Emmy Russell, the granddaughter of famed country singer Loretta Lynn, is coming to Hollywood.
The 24-year-old composer auditioned for American Idol on Sunday night’s program, and enthralled judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan with her dramatic composition “Skinny.”
The judges were ignorant of Russell’s ancestry before her audition. “I have been singing music my whole life,” she added while introducing herself. I truly appreciate your writing. I’m 24 years old. I am a songwriter who has a big enthusiasm for music. My singing has lessened with time, but during my youth, I sang with my grandma, a country singer.
“Who is your grandmother?” Bryan asked.
Russell startled the judges by divulging her relationship with Lynn, then proceeded to take the team around the country legend’s ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. “My family grew up here, my mom grew up here. “This is my grandmother’s house,” she remarked. “She’s one of the biggest country music singers of all time, but to me, she’s just my grandma, and growing up on the bus and all that was very normal to me.”
The judges gently chastised Russell for being quiet and withdrawn. “I think there’s a reason why I think I am a little timid and I think it is ‘cause I want to own my voice and I wanna own it,” she remarked. “That’s why I wanna challenge myself and come out here and step in and be like ‘Okay, come on Emmy’”
Later, Russell’s mother Patsy Lynn, who was once a country singer as part of the duo The Lynns in the 1990s, reacted to her daughter’s dread.
“She just wanted to do this honestly [and say] ‘this is who I am and this is what I do and this is my heart,’” she remarked. “I think that when you come from a musical family, the shadow is so big. How do I fill those shoes? Well the deal is, you don’t. You make your own shadow.”
Russell impressed the judges with superb vocals and passionate lyrics like “Haven’t eaten in days/ God I hate how you made me” and “So took a trip around the world to hold the hands of orphan girls/Saw the war, felt the pain, and miracles in his name.”
Perry appreciated her creative abilities but urged her to discuss and act with more confidence. “Emmy, you’re an A+ songwriter. So was your grandma, you’ve got the gift,” she said. “I don’t think you need to compare yourself to what grandma was — you’re different, you shouldn’t give yourself all that pressure. I assume you came in like a mouse.”
Richie matched her sentiments. “My dear, you have potential, and I admire your promise,” he continued. “Each one of us is trying to battle something that we’re trying to overcome. In your circumstance, you have large shoes. Now if I can just convince you to put those shoes back in the closet, that’s not your size.”
Bryan also advised her to embrace her voice. “We just need to lift you and get you more confident and you just need to own it.”
All three judges eventually handed Russell a “yes” vote, which means she’ll take her abilities to Hollywood to participate in the next level of competition.
Russell reflected on the experience at the end of her portion. “I was thinking about my grandma, but I was also like ‘Emmy, she’s with you and now it’s your turn,’” she continued. “I think I’m more like her now than whenever I tried to be like her. I’m quite excited.”
Also read: Shane Gillis Returns to Host SNL: Addressing Past Controversy
Emmy Russell Impressed On The Judges Of American Idol
What more should be known about Loretta Lynn’s legacy, and how American Idol’s Emmy Russell carries it on? Emmy Russell, a singer and songwriter from Nashville, made an impression on the judges of American Idol during her audition for the reality show, which debuted on February 25th. Russell received three yes votes from the judges after performing an original song.
That’s not all there is to know about Russell, though. These are five interesting facts about the participants that will be back for the show’s Hollywood Week that you might not know. How is Loretta Lynn related to American Idol participant Emmy Russell?
Emmy Russell’s Grandmother Is Loretta Lynn, A Legend In Country Music
The judges of American Idol as well as the general public discovered that Russell hailed from a powerful family of female performers when she took the stage. The late Loretta Lynn, a legend in country music, is her maternal grandmother.
Additionally, Crystal Gayle, the sister of Lynn, is Russell’s great-niece. Russell revealed, very normal to her, that she was raised on Lynn’s ranch just outside of Nashville and that she spent a lot of her early years on a tour bus during her Idol audition. Russell remarked during the performance, that she’s one of the biggest country music singers of all time.
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