Loretta Lynn’s Granddaughter Emmy Russell Officially Makes It To “American Idol’s” Top 20, Watch Her Latest Performance

Emmy Russell continues to follow in her grandmother, Loretta Lynn’s, footsteps and move towards musical stardom as she enters American Idol’s Top 20.

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The 25-year-old passed the milestone during last night’s episode (April 14) when she sang her original song, Want You. The heartbreaking lyrics told a story that resonated with many people in the crowd. They follow the agony of a woman who is in love with a man who isn’t fully committed, and she begs him to let her go if he doesn’t want her like she wants him.

“I want you to want me, like I want you/I want you to need me, like I need you/If you’re gonna leave me, then cut me loose/I want you to want me,” she sang somberly.

Ahead of the song, Emmy Russell shared in a video that she is a songwriter first and a singer second, and she began penning Want You when she was only nine.

“Whenever you share a song, it’s very vulnerable,” she said. “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.”

When she finished her performance, Emmy earned a standing ovation from both the audience and her competitors. The words hit Ryan Seacrest so hard that he actually ran towards her on stage with tears welling in his eyes.

“I’m crying,” he told her before Katy Perry asked if it’s because he wants someone to want him like that, too.

“Love me,” he yelled to Katy. “Love me like I love you.” 

Once the laughter died down, Ryan shared the real reason the Want Me moved him.

“Knowing that was your song, you started writing at nine and knowing those were your lyrics. It was just so emotional backstage,” he said. 

Watch Emmy Russell on American Idol Every Sunday and Monday on ABC at 8/7 C.

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