Aretha Franklin's Granddaughter Grace Franklin Auditions for 'American Idol'

etonline.com:

on Sunday's season 20 premiere. The late Aretha Franklin's granddaughter, Grace Franklin, the 15-year-old daughter of Aretha's son, Kecalf Cunningham, tested her own musical chops in front of judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

Grace shared her lineage with the judges right off the bat, and opened up about her relationship with the late R&B legend in an aside package. «I was really close with my grandma.

I got to see her all the time. I used to travel with her a lot,» Grace shared of Aretha. «I don't think I could fully grasp the fact that she was known worldwide, because to me she was always just 'Grandma.'»In terms of her own musical style, Grace feels like she is a different artist from the «Respect» singer. «I feel like people expect me to sing exactly like her, but I am my own artist and I have my own voice,» she said.

Judge Richie was thrilled to learn of Grace's ancestry, sharing several personal stories about Aretha. Perry wanted to know if the singer did, in fact, «kept a little pistol in her purse» and Grace told her it was not true, noting that her purse was filled with «the money.» For her audition song, Grace chose Lauryn Hill's version of «Killing Me Softly.» While she hit all the right notes, Grace's rendition lacked any spark with Bryan calling it «sleepy and subdued.» Perry asked Grace to sing another song and she then sang her grandmother's song, «Ain't No Way.» While this song packed more of a punch, not all of the judges were convinced.