YouTube/American Idol
American Idol viewers got a surprise on Sunday night. Emmy Russell, the granddaughter of country legend Loretta Lynn, auditioned for the reality show, performing an impressive original piano ballad called “Skinny.”
The 24-year-old musician, who hails from Nashville, impressed the judges, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan, with her performance, who were surprised by her lineage.
“Growing up, I sang music my entire life,” Russel said, introducing herself. “I just love writing. I’m 24 years old. Songwriter. I love music. I don’t really sing out as much anymore, but growing up I sang on the road with—my grandma’s a country singer so I grew up singing.”
“Who’s your grandmother?” Bryan asked. “Loretta Lynn,” Russell replied before showcasing her grandmother’s ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., where Russell and her mother, country singer Patsy Lynn, both grew up. “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,” Russell explained.
Later, the judges commented that Russell seemed a bit too quiet and shy. But Russell said that’s because she wants to embrace being her own musician. “I think there’s a reason why I think I am a little timid and I think it is because I want to own my voice and I wanna own it,” she said. “That’s why I wanna challenge myself and come out here and really step in and be like ‘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 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.”
The judges had largely positive feedback for Russell after her performance. “Emmy, you’re an A+ songwriter,” Perry said. “So was your grandma, you’ve got the gift. I don’t think you need to compare yourself to what grandma was — you’re totally different, you shouldn’t give yourself all that pressure. I think you came in like a mouse.”
Richie added, “My dear, you have promise, 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. Now if I can just get you to put those shoes back in the closet, that’s not your size.”
All three judges gave Russell a “yes” vote, which means she will continue to the next round. Russell noted of her success, “I was thinking about my grandma, but I was also like ‘Emmy, she’s with you and now it’s your turn.’ I think I’m more like her now than whenever I was trying to be like her. I’m really excited.”
American Idol is currently airing its 22nd season on Sunday nights on ABC. It will mark Perry’s final season as a judge, which she announced recently on on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. “I love Idol so much,” she explained. “It’s connected me with the heart of America. But I need to feel that pulse of my own beat.”
