In season 22 of American Idol, contestant Emmy Russell delivered a heartfelt tribute to her late grandmother, Loretta Lynn, with a performance of the iconic song Coal Miner's Daughter. However, if it had been up to Russell, she would have chosen not to sing the track at all.

Despite delivering an emotional and heartfelt performance, Russell admitted that she was initially frustrated when judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie selected the song for her.

During an episode of The Thrivalist Podcast with Jamie George, Russell explained her mixed feelings about the song choice. "On American Idol, I sang my grandma's song. The judges chose three songs, and the only one I knew was Coal Miner's Daughter. I was already dealing with so much and trying to be brave, and I just remember feeling really angry," she shared. Her other song options were Here You Come Again by Dolly Parton, and Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall, but she felt uneasy about performing her grandmother’s song, fearing it would contribute to perceptions of favoritism due to Lynn’s legendary status in country music.

Loretta Lynn, who passed away in October 2022 at the age of 90, left behind a musical legacy that deeply influenced Russell. When Russell saw Coal Miner's Daughter on the list, she felt a deep sadness as she was still mourning her grandmother’s passing. "It’s my grandma’s song. There’s nothing closer to the heart than family. I know Coal Miner’s Daughter so well, and I wanted to perform it as a tribute, like giving her a hug. I was just a granddaughter singing to her grandma. I need to be proud that I'm Loretta Lynn's granddaughter."

Despite her initial frustration, Russell ultimately decided to move forward with the performance, feeling a quiet inner prompting to continue. "I just felt a quiet voice telling me, 'I need you to stay, and I need you to show up,'" she said. She prepared the song on the piano just as she had envisioned it. Inspired by The Hunger Games, she motivated herself by imagining she was Katniss Everdeen.

Her touching rendition secured her a spot in the Top 7, and she eventually finished in the Top 5 of the competition, with Abi Carter winning the season. Reflecting on the experience, Russell said the performance marked a turning point in her relationship with her family's legacy. "This was the first time I felt proud to be part of my family. With family, there's a blessing but also a challenge. I closed my eyes and told her, 'I'm proud of you.' I hope that song helped others feel proud of their roots, too. I'm really thankful."

Music has been a part of Russell’s life since childhood. "I'm a songwriter," she shared in a video on American Idol. "It's in my blood. I wrote my first real song when I was about 9." She described songwriting as an emotional process, saying, "Sharing a song is a very vulnerable experience. Whatever I feel, I write. It just flows out of me. I turn to my iPhone and my piano – they are my closest companions when it comes to music. If I feel a melody, I record it on my iPhone. If it's a lyric, I do the same."

Her grandmother also played a significant role in shaping her musical journey. In an interview on Southern Living’s Biscuits & Jam podcast, Russell recalled a touching moment when Loretta Lynn passed down her guitar to her at age 15 during a performance at the Ryman Auditorium. "Memaw, as I called her, handed down her guitar to me and said, ‘You’re the one that can do it.’ Ever since I was little, she saw something special in me and felt the need to pass the guitar to me like a torch. Lord knows if I can handle that. It's a lot to take on."

Since her time on Idol, Russell has continued her musical journey while embracing new personal milestones. She and her partner, Tyler Ward, welcomed their first child, a daughter, in late January. Russell faced complications during childbirth and required a blood transfusion after losing 1.6 liters of blood.

Through it all, Russell has come to fully embrace her identity as Loretta Lynn's granddaughter while carving out her own path in the music industry. Her journey on American Idol was not just about competition but about honoring her grandmother’s legacy and finding her own voice in country music.