Emmy Russell flashes a smile at the reaction to her Monday performance of her grandmother Loretta Lynn’s song on American Idol (ABC Photo)
Emmy Russell has gone viral for American Idol.
And she did it with her cover of grandmother Loretta Lynn’s signature song.
Emmy’s moving, stripped down version of “Coal Miner’s Daughter” closed Monday’s episode of American Idol.
Just three days later, the YouTube video of that performance has more than 750,000 views on YouTube and more than 1.5 million on Facebook.
Idol Chatter has been tracking the most popular performances from each episode of American
Idol since fan voting began, tallying those figures each Friday.
Those 750,000 YouTube views — with a full day to go — are more than double the previous high number of views for any Season 22 Idol performance.
Emmy scored that previous high as well, with more than 344,000 views for her April 14 performance of an original song called “Want You.”
As a child, Emmy has said she was often pulled onstage to perform at her grandmother’s shows.
As a young artist, the 24-year-old has said she sometimes struggled to emerge from her grandmother’s shadow and create her own artistic identity.
She didn’t have to sing her grandmother’s song on Idol. The judges suggested three songs for her to perform. The other two were “Here You Come Again” by Dolly Parton and “Suddenly I see” by KT Tunstall.
But Emmy didn’t shy away from singing “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” a song suggested for her by Katy Perry.
“I love singing from the heart,” she said on the show. “I think this is the perfect song for that.”
Turns out it was. The performance had Katy in tears.
On Tuesday, Emmy posted a video to Instagram, tearfully talking about the closure she experienced as a result of Sunday’s performance and her determination to get through the song strong, then reflect on the experience afterward.
The phenomenal response to the performance could also benefit Emmy’s efforts to make the Top 5 heading into a Sunday night show in which the themes are songs by Adele and songs that make you want to dance.
Since fan voting opens with the beginning of the show each week, viewers are voting as much on what they’ve already seen from contestants as what they witness that night.
Here’s a look at the YouTube totals for the performances from Sunday and Monday, recorded on Thursday this week.
Note that Abi Carter’s stunning performance of “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence was also incredibly well received.
See also …
Ranking the Top 7 on American Idol
American Idol vs. The Voice: Who won the ratings war?
Song by song grades for the Top 8
Song by song grades for the Top 10
Top 8 (Monday, April 29)
Editor’s Note: Updated numbers as of 1 p.m. eastern time Saturday appear in parenthesis
1. Emmy Russell, “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” 762,490 (848,914)
2. Abi Carter, “Bring Me to Life,” 328,426 (470,881)
3. Jack Blocker, “Always on My Mind,” 182,838 (230,925)
4. Julia Gagnon, “Over the Rainbow,” 99,508 (114,949)
5. Will Moseley, “Folsom Prison Blues,” 75,374 (89,372(
6. McKenna Faith Breinholt, “Everywhere I Go,” 65,127 (74,201)
7. Triston Harper, “Sand in My Boots,” 61,964 (75,528)
Top 10 (Sunday, April 28)
1. Jack Blocker, “Believe,” 127,160
2. Emmy Russell, “All the Small Things,” 112,177
3. Abi Carter, “Clocks,” 111,437
4. McKenna Faith Breinholt, “Iris,” 99,585
5. Triston Harper, “She’s Country,” 92,774
6. Kabrienne, “Here Without You,” 75,284
7. Julia Gagnon, “Here I Am,” 68,546
9. Will Moseley, “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde,” 42,003
Note: Idol doesn’t post the performance of contestants eliminated in the episode.
Most viewed performances from previous episodes
Top 12 (Monday, April 22)
1. Kayko, “Somebody I Used to Know,” 115,662
Top 14 (Sunday, April 21)
1. Abi Carter, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” 246,669
Top 14 (Monday, April 15)
1. Emmy Russell, “Skinny,” 184,773
Top 20 (Sunday, April 14)
1. Emmy Russell, “Want You,” 344,362
Top 24, Group 1 (Monday, April 8)
1. Triston Harper, “God’s Country,” 160,938
Top 24, Group 2 (Sunday, April 6)
1. Abi Carter, “Oceans,” 205,325
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