American Idol contestant Emmy Russell provoked an emotional reaction with her Top 20 performance.
“I’m crying,” host Ryan Seacrest said after Russell sang her original song titled “Want You” on the Sunday, April 14, episode of the ABC competition series.
Before her performance, Russell explained that the song was about a romantic partner who didn’t share the same feelings. “I want you to want me / Like I want you / I want you to need me / Like I need you,” she sang.
After the 49-year-old host was moved to tears, judge Katy Perry asked, “Ryan, do you want somebody to want you like that, too?” He replied, “Love me, love me like I love you.”
In a sweet gesture, Luke Bryan got up from the judges’ desk to comfort Seacrest. “Ryan, I’ll give you a hug,” he said before Seacrest hilariously jumped into his arms.
Seacrest proceeded to tell Russell, who is the granddaughter of country legend Loretta Lynn, why he reacted the way he did. “Knowing that was your song, you started writing at 9, and those are your lyrics, it was just so emotional backstage,” he explained.
While giving feedback on Russell’s performance, Bryan, 47, joked that Seacrest was the “most expensive thing I’ve ever held.” He echoed Seacrest’s love for the song and praised Russell, saying, “That was so you. I loved it because it was so real, and I think we could really feel the emotion in that, and that’s what your artistry is about and don’t lose that.”
Bryan continued, “That thing that you did with that song really is your signature. It was very emotional and probably my favorite performance that you’ve done.”
While fellow judge Lionel Richie shared a similar sentiment, Perry, 39, offered Russell some constructive criticism. “Miss Emmy, that was one of my favorite original songs that you’ve sang. I know you were just a little nervous. I just want more breath, more long notes,” the pop star stated. “Girl, like, go swimming. Learn how to hold your breath more. Like, we need longer notes from Emmy, and I know you have them. We need power, c’mon, let’s go. The time is now.”
Russell’s original song was enough to save her from the night’s eliminations as contestants Elleigh Marie, KBlocks, Blake Proehl and Hailey Mia were sent home.
Fans met Russell when her season 22 audition aired in February, during which she sang another original track titled “Skinny.” She also told the judges that despite her relationship to Lynn, she wanted to “own her voice” and “challenge” herself. (Lynn died at age 90 in October 2022.)
At the time, Perry called Russell an “A+ songwriter” and encouraged her not to compare her talents to her grandmother’s. Richie, 74, said he could see “promise” in the music hopeful, while Bryan said it was their “job” to “lift you up and get you more confident.” She got her ticket to Hollywood after earning three yeses from the judges.
American Idol airs on ABC Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
