drink of alcohol. She was eliminated after making it to the top five.

And just last year, Latter-day Saint Kenzie Hall had a shot at performing on the show after being selected to advance out of 40,000 applicants. However, in a surprise twist, the show eliminated five of the 15 female contestants without ever allowing them to sing for America’s votes. Though disappointed, she told the Deseret News, “All along, I knew I had to rely on my Savior because He sees the bigger picture. And I had a good experience, I think, because I kept to my standards, and I’m proud of that.”

Photos courtesy of LDS Living; Deseret News. Left: Carmen Rasmusen Herbet. Right: Kenzie Hall. 

The Stereo Room - Birthday Bash

Playing around before the show

Ain't No Sunshine

One Good Reason

Take Me to Church

Not the Only One

For You

Dirty Diana

Won't Set Fire

Interview with Annie Cutler Idol Finale

Click HERE to see video clip

Utah ‘Idol’ contestants open up as season 13 comes to an end

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s been another successful season of American Idol, and Utah had a good showing of contestants on the show.

Park City’s Austin Wolfe and Draper’s Kenzie Hall have been home for months and back into the swing of things without the big stage and bright lights of American Idol.

“I made it to top 30, and that’s where I was supposed to go but you know there are definitely times when I watch and I’m like, ‘Dang that looks so much fun,’” Kenzie said.

“I’m still getting comments from people that tweet me and be like, ‘I wish you were still on American Idol’ and it’s really cool to see that people still care about what I have to say even though I’m not on the show anymore,” Austin said.

Both said Idol has helped them to launch their music careers.

“I’m actually doing a lot of concerts this summer, a lot of nonprofit events, and we’re going to be in the studio a lot this summer cranking out an album, some cover songs, some new videos too,” Austin said.

Kenzie said it led to new experiences for her.

“It opened a lot of doors for me and it opened a lot of new people to see me I guess and to see my music and it’s awesome,” she said.

So, will they audition again?

Kenzie said: “At this point I’m going to say, ‘Never say never.’ I might. I have no idea yet.”

Austin is also undecided, “I’ve been thinking about auditioning again, I keep going back and forth and I’m really considering it but we’ll have to see what happens.”

Both girls tell FOX 13 News that next season’s Idol auditions are scheduled for the fall, with the closest audition to Salt Lake City being San Francisco.

Draper City Recognition

Draper City Mayor Troy Walker presented Kenz with an award for "representing the community  & singing well on American Idol". 

Kenz was surprised & humbled to be recognized. We are so lucky to live in such a great community.

Coming Home - American Idol

It was interesting watching Kenzie the week after she was cut.  

We decided to spend the week as a family in California.  

We went to Disneyland, Universal Studios, & the beach.  

She needed some time to digest being done.  

She needed time to be alone - 

time to figure out what she was going to say and do -- 

time to have fun without thinking about what had just happened.  

She was recognized quite a bit while we were "vacationing", 

which I think helped with the process.  

Unless you've been through something like this... 

it's hard to understand or even describe what it's like.  

It is also hard to understand why Kenz felt she "let people down".  

She was embarrassed.  

Her entire High School rallied around her with support 

which is one of the things Kenz was most worried and embarrassed about.  

Thinking that way doesn't make sense, I know.  

But she felt she had let them down.  

Driving up to our house changed a lot for Kenz.  

Family and friends made sure she felt "Welcomed Home". 

As a mom, I will forever be grateful for "other moms" 
who somehow sensed a need and acted on it.  
I have a pretty amazing family and live in the best community!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for ALL you did.