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YouTube/American Idol
american idol Viewers were in for a surprise on Sunday night. Emmy Russell, granddaughter of country legend Loretta Lynn, auditioned for the reality show and performed a stunning original piano ballad called “Skinny.”
The 24-year-old musician, originally from Nashville, impressed the judges, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, with her performance, who were surprised by her lineage.
“When I was a little girl, I sang music my whole life,” Russel said, introducing herself. “I love writing. I’m 24 years old. Song composer. I love music. I don’t really sing that much anymore, but when I was a kid he used to sing on the road; “My grandmother is a country singer, so I grew up singing.”
“Who is your grandmother?” —Bryan asked. “Loretta Lynn,” Russell responded before showing her grandmother’s ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, where Russell and his mother, country singer Patsy Lynn, grew up. “She’s one of the greatest country music singers of all time, but to me she’s just my grandmother, and growing up on the bus and all that was very normal to me,” Russell explained.
The judges later commented that Russell seemed too quiet and shy. But Russell said that’s because he wants to embrace being his own musician. “I think there’s a reason why I think I’m a little shy and I think it’s because I want to own my voice and I want to own it,” he said. “That’s why I want to challenge myself and come out here and really step in and say, ‘Okay, come on Emmy.'”
In the segment about Russell’s family, Patsy Lynn added: “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.’ I think that when you come from a family of musicians, the shadow is very big. How do I fill those shoes? Well, the deal is, you don’t. “You create your own shadow.”
The judges had very positive comments about Russell after his performance. “Emmy, you’re an A+ songwriter,” Perry said. “Your grandmother too, you have the gift. I don’t think you need to compare yourself to what Grandma was; You are totally different, you shouldn’t put so much pressure on yourself. “I think you came in like a mouse.”
Richie added: “Darling, you promise and I like your promise. Each of us is trying to fight something we are trying to overcome. In your case you have big shoes. “Now if I could just get you to put those shoes back in the closet, that’s not your size.”
All three judges gave Russell a “yes” vote, meaning he will move on to the next round. Russell highlighted his success: “I was thinking about my grandmother, but I also thought, ‘Emmy, she’s with you and now it’s your turn.’ I think I’m more like her now than when I was trying to be like her. I am very excited.”
american idol currently airing its 22nd season on Sunday nights on ABC. It will mark Perry’s final season as a judge, which he recently announced on Jimmy Kimmel live!. “Love Idol a lot,” he explained. “It has connected me to the heart of America. But I need to feel the pulse of my own heartbeat.”