In the most recent episode of American Idol, Emmy Russell, the granddaughter of the famous country singer Loretta Lynn, gave a performance that won over both fans and judges and earned her a trip to Hollywood.
Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan were all shocked by the 24-year-old songwriter’s original song “Skinny,” which showed off her strong vocals and honest words. Even though Russell comes from a famous family, the judges didn’t know about her family history until she told them during her tryout.
“As a child, I sang music all my life,” Russell said. “I love writing so much.” I am 24 years old. I love music and writing songs. I don’t sing out as much as I used to, but when I was younger, I used to sing on the road with my country singer-grandmother.
Russell dropped the bombshell when Bryan asked about her grandma, which made the judges look shocked. Her next move was to show the judges her grandmother’s ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. This showed how normal it is to grow up in a singing family.
Russell said she felt shy, even though she was very talented. She wanted to push herself to speak up and own her voice. Patsy Lynn, her mother, was also a country singer and understood how nervous her daughter was. She told her how important it was for her to make her own name in the music business.
The judges were moved by Russell’s performance, which was full of strong emotions and stories. Perry told her she was good at writing songs, but she needed to be more sure of herself and that she doesn’t need to be like her grandma, but should make her own way.
Richie and Bryan agreed with Perry and told Russell to be proud of her voice and individuality. With three “yes” votes, she moved on to the next round of the competition in Hollywood.
Russell talked about how excited she was for the trip ahead and the chance to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps in her own way after her audition. Her performance on American Idol shows how talented and determined she is, and it looks like she will have a great singing career ahead of her.
Watch Emmy Russell’s story on American Idol, which airs on ABC every Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Russell wrote about how much she loved and admired her grandma on social media to honor Lynn’s death with a touching post and a video clip of their performance. She has also talked about the helpful advice Lynn gave her, like how important it is to love God and listen to what He says.
In addition to the song she sang in honor of Lynn, Russell made her Grand Ole Opry debut in April 2023 and sang “Memaw’s Guitar” in honor of Lynn’s birthday.
