How Loretta Lynn’s granddaughter fared while auditioning on ‘American Idol’
She’s a Honky Tonk Girl.
Emmy Russell, 24, the granddaughter of the late country music legend Loretta Lynn, auditioned for “American Idol” on Sunday’s episode of the ABC music competition show, surprising the judges.
Judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan seemed to be in the dark about her impressive family tree — at first.
“Growing up, I sang music my entire life,” Russell said. “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.”
“Who’s your grandmother?” Bryan asked.
The judges were shocked when she revealed it.
Lynn died at 90 in 2022. Before that, the four-time Grammy winner had a towering career spanning six decades.
Born and raised in rural Kentucky, Lynn burst onto the scene with tracks such as 1960’s “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl” and 1971’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
Lynn, who got married at 15, used her impoverished childhood as the basis for many of her hits. The Country Music Hall of Famer also wrote songs about cheating husbands, divorce and birth control. For that, she sometimes faced censorship from radio programmers for material that even rock stars once shied away from.
Lynn’s other hits included “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)” and “You’re Looking at Country.”
When she died, she left behind four children, 17 grandchildren and four step-grandchildren.
Russell’s mother, Patsy Lynn, is also a country singer, and she was named after Loretta’s late best friend and country music legend, Patsy Cline, who died at 30 in a plane crash in 1963.
“I know that your memaw would be so proud of you,” Patsy told Emmy in a segment shown onscreen. “You go out there and show them your heart.”
After shocking the judges by revealing her connection to Lynn, Russell gave them a tour of her grandmother’s ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.
“My family grew up here, my mom grew up here. This is my meemaw’s house,” she said. “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.”
The judges were all wowed by Russell’s performance of a song that she wrote, “Skinny.”
“Emmy, you’re an A+ songwriter. So was your grandma, you’ve got the gift,” said Perry, who is leaving “American Idol” after this season. “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.”
“My dear, you have promise, and I like your promise,” said Richie. “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.”
The judges all gave her a “yes” vote, so she’ll move on to the next round of the competition (airing Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC).
Russell got emotional and shed some tears on the show. “I was thinking about my grandma, but I was also like, ‘Emmy, she’s with you and now it’s your turn,’ ” she said.
“I think I’m more like her now than whenever I was trying to be like her. I’m really excited.”
