Why Loretta Lynn’s Granddaughter Didn’t Want to Perform One of Her Songs
By Movieguide® Contributor
Loretta Lynn’s granddaughter Emmy Russell loves to honor her grandmother’s legacy, but she recently revealed that she wasn’t pleased to perform one of Lynn’s hits on AMERICAN IDOL.
“[The] judges picked three songs, and the only one I knew was ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter,’” Russell said during an appearance on “The Trivalist Podcast.” “I just remember seeing that and I was…so mad.”
She shared that she was worried that viewers would see her performing her grandmother’s song and assume she had gotten on AMERICAN IDOL due to “nepotism” but went ahead with the performance.
“I just felt that still, small voice saying, ‘I need you to stay, and I need you to show up,’” Russell said. “And I got on the piano and I played ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ for the vocal coaches. It was just how I wanted to play it. I had this entire vision for it.”
Russell ended up making it to the Top 5 before being eliminated.
“I’m just really feeling grateful,” she said in a post following her elimination. “I didn’t make Top 3, but…that was God’s plan. That was funny because before I got eliminated, I think God told me, he was like, ‘Emmy, you’re not gonna be chosen by America, but I chose you.’”
READ MORE: EMMY RUSSELL SAYS AMERICAN IDOL ELIMINATION ‘WAS GOD’S PLAN’
Russell recently welcomed her first child with musician Tyler Ward. The couple kept the pregnancy under wraps until late January, when she posted a video on Instagram with the caption, “Tonight us, tomorrow parents.”
“Can’t wait to see who you are as a dad and who I am as a mom, but know I’ll always cherish when it was just us,” Russell continued.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed Russell wearing a diamond ring in one of the clips from the video and wondered if the pair were engaged. Like Russell’s pregnancy, the couple kept another big life change a secret — Russell’s mother confirmed to Southern Living that they had actually already tied the knot!
Russell is already balancing motherhood with her music career like a pro. She’s set to open for country star Megan Moroney for a series of dates in Knoxville, Tennessee this summer.
READ MORE: EMMY RUSSELL REMEMBERS FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT ‘MEMAW’ LORETTA LYNN
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