'American Idol' 2023: Who is Mickenley Brown? Meet the singer who almost DIED due to bullying

'American Idol' contestant Mikenley Brown's journey has been plagued with depression and anxiety
'American Idol' Season 21 contestant Mikenley Brown grew up in a musical household (@mikenleyb/instagram)
'American Idol' Season 21 contestant Mikenley Brown grew up in a musical household (@mikenleyb/instagram)

NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE: Mikenley Brown, 17, recently had the opportunity of a lifetime when she auditioned for 'American Idol' in Nashville, Tennessee. She is one of the few lucky artists selected to perform live in front of celebrity judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan.

'American Idol' auditions are getting better each week as artists from all over the state vie to be the best of the best. In the previous weeks, a lot of skilled singers have advanced to Hollywood week and some were even offered platinum tickets like Elijha McCormick, Tyson Venegas, etc. In the upcoming March 26 auditions, Mikenley or more popularly known as Kenley, a young artist from New Castle will capture the audience with her beautiful voice. Kenley has been through some horrible ordeals in life and is still battling anorexia, anxiety, and depression. But music is her one saving grace, so continue reading to find out more about this young singer.

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Who is Mikenley Brown?

Kenley is a 17-year-old studying at Heartland Christian School. and comes from a musical family. Growing up wanted to be like Hannah Montana. Kenley was inspired by her great-grandfather to pursue music as he was in a band and always encourage her to chase her dreams as he believed she had a gift.

Before taking up small gigs recently, Kenley had only led worship at her local church with her mother and father. Kenley's journey has been riddled with anxiety, depression, and a battle with anorexia. The young artist has been bullied badly for her looks, fashion sense, and beliefs. The bullying started back in 2019 and it was so bad that Kenley hated to look at herself in a mirror and almost starved to death. Kenley had shared in an Instagram post, "I lost all my friends, sat at lunch by myself, cried in the bathroom multiple times a day, and started starving myself.”

The teenager had to be admitted to a hospital on multiple occasions because she kept getting sick. She also added, "WORDS HURT! I almost killed myself bcoz of the words people said to me." Through this, all Kenley relied on music and never lost focus on her dream. Kenley has also revealed that it was her mother and best friend who had saved her during the worst time in her life. Now Kenley has recovered, is happier, and is all set to take the next step in her musical career. Till now the singer hasn't released any original works, but she is working on writing some songs with her father and best friend. Meanwhile, Kenley keeps on posting covers on her TikTok, Youtube, and Instagram.



 

Mikenley Brown on 'American Idol' Season 21

The upcoming round of 'American Idol' auditions will feature Kenley, a rising singer from New Castle. During the audition, her father, Mike Brown, played the guitar. Her dad had teared up at her audition and said, "It's like watching her being born again." Don't forget to see whether Kenley lives up to the expectations and wins a golden ticket to Hollywood or not.

'American Idol' Season 21 airs every Sunday at 8 pm ET on ABC.

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