Aretha Franklin’s Granddaughter Auditioned For ‘American Idol’ — And It Led to An Argument Between Judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie

American Idol has seen countless aspiring superstars sing Aretha Franklin songs over the years. But in 2022, for the first time in its history, a relative of Franklin’s auditioned for the show. And while one would think judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan would roll out the red carpet for such an audition, it didn’t go entirely smoothly.

Aretha Franklin’s granddaughter auditioned for ‘American Idol’

When 15-year-old Grace Franklin walked into her audition for American Idol, she was soft-spoken and unassuming. She mentioned that her grandmother was none other than the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, and the judges were thrilled to hear about her famous grandmother.

Franklin admitted that as a child, she didn’t really wrap her head around the fact that her grandmother was the world-famous singer Aretha Franklin. “I don’t think I could fully grasp that she was known worldwide because to me she was always just grandma,” she admitted. “I am my own artist, and I have my own voice.”

Franklin kicked off her audition with Lauryn Hill‘s cover of the beloved Roberta Flack song “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” The judges weren’t too impressed with the “sleepy” and “subdued” rendition.

She followed it up by singing “Ain’t No Way,” an iconic song by her grandmother. After she was done, the judges couldn’t agree on whether to push the young singer on to the next round.

Katy Perry walked off the set

Bryan ended up giving Franklin a “no.” Perry, on the other hand, had more faith in the young singer. “I think you have stardust and sparkle all over you,” she said. “You are beautiful, and if you’ll trust, if you’ll listen to us, and you’ll put in the work, I think we can find that next level.”

After Perry gave her a yes, it all came down to Lionel Richie’s decision. He acknowledged that he had immense love and respect for Aretha Franklin and her family, but felt that Grace needed more time before she could excel at a competition like American Idol.

Perry was flabbergasted that Richie wouldn’t take a chance on the young Franklin. “Listen, she’s got stardust! Give her a shot; give her a chance! I’m sure Aretha wasn’t Aretha when she walked in the room, but somebody said ‘Yes, I want to work with you. I want to develop you. You got something,'” Perry pleaded. “She’s got stardust on her!”

Richie delivered the verdict in a loving, “Uncle Lionel” way. “Grace, you know how I feel about your family and you,” he said. “But I don’t want this to be a crash and burn.” He added that it was a no “this time, but an optimistic ‘Come back and see us.'”

Perry, meanwhile, jokingly said she was quitting the show and walked off the set, saying, “I’m going to the bar.”

Lionel Richie invited Grace Franklin back to ‘American Idol’

Richie insisted that he was turning Franklin down out of love and wanting to see her truly succeed.

“Grace Franklin, I love you and I think the best thing for you in life is to take a shot at going backwards,” he said. “Go back and get a running start and come at this again.”