Days after being eliminated from season 22 of American Idol, Emmy Russell is continuing to do what she has always done with the release of her latest song “Redemption.” Another original track by Russell, the song “celebrates the best kind of love one can possibly hope for, the love of oneself,” according to a descriptor.
Co-written with Lauren McLamb and Rob Sewell, “Redemption” finds Russell revisiting a past relationship and searching even deeper for self-love, when it’s needed the most. Now you’re saying all the things I wish you would’ve / Doing all the things you never could’ve / Don’t you think that it’s too late for redemption sings Russell through the uptempo pop track.
“I wrote ‘Redemption’ because I process life through music and this song is what came out of a painful breakup,” said Russell in a statement. “There was a time when I placed all my value in someone else’s hands. But, eventually, I had to realize I was constantly being tossed between ‘I love you’ and ‘I don’t love you.’”
Rusell added, “This song represents my decision to no longer be the person you come back to when it’s convenient. My telling him ‘It’s over,’ I found my redemption in being alone and admitting to myself, “I don’t deserve this,” which led me to a door I’d been craving to open.”
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The relationship ultimately helped Russell find her self-worth. “I finally realized my worth by looking to God, then letting the truth that I am loved, sink in,” she said. “Now I know, no guy, nor anyone else, can take that away from me. I am loved and, now, that’s my redemption.”
The 25-year-old singer and songwriter and granddaughter of Loretta Lynn had a successful run on American Idol, making her way just shy of the top three before being eliminated on Sunday, May 12. On Idol is where Russell also revealed some of her original songs, including “Skinny,” a personal story she wrote addressing an eating disorder.
“Sometimes you’re gonna have to lose,” said Russell in a social media post following her elimination from Idol on Sunday, May 12. “It’s not about how fast you get there. It’s not about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.”
Photo: Disney/Eric McCandless
