Caleb Kennedy to Release Song Originally Slated for ‘American Idol’ Top 5 Performance
ABC/Christopher Willard Reading Time: 3 minutes
After exiting American Idol due to a controversial social media post, Caleb Kennedy is making a comeback. The Roebuck, South Carolina teen has new music on the way. He made the announcement on Instagram and included a clip of the song.
On May 12, Caleb put out a statement to address a video where he was seen sitting next to someone in a white hood. He apologized to fans and everyone he “let down.” The country singer announced he was going to take a social media hiatus. This only lasted for a month. He has since continued to perform locally, and even met up with Season 19 winner Chayce Beckham.
Caleb Kennedy Teases ‘Raised On Dirt’
The song that Caleb is releasing is “Raised On Dirt.” If the song title sounds familiar, it is because it was the song Caleb was supposed to perform on American Idol for the Top 5. He worked on it with Ross Copperman, one of the producers working with the contestants this season. Copperman also worked with Chayce on “23” which has been a huge success.
American Idol never released Caleb’s original song. If the entire controversy never happened, Caleb’s song would’ve probably seen the same kind of chart success that Chayce’s did. It is interesting that he is allowed to put out a song that is associated with American Idol. They did delete all of his performances off of YouTube after all. Obviously, it is not going to be released under 19 Recordings. It is most likely an independent release.
“Y’all have been asking for a while now…so here ya go,” Caleb captioned the post.
Every time Caleb posts something on Instagram, there are a handful of comments asking him to put out new music. The Sept. 11 release date for “Raised On Dirt” falls on the day of his Greenville Country Music Fest performance. The opportunities keep on coming for him.
Is Caleb’s Comeback Similar to Morgan Wallen?
The 16-year-old posted some photos on August 8, which led to comparisons of his rocky music journey to that of Morgan Wallen. A video of Wallen yelling racially charged expletives surfaced online. This led to Big Loud Records suspending his contact. His music was pulled from radio stations and he was barred from attending the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.
Even through all of the controversy, Wallen’s music is more popular than ever before. Blacklisting him simply didn’t work. He will be hosting Morgan Wallen and Friends on Sept. 8 to benefit flood victims of Humphreys County, Tennessee. Some of Wallen’s songs have also returned to country radio stations.
“Hi, Morgan Wallen has been performing on-stage again. Getting great reactions, too. . . . . it is possible,” one fan wrote on Caleb’s Instagram.
After Caleb’s American Idol journey came to an end, his self-titled EP began to climb up the iTunes Country chart. The EP was released just after Season 19 began airing. He has four upcoming shows slated for September and October. If you thought controversy ruins people’s careers forever, think again.
