The premiere of American Idol’s 20th season started with a bang. An iconic soul singer’s granddaughter blessed the stage with an audition on the long-running televised talent show.
On Feb. 27, Grace Franklin, granddaughter of the legendary Aretha Franklin, threw her hat in the ring to nab a coveted spot on the show. The 15-year-old Detroiter revealed her relationship to the late Queen of Soul when judges– Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katie Perry asked about her background.
Grace’s initial song choice was Lauryn Hill’s rendition of “Killing Me Softly.”
Before the American Idol judge’s decision, Perry, Richie and Bryan asked the 15-year-old if she had any other songs she could sing.
Of course, Grace paid tribute to her grandmother by singing Aretha’s rousing, soul-baring 1968 classic “Ain’t No Way.”
Although Grace had a beautiful singing voice, Richie and Bryan voted against moving the teen forward.
Perry’s vote was an emphatic “yes.”
The “Fireworks” singer also said the high schooler had “sparkle” and “stardust.”
Richie explained his decision to vote against her.
“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,” he said.
Perry even tried to get the “Stuck On You” crooner to change his vote saying, “Give her a chance. I am 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.’”
Richie stood firm but did offer love and encouragement to the pretty songstress.
“Go back and put the shyness behind you and the voice in front of you. You are going to be something amazing.”
Before the teen sang, a pre-recorded video detailed Grace’s relationship with her beloved grandmother.
“I don’t think I could fully grasp the fact that she was famous worldwide,” she recounted in the clip. “I was really close to my grandma. I got to see her all the time. I used to travel with her a lot.”
Richie was wowed by the news of the young Detroiter’s origins. He even shared that he and Franklin were close friends and that he had saved Aretha’s voicemails.
“Stop right there. That is your grandma?”
Grace took to Instagram to express her feelings about the experience.
“As most of y’all have figured out, I auditioned for Idol! I really wanted to use this opportunity to test out my abilities and see how far I could go, and I’m honestly extremely proud of myself. Even though I didn’t make it through, I had a really amazing time! 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! #americanidol.”
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Franklin passed away in 2018 from pancreatic cancer.
