If you haven't been following along, Loretta Lynn's granddaughter Emmy Russell is on American Idol. The singer is hoping to go all the way on the competition, but did she survive the brutal Hollywood Week culling?
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Judges on American Idol haven't been shy about the level of competition this season. The first night of Hollywood Week saw the judges get rid of more than half of the competitors. They cut 80 singers in total. For Hollywood Week, Russell sang an original song called "Like That."
Fortunately for the singer, she wowed the judges with her talent. Russell was safe for another night, but viewers will have to tune in to see if she survives. Hollywood Week altogether. The judges will further whittle the competition down to just 24. Win or lose, Russell is following her dreams of singing.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Russell reflected on wanting to strike out on her own. She's proud of what she's done so far on American Idol. "I sometimes wake up in the morning and I'm just crying because of how grateful I am. The fact that the audition did translate to the crowd is powerful for me. I wasn't trying to be anything — I was just myself, and so for that, I'm really grateful. I didn't try and create a character like I used to. It was just like, "Here I am."
Emmy Russell Talks 'American Idol'
Russell initially performed "Skinny," which talks about having an eating disorder. "It's been people commenting that they relate to my song. That means a lot. It's why I make music. At first, it was embarrassing to talk about [the eating disorder], but then I saw it resonate with people and it's still vulnerable every time I play it. I haven't played it since the audition."
Russell also reflected on her famous grandmother. She said that her grandmother was always very supportive of her dream to be a singer. She would be proud of her appearing on "American Idol" and using her gifts to entertain others.
She said, "I think that she would just be like, 'Thank you, honey. If you're going to use your gifts, I'm happy. Please use them.' She was always really mad at me. I was a missionary for five, six years, and every time I'd come back from Brazil, she was like, 'When are you going to come back and do what you're made to do?'"
