Aretha Franklin’s Granddaughter Has Disappointing ‘American Idol’ Audition

Grace Franklin, the granddaughter of legendary singer Aretha Franklin, was featured on American Idol Sunday night, performing two songs for judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. Her performance kicked off a heated debate among Richie and Perry, who were divided on sending Grace to the next round. Grace is the daughter of Kecalf Cunningham, Franklin’s youngest son.

The 15-year-old Grace is a member of the Detroit Youth Choir, which previously performed on America’s Got Talent in 2019, reports MLive. Before she performed, Grace told the camera she was “really close” to her grandmother, who died in August 2018 at age 76. “I got to see her all the time,” Grace said. “I used to travel with her a lot. I don’t think I could fully grasp the fact that she was known worldwide, because, to me, she was always just grandma.”

When Grace finally got the chance to perform for Richie, Bryan, and Perry, she sang “Killing Me Softly.” Perry asked her to sing a different song, so Grace picked “Ain’t No Way,” which Franklin recorded in 1968. The performance impressed Perry and Bryan. “I think if you add command to your moment, it gives you a better chance to make it through some rounds of this competition,” Bryan said.

Richie felt Grace still needed to develop her voice before she could reach the heights of her grandmother. “You’re 15. You’ve got the family lineage. What we need to put now is time and some work in to get it up to par,” he said. “The age and the voice has to all come together on the same path.”

Then the time to vote came. Bryan was a no and Perry was a, yes, giving Richie the deciding vote. “I love you and I think the best thing for you in life is to take a shot at going backward. Go back and get a running start and come at this again,” Richie told her.

Perry stood up for Grace though. She told Richie Grace has “stardust” and should get a shot in Hollywood. “I’m sure Aretha wasn’t Aretha when she walked into the room, but somebody said yes, I want to work with you,” Perry said. “I want to develop you. You’ve got something. She’s got stardust on her.”

Richie wasn’t convinced. He told Grace she needed to “put the shyness behind you and the voice in front of you” before trying out on Idol again. Perry got frustrated though and believed Grace could overcome her shyness. “There’s something wrong with your ears,” she told Richie.

Perry couldn’t change Richie’s mind. He advised her to work on her vocals and audition again in the future. “Grace, you know how I feel about your family and you, but I don’t want this to be a crash and burn,” Richie said. “It’s going to be a no from me this time, but an optimistic comeback and see us.” American Idol airs on ABC Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.