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South China Morning Post
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Meet Loretta Lynn's granddaughter, Emmy Russell – who was ‘so mad' when judges asked her to sing her grandma's song, ‘Coal Miner's Daughter', on American Idol …
Emmy Russell was 'so mad' when she found out the American Idol judges wanted her to sing her famous grandma's song for one of her performances last April. Emmy Russell in a May 2024 post asking her followers to vote for her on American Idol. Photo: @emmyroserussell/Instagram The granddaughter of late American singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn opened up about the gig during an interview on The Thrivalist Podcast with Jamie George. The judges who picked the song for her to sing were Katy Perry , Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie , per People magazine. Advertisement '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 said on the podcast. 'I'm already facing so much, trying to act in courage, and I just remember seeing that and I was so mad. I was like, 'Ugh.'' She said she thought that singing her late grandma's famous song 'was just going to add to' reports of nepotism. 'It was weird because I still felt that still small voice say, 'I need you to stay, and I need you to show up,'' she added. 'And I got on the piano and I played 'Coal Miner's Daughter' for the vocal coaches … and it was just how I wanted to play it.' The other song choices included 'Here You Come Again' by Dolly Parton and 'Suddenly I See' by KT Tunstall, according to People. Here's what we know about Loretta Lynn's talented granddaughter. How is Emmy Russell related to Loretta Lynn? Emmy Russell shared a photo in memory of her grandmother, country music legend Loretta Lynn, who died in October 2022. Photo: @emmyroserussell/Instagram Emmy Russell is one of Loretta Lynn's whopping 26 grandchildren.
Fox News
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Loretta Lynn's granddaughter says ‘American Idol' judges made her ‘so mad' by asking her to do grandma's song
Country legend Loretta Lynn's granddaughter, Emmy Russell, didn't necessarily want to perform her grandmother's iconic song while appearing on "American Idol" last year. During an appearance on "The Thrivalist Podcast," the country singer revealed that while it wasn't her idea to sing "Coal Miner's Daughter" during the competition show, she didn't walk away with any regrets. "Judges picked three songs, and the only one I knew was 'Coal Miner's Daughter,'" Russell said of then-judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. "I just remember seeing that and I was… so mad." Fearful of "nepotism" backlash from viewers, Russell said she had a feeling that the song would only fuel the fire. However, she carried on and pushed forward with the performance. "I just felt that still, small voice saying, 'I need you to stay, and I need you to show up,'" she said. "And I got on the piano and I played 'Coal Miner's Daughter' for the vocal coaches. It was just how I wanted to play it. I had this entire vision for it." Fox News Digital has reached out to "American Idol" for USERS CLICK HERE TO VIEW POST Lynn, who died in 2022 at age 90, had 17 grandchildren and four step-grandchildren. Russell, who made the Top 5 before being eliminated, opened up about her love for music. "I'm a songwriter," the young singer said in a video that was featured on "American Idol." "It's in my blood. When I was about 9, I wrote my first real song." "Whenever you share a song, it's very vulnerable. Anything I feel, I write. It just starts coming out of me. I go to my iPhone and my piano – it is my best friend whenever it comes to music. I feel a melody, I go to my iPhone, record it. A lyric, go to it, record it." At the time of her appearance, Russell was no stranger to the limelight. Lynn would often bring her granddaughter on stage when she still did concerts. During an appearance on Southern Living's "Biscuits & Jam" podcast, Russell said, "Memaw [her name for Lynn] passed down her guitar to me when I was 15 at the Ryman Auditorium. She said, 'You're the one that can do it.' She always thought I had this spark about me ever since I was a little kid. She felt she needed to give me the guitar as the torch in a way." "Lord knows it if I can't hold that. That's too much," she added.
