‘American Idol’: Aretha Franklin’s Granddaughter, Grace, Says She Likely Won’t Audition Again
It might be a while before Grace Franklin steps in front of the American Idol judges again, if at all. During the season 20 premiere, Grace — who happens to be the granddaughter of legendary R&B singer Aretha Franklin — left judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie divided with her audition. In the end, she didn’t make it through. However, looking back, the teen admitted that she understood why.
Aretha Franklin’s granddaughter caused a debate among the ‘American Idol’ judges with her audition
Grace, 15, blew the judges away when she revealed her connection to Aretha Franklin. She admitted that people often assume she’ll sound “exactly like” the Queen of Soul. However, the young singer assured that she had her “own voice.”
For her audition, Grace chose to sing Lauryn Hill’s version of “Killing Me Softly.” Unfortunately, the judges weren’t impressed, with Byran calling the performance “sleepy and subdued.” They gave Grace another chance, though, and she sang Aretha Franklin’s tune “Ain’t No Way.”
This time, Grace caught Perry’s attention. While Bryan voted “no,” Perry said she wanted to help bring Grace to the “next level.” So, it came down to Richie’s vote. He hesitated to push her through, telling Grace that she needed to “go back and get a running start” before returning to American Idol.
“Trust me. If you go and come back and put the shyness behind you and your voice in front of you, you are going to be something amazing,” Richie told Grace. “And I don’t want to be the one to make you tip over and fall at this infant stage. … It’s gonna be a no for me this time, but I’m optimistic. Come back and see us.”
Grace Franklin says she likely won’t audition for ‘American Idol’ again, at least for now
Speaking to TMZ after her audition, Grace said she felt “pretty disappointed” in the moment because she wanted to continue. However, she won’t let the decision discourage her. She said she’s unlikely to return to American Idol in the near future, but “maybe a couple years down the line.” For now, she’s going to focus on improving her voice.
“I want to focus on growing my voice and growing in my writing, ’cause I do write a lot of music, and I do want to try and release some music soon,” Grace said. “But as for auditioning for Idol again, I probably wouldn’t.”
Although she’s not moving forward with American Idol, Grace might still have professional help with her music. She told TMZ that a few producers and artists have expressed interest in working with her. Grace also received some encouragement from former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson, who played Aretha Franklin in the 2021 biopic Respect.
Grace Franklin admits Lionel Richie was right to send her away
Grace said she felt “pretty disappointed” that she couldn’t move forward in the competition. However, after some reflection, she realized she agreed with Richie’s advice.
“I do know that I’m a good artist, I know that, but I do know that I need to work on some things,” she admitted. “And I think that he was right and that I should work a little bit more before I decided to put myself on such a large forum. The fact that he said that he didn’t want me to stumble and fall too early really stuck with me because I get exactly what he was saying.”
New episodes of American Idol Season 20 premiere every Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
