KAYKO

S22 · Eliminated (9th–10th)

As of September 25, 2025

KAYKO, also known as Sam Kelly-Cohen, finished in the top 10 of American Idol season 22. His singles include Time of Your Life, Love You Goodbye, Feel the Same with Kaibrienne, and Someone Like You. A December 5, 2025 show at the Gray Box Theater in Fort Lauderdale was scheduled as of September 25, 2025.⁠[1][2][3]

Career

Before the show

  1. August 13, 2021Time of Your Life came out on August 13, 2021, on Duetti. He later used the song for his American Idol audition.⁠[1][6]
  2. October 22, 2021How to Live Without You came out on October 22, 2021, on YBFFB TUNES. He sang it on American Idol.⁠[1][6]
  3. February 16, 2024Over You came out on February 16, 2024, on YBFFB TUNES. He sang it on American Idol.⁠[1][6]

After the show

  1. June 2024By June 2024, Time of Your Life had one million streams.⁠[1]
  2. July 2024In July 2024, Love You Goodbye was number 36 on the iTunes pop chart.⁠[1]
  3. July 12, 2024Love You Goodbye came out on July 12, 2024, on YBFFB TUNES.⁠[1][6]
  4. August 30, 2024–September 29, 2024The Time of Your Life tour covered 14 dates, from August 30, 2024 at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago through September 29, 2024 at Conduit in Orlando.⁠[1]
  5. September 20, 2024On September 20, 2024 he announced the Young & Out of Love tour, 21 cities with Kaibrienne, Blake Proehl, and Haven Madison, scheduled from October 29, 2024 in Portland through November 27, 2024 in Los Angeles.⁠[1]
  6. November 1, 2024Feel the Same, featuring Kaibrienne, came out on November 1, 2024, on YBFFB TUNES.⁠[1][6]
  7. March 14, 2025Someone Like You came out on March 14, 2025, on YBFFB TUNES. Samuel Kelly-Cohen wrote it.⁠[3][6]
  8. September 25, 2025As of September 25, 2025, he was scheduled to play with his band on December 5 at the Gray Box Theater in Fort Lauderdale.⁠[2]

Date not documented

  1. After his elimination from American Idol, he released an emo version of Somebody That I Used to Know, with a video.⁠[1]

Discography

No releases are documented yet.

Awards

Checked October 8, 2026; none found.

Other activity

  • He came to the American Idol audition as the piano accompanist for Abby Blake, and the judges then asked him to sing Time of Your Life.⁠[1]

Sources

6 sources

  1. What Happened To Kayko After American Idol Season 22 — ScreenRant, published October 25, 2024. News report. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • Name: “Kayko, whose full name is Sam Kelly-Cohen”
    • Songs: “his American Idol season 22 audition song, "Time of Your Life,"”
    • Single: “Kayko released a song called "Feel the Same," featuring”
    • Song: “his American Idol season 22 audition song, "Time of Your Life,"”
    • Songs: “"How to Live Without You," and "Over You."”
    • Streams: “In a June 2024 Instagram post”
    • Streams: “"Time of Your Life," had reached the milestone of one million streams.”
    • Chart: “this song is 36 on iTunes pop charts right now”
  2. From NBPS to American Idol: Kayko's Journey to the Spotlight — The Eagle Gazette, published September 25, 2025. News report. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (2)
    • Finish: “He ended up making it to the top 10 of his season”
    • Show: “Sam will be performing live with his band on December 5th at the Gray Box Theater, in Fort Lauderdale”
  3. SOMEONE LIKE YOU by KAYKO — Shazam. Release database. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Single: “SOMEONE LIKE YOU was released on March 14, 2025 by YBFFB TUNES”
    • Single: “SOMEONE LIKE YOU was released on March 14, 2025 by YBFFB TUNES as a part of the album SOMEONE LIKE YOU - Single”
    • Writer: “Written by: Samuel Kelly-Cohen”
  4. List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, updated June 10, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Contestants table, row KAYKO: Season 22, Place finish 9th-10th
  5. American Idol season 22 — Wikipedia, updated August 31, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Top 10 – Contestants' birth year (April 28) table (Eliminated); Elimination chart, row KAYKO: Pl. 9, 4/28 column
  6. Apple album search for KAYKO — Apple. Release database. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • TIME OF YOUR LIFE - Single: "releaseDate":"2021-08-13T07:00:00Z"
    • TIME OF YOUR LIFE - Single: "copyright":"℗ 2021 Duetti"
    • How To Live Without You - Single: "releaseDate":"2021-10-22T07:00:00Z"
    • How To Live Without You - Single: "copyright":"℗ 2021 YBFFB TUNES"
    • Honestly - Single: "releaseDate":"2023-03-10T08:00:00Z"
    • Honestly - Single: "copyright":"℗ 2023 KAYKO"
    • OVER YOU - Single: "releaseDate":"2024-02-16T08:00:00Z"
    • OVER YOU - Single: "copyright":"℗ 2024 YBFFB TUNES"

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