‘American Idol’ Emmy Russell Is Carrying On A Family Legacy
American Idol contestant Emmy Russell has opened up about carrying on her family legacy through music. During her audition, Emmy told judges a bit about herself, including the information that she is the daughter of country music star Patsy Lynn and the granddaughter of Loretta Lynn. She said she has felt called to a career in music, adding in some sweet details about growing up with her “Meemaw” Loretta. Despite encouragement from her family, it took Emmy Russell years to get on stage. Here is the story that led her to American Idol.
Emmy Russell Used To Sing On Stage With Loretta Lynn
Emmy Russell is no stranger to performing on stage. As a child, she said that she’d often get on stage with her Meemaw, Loretta Lynn, to sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” She was always told that she had a gift for singing, but she never embraced her affinity for music until now.
When American Idol came to Nashville to host auditions, Emmy felt like it was the perfect time to put herself out there. She lives locally and knew that her late grandmother would have urged her to go for it.
“All the time, she’d be like ‘When are you going to come back and do what you’re made to do?’” she told Rolling Stone. “She would always say, ‘If you have these gifts, don’t bury them under a rug. Use them.’”
She absolutely nailed her audition. All three judges were amazed by Emmy’s talent, both as a singer and songwriter. She performed a song that she wrote herself called “Skinny,” which is about challenges she faced while battling an eating disorder. Katy Perry gave her an “A+ for songwriting.”
The American Idol Wanted To Prove Herself
The judges were surprised to find out that Emmy Russell came from such a musical background. In reality, she didn’t need to audition to get into the music world, but the American Idol contestant said that she wanted to prove herself.
“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 to the judges. “That’s why I wanna challenge myself and come out here and really step in and be like, ‘OK, come on, Emmy.’”
Surprisingly, Emmy’s family was a bit nervous about her audition. They told her that they didn’t want her to embarrass herself, but her performance was far from embarrassing.
Now that she has had the time to reflect on her amazing audition, Emmy Russell said that she just feels extremely grateful for the chance she’s been given. “I sometimes wake up in the morning and I’m just crying because of how grateful I am,” she said. “The fact that the audition did translate to the crowd is powerful for me.”
American Idol airs on Sunday and Monday nights at 8 p.m. EST. If you missed it, you can check out Emmy’s audition below.
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