Aretha Franklin’s granddaughter appeared on American Idol to show off her impressive vocal cords in front of the judges – but she didn’t quite win them over.
Grace Franklin, who is just 15-yeas-old, sang an incredible rendition of both Killing Me Softly and her grandmother’s hit Ain’t No Way.
However, despite having an impressive voice and judge Katy Perry backing her every step of the way, she didn’t quite win over Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.
Lionel confessed he had been friendly with Grace’s grandmother, and stated that he wanted Grace to go away and come back, because he wanted her to work on her confidence and performance.
(Image: ABC via Getty Images)
When Grace walked onto the stage in front of the judges, she sang beautifully, but confessed it was the first time she had done so in that kind of environment.
Grace, who told the judges of her close relationship with her grandmother, who sadly died in 2018 aged 76, was praised by Katy Perry who urged Lionel to vote yes.
Luke immediately said no, while Katy gave her the go-ahead, leaving just Lionel to have the final say.
Lionel said: “Grace Franklin, I love you and I think the best thing for you in life is to take a shot at going backwards. Go back and get a running start and come at this again.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Katy immediately stared him down which prompted Lionel to add: “Are you putting pressure on me?”
A fuming Katy argued: “She’s got startdust! Give her a shot. Give her a chance. I’m sure Aretha wasn’t Aretha when she walked into the room, but somebody said, ‘Yes, I want to work with you, I want to develop you, you’ve got something. She’s got stardust on her.”
When she realised that she couldn’t change his mind, Katy stormed off set and said she was “going to the bar”, before shouting that she “quit”.
However, Lionel got up and walked over to Grace as he reassured her that she had talent.
(Image: ABC via Getty Images)
He said: “Trust me. If you go and come back and put the shyness behind you and the voice in front of you, you are going to be something amazing. I don’t want to be the one to make you tip over and fall.”
Lionel added: “Grace, you know how I feel about your family and you. But I don’t want this to be a crash and burn. It’s going to be a no from me this time, but I’m optimistic. Come back and see us, okay? Let’s put the work in.”
Grace later shared her thoughts on the experience on Instagram as she said: “The amount of knowledge I gained and amazing artists I met will truly stick with me for a very long time.
“I’m excited to use this experience to help me move forward in the future.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
