Loretta Lynn’s Granddaughter Gives Emotional AMERICAN IDOL Performance
By Movieguide® Contributor
Country singer Loretta Lynn’s granddaughter, Emmy Russell, sang an original song at her AMERICAN IDOL audition, which aired on Feb. 26, and blew the judges away.
“You are an A+ songwriter. So is your grandma. You got the gift,” Judge Katy Perry said after Russell sang her song, “Skinny,” about eating disorders.
On Feb. 21, Movieguide® reported that Russell would appear on American Idol:
In a teaser trailer for season 22 of AMERICAN IDOL, Russell introduces herself and adds, “My grandma’s a country singer,” Taste of Country reported.
“Your grandma is — what?!” judge Lionel Richie says.
Some people who watch the show might already know who Russell is from her performance with Willie Nelson’s son, Lukas Nelson, at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee.
The duo performed a rendition of “Lay Me Down” for the late Loretta Lynn at her celebration of life service called “Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration Of The Life & Music of Loretta Lynn.”
“My dear, you have promise,” Judge Lionel Richie said. “And I like your promise. Each one of us is trying to battle something that we’re trying to overcome. In your case, you have big shoes.”
With a grandmother who was a country music legend, Russell felt the pressure to live up to her “Meemaw’s” name.
Judge Luke Bryan told her, “We just gotta lift you up and get you more confident, and you just need to own it.”
“I don’t think you need to compare yourself to what grandma was,” Perry said. “You’re totally different. You shouldn’t give yourself all that pressure.”
Some of Russell’s lyrics from her audition song read:
Why am I in love
With a mirror that says
You’re not enough? (You’re not enough)
Why am I in love (Am I in love)
With a mirror that says (That says)
You won’t measure up?
Russell has more in common with her grandmother than big blue eyes and a passion for singing. They share the same faith, too.
Last year, Russell shared a testimony about her faith on Instagram and said, “Trusting God’s voice has been a journey for me. Over the past six years, I’ve learned that it’s the only voice worth fighting for. I’m grateful for all my experiences because, in the end, this journey is about love, trust, and taking action. Even if it’s painful, nothing is more painful than not trusting the Holy Spirit within us.”
Loretta Lynn died in her sleep in 2022 at the age of 90.
The New York Times said the Grammy and CMA award winner left behind “legions of admirers, women as well as men, who draw strength and encouragement from her irrepressible, down-to-earth music and spirit.”
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