Emmy Russell went home after making it to the Top 5 on American Idol. However, she made an impression on the judges and viewers before she left. Few Idol fans will forget her heartfelt and tearful audition. The judges and viewers across the country watched Russell transform from a timid young woman into a star-level performer when she sat down behind the piano to sing her original song “Skinny.” In a recent post, she relived that pivotal moment in her career and spoke a little about it.
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American Idol hyped Russell’s televised audition by highlighting the fact that she is Loretta Lynn’s granddaughter. However, when she stepped into the room to try out for the show, she was fully herself. Instead of giving them the granddaughter of a country music superstar, she gave them Emmy Russell: aspiring Nashville-based singer/songwriter.
She took off the makeup she had applied for the occasion and was wearing a comfortable sweatshirt and jeans. Then she bared her soul to the judges and audience with a song she wrote about her struggles with disordered eating.
In the clip, Russell watches her audition in a familiar reaction video format. Emotions play out across her face as the audition unfolds. After the American Idol clip ends, she gives some insight into what was on her mind at the time.
Emmy Russell on Her American Idol Audition
“You know, it’s funny,” Emmy Russell said commenting on her American Idol audition. “I’m so scared to be this girl. This was my biggest fear was showing up as my true self,” she added. “That’s like, my biggest fear ever is to be this girl. And I felt in that hour, like, ‘Completely be yourself.’ I probably have some leftover foundation on my face that I took off.”
Russell went on to expand on why being herself in front of so many people is her biggest fear. “Growing up, I had so many physical beauty insecurities,” she said as her voice cracked with emotion. “I think we all want to be—growing up with social media—beautiful. I don’t feel beautiful a lot of the time.”
Russell went on to discuss how she felt like being herself in front of the camera was a way to conquer her fear of being authentically herself.
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