A Hoosier’s “American Idol” journey has come to an end.
Fishers native and Heritage Christian graduate Kyndal Inskeep was eliminated on the April 20 episode of “American Idol” after the show cut its top 9 to a top 7. She and the rest of the contestant pool performed songs from soundtracks for Disney Night.
Inskeep selected “Butterfly Fly Away” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie” as her Disney Night song, and she largely redeemed herself from the prior week’s shaky performance. But the judges’ praise wasn’t enough to save Inskeep from elimination, and the fan vote sent her and fellow hopeful Lucas Leon home.
Inskeep battled through losing her voice April 13 to advance to the top 9. She delivered a shaky rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame week, and the judges commended her for toughing the song out despite her vocal troubles. She was the last contestant called safe during the live vote.
Inskeep performed “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls during the Judges’ Song Contest the previous week, and she told IndyStar that she didn’t feel her April 6 showing was her best. Nerves around the live performance got the best of her during the Judges Song Contest, Inskeep said, and she hoped to corral them in the coming weeks.
“It’s as real and raw as it gets, so that can be scary sometimes,” Inskeep said. “It’s very nerve-wracking. You’ve got to lock in.”
For the March 30 “songs of faith” round, Inskeep selected “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus,” a traditional hymn that “American Idol” season 4 winner and current judge Carrie Underwood recorded in 2021. She advanced to the live shows after a top-20 performance of Noah Kahan’s “Call Your Mom” and a strong ‘Ohana Round showing with her original song “Woman of Me.”
During the ‘Ohana Round, Inskeep snagged one of three “platinum tickets” up for grabs: the coveted prize that guaranteed a place in the top 20. A voting body of music industry personnel, contestants’ family members and the competitors themselves decided the platinum ticket recipients, while the judging panel rounded out the rest of the top 20 at the end of the March 9 episode.
Inskeep’s big moment came after her Hollywood Week performance of “Human” by The Killers, where the judges commended her for opting for a more upbeat pop-rock song than the more acoustic-leaning music she releases on her own. Inskeep auditioned in Nashville with “Prayer of a Trying Daughter,” an original song.
Who is Kyndal Inskeep?
Inskeep is a 29-year-old singer-songwriter and Fishers native who now resides in Nashville. A 2015 graduate of Heritage Christian, she’s been releasing music as Kyndal since 2020 and has written songs for pop artist JVKE and Christian artists One House Music and Chandler Moore from the Maverick City Music worship collective.
After Inskeep’s “American Idol” audition in Nashville, Underwood told her she’s “got stuff,” and Richie said she has “artist written all over (her).”
Inskeep previously appeared on season 17 of “The Voice” and — after earning chair turns from coaches Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani — made it to the top 20. She landed on Stefani’s team and advanced to the Live Playoffs.
How to vote on ‘American Idol’
“American Idol” results are now in the hands of the public. Viewers can cast their votes on the “American Idol” Instagram, TikTok and Facebook accounts by commenting the name of their choice on the page’s pinned voting posts. One comment counts for one vote, and viewers can comment up to 10 times per contestant.
The show’s traditional text voting is also open. Viewers can text their preferred contestant’s assigned number, which will be announced at the beginning of each new episode, to 21523. One text counts for one vote, and viewers can send up to 10 texts per contestant. Online voting is also available at americanidol.com/vote.
Voting is generally open from the beginning of each episode to just before the end of each episode.
How to watch ‘American Idol’
“American Idol” airs Mondays on ABC at 8 p.m. EST. Episodes are available the next day on Hulu and Disney+.
Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@indystar.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘American Idol’ drops Indiana’s Kyndal Inskeep after Disney song flops
Reporting by Heather Bushman, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
