Emmy Russell has a lot to live up to. The 25-year-old granddaughter of the late country icon Loretta Lynn has bared her heart and soul each week as she fights to become the next American Idol. Her covers of songs like Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” as well as original tunes like “Skinny,” have consistently landed her among the top competitors. Tonight she stunned viewers and judges with her take on a Blink-182 song from 1999.
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‘American Idol’ Viewers Love Blink-182 Cover
Tonight (Sunday, April 28) was the “Year of Birth” episode. Contestants chose a song that was in the charts the year they were born and performed for judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie.
Emmy Russell celebrated her 25th birthday in January, meaning she was born in 1999. In somewhat of a departure from her usual performances, the Tennessee native put her spin on a pop-punk classic: Blink-182’s “All the Small Things.”
“Emmy picking a Blink-182 song is something I never expected but once again she made it her own,” one viewer wrote on X/Twitter.
Fans speculated which pre-Y2K song Russell would perform. The end of the 20th century was a special time for music. BuzzFeed even went as far as to name the end of the millenium “the greatest year in music history.” We had Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and our pick of boy bands. What more could you ask for?
Some of the top 10 songs from the week Russell was born (Jan. 9-15, 1999) included Shania Twain’s “From This Moment On” and Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing.)”
Emmy Russell Shares Heartwarming Details of Life With Loretta Lynn
Emmy Russell recently sat down with Southern Living to discuss growing up with the “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” “She’s one of the biggest country music singers of all time, but to me she’s just my grandma,” Russell said on the show.
Russell, whose mother is Lynn’s daughter Patsy, recalled “singing on the road” with her “Memaw” at 2 years old. Patsy performed with twin sister Peggy as the country music duo The Lynns.
“[We were] very close my entire life,” Russell said.
Lynn died in October 2022 at age 90. Before she passed, however, the “Fist City” singer strongly encouraged her granddaughter to pave her own musical path.
“All the time, she’d be like ‘When are you going to come back and do what you’re made to do?’” Russell told Southern Living. “She would always say, ‘If you have these gifts, don’t bury them under a rug. Use them.’”
Featured image via Instagram
