Watch Loretta Lynn’s Granddaughter, Emmy Russell, Audition For ‘American Idol’ With Original Song

"She's one of the biggest country music singers of all time, but to me she's just Grandma.”

Emmy Russell is stepping out of her famous grandmother’s shadow to blaze her own trail in music.

The 24-year-old granddaughter of country legend Loretta Lynn auditioned for American Idol with an emotional performance of an original song Sunday.

"She's one of the biggest country music singers of all time, but to me she's just Grandma," Russell said in an interview clip.

Quiet and admittedly shy, the Nashville native admitted to having big shoes to fill. But Russell said that the time has come to put herself out there and pursue her musical dreams.

"I think I am a little timid, and I think it is because I want to own my voice," she explained to the judges. "That's why I want to challenge myself and come out here."

With her mom Patsy (Lynn's daughter and one half of the musical duo The Lynns) looking on, Russell made her way to the piano to deliver a soulful performance of “Skinny,” a song she wrote about struggling with an eating disorder.

"You're an A+ songwriter. So was your grandma. You got the gift," judge Katy Perry told her. "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."

Judge Luke Bryan jokingly referred to Russell as a “baby mouse.”

“We just gotta get you more confident. And you just need to own it,” he said, before giving her an enthusiastic “yes” to the next round.

With the approval of all three judges, Russell began to cry as she realized she's going through to the show's next round in Hollywood, California.

“I was thinking about my grandma, but I was also thinking, ‘Emmy, she’s with you, and now it’s your turn,’” she told the camera. “I think I’m more like her now than whenever I was trying to be like her.”

Despite her shyness, American Idol wasn't Russell's first brush with television. In 2022, she performed a duet with Willie Nelson’s son, Lukas Nelson, during CMT's Coal Miner's Daughter: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Loretta Lynn, which aired live from the Grand Ole Opry.

Loretta died on October 4, 2022 at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, at the age of 90. Over the course of her six decade career, she was inducted into more music Halls of Fame than any female recording artist. The four-time-Grammy-winner became the first woman to be named the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year in 1972 and sold more than 45 million records worldwide.

We can’t wait to watch Emmy follow in her memaw’s footsteps! 

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