‘American Idol’ contestant reveals the show made her ‘so mad’ with request involving legendary grandmom
‘American Idol’ contestant Emmy Russell took offense when she was asked to perform one of her late grandmother’s hit songs on the show. Russell’s grandmother, Loretta Lynn, was a singer-songwriter, also known for the superhit 1980 musical-drama ‘Coal Miner's Daughter.’ The contestant was requested to sing her song by judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie. Although she did go on to cover her late grandmother’s song, she later admitted that she didn’t enjoy it. During her appearance on ‘Thrivalist Podcast’ with Jamie George, Russell revealed that she was "so mad" when she was asked to sing one of Lynn's songs.
“So on American Idol, I did my grandma’s song. Well, they actually let the judges pick three songs. And the only one I knew was ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter,” she told the host. “I just remember seeing that and I was so mad,” she recalled. The judges gave her a list of songs for her to choose from. The other options included ‘Here You Come Again’ by Dolly Parton and ‘Suddenly I See’ by KT Tunstall. Russell was worried that singing her grandmother’s song would add fuel to the nepotism claims. She feared that her journey on the show would be shadowed because of Lynn’s legacy as a country music legend.
However, anger wasn’t the only thing Russell felt after looking at the song choices. “There was immense sadness whenever I saw it because she just passed away very recently,” she said in the podcast. “I mean, it’s my grandma’s song. Can’t get much closer to the heart than your own blood,” she added. Russell ultimately decided to perform it, and she knew ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ like the back of her hand. “I think I want to do it more of like an ode, almost like a way of hugging her,” Russell added. The performance also changed her perspective on the nepotism claims.
“I’m literally just a granddaughter singing this song to her grandma. I need to be proud that I am a granddaughter of Loretta Lynn,” she added. Russell’s ‘American Idol’ performance also had amazing visuals, which she admitted were inspired by the ‘Hunger Games’ character, Katniss Everdeen. She later discovered that the most common occupation in Everdeen’s district was coal mining, something that resonated deeply with her. “It was weird because I still felt that still small voice say, ‘I need you to stay, and I need you to show up,” Russell added.
“And I got on the piano and I played ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ for the vocal coaches...and I had this entire vision for it,” she admitted. In her ‘American Idol’ audition, Russell admitted that she loved music and songwriting from a very young age. The judges were surprised when the 24-year-old singer revealed that Lynn was her grandmother, or "memaw," as she called her. Her performance left Perry in tears, per The Sun. Lynn passed away in her sleep on October 4, 2022, in Nashville. The country music icon was 90 years old.
