Accompanied by her daughter, she returned to audition for the fifteenth season of American Idol in Little Rock, Arkansas and earned her golden ticket by performing in front of the judges with Radiohead's "Creep".
In a post-Idol interview about her plans Renae indicated she would be leaving Mississippi, and she came under fire when she was asked about the Religious Liberty Accommodations Act, an anti-LGBT law in her home state, "I am one of the people who don't really agree with that lifestyle.
In 2019, Renae released a single, "Solo", which failed to chart or garner any media attention, prompting her to go on an extended hiatus.
In May 2020, she revealed plans to self-publish a seven-volume memoir series titled "Battles", the first book Meet Me on the Battlefield was published in June 2020.
[8] In May 2022, she released a four-part album series: The Odessy [sic] of Love, independently through Man of Yah productions, with an accompanying music video for the lead single, "Black Swan" on YouTube.