The apple, it was often said by our ancestors, doesn’t fall far from the tree. That would appear to be the case with Grace Franklin, the youngster who gave it her best shot on Sunday night’s season opener of American Idol.
The 15-year-old from Detroit, Michigan strolled into the auditions with nothing to lose, a lot of game, and one of the greatest names in the history of showbiz. Franklin is the granddaughter of the late great Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.
“I don’t think I could fully grasp the fact that she was famous worldwide,” she says in a prerecorded clip. “Because to me she was always grandma.”
The young Franklin is keen to make her own moves in music. “I am my own artist and I have my own voice,” she adds.
The family ties were revealed early. Then, after some reminiscing from Lionel Richie and some banter about the legendary singer’s handbags, the Idol hopeful got to work, hitting a soulful but imperfect version of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly.” After some prompting from Katy Perry, the school student performed another song, her grandmother’s “Ain’t No Way.”
When it came time to voting, Luke Bryan had his reservations, and gave a “no.” It was a “yes” from Perry, who enthused that the teen has “stardust” on her. The final vote was a tough love “no” from Richie, who pointed out the shy contestant simply wasn’t ready. “The best thing for you in life is to take a shot at going backwards,” he remarks.
Watch below.