Singer and American Idol judge Katy Perry walked off the show because of Aretha Franklin’s granddaughter. 16-year-old Grace Franklin started off singing “Killing Me Softly” in front of judges Perry, country singer Luke Bryan, and the legendary Lionel Richie. Grace then switched off to a cover of her grandmother’s song, “Ain’t No Way.”
Grace’s audition was generally well-received from all of the judges, but when it came down to whether or not she’d make it to the next round, Perry and Richie butted heads.
Katy Perry does not agree with Lionel Richie on Grace Franklin’s performance
Perry gave Grace an instant ‘yes,’ while Ritchie gave her a shocking ‘no.’ “I think the best thing for you in life is to take a shot at going backward,” Richie said to Grace. “Go back and get a running start, and come at this again.”
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Perry then turned to give Richie quite the look, to which he responded with, “Are you putting pressure on me?” Perry goes on to argue, “Listen, she’s got stardust… Give her a shot! Give her a chance—I’m sure Aretha wasn’t Aretha when she walked into the room, but somebody said, ‘Yes, I want to work with you, I want to develop you, you got something!’”
However, despite Perry’s argument, Richie remained true to his original thought and kept his decision a ‘no,’ before Perry walked off, claiming she was “going to the bar.” Perry also gave Grace a ‘no,’ but was sent home with words of encouragement from all of the judges. And, to top it off, things remained cordial between all the judges from there. We hope to see Grace on the stage one day!
Check out Grace’s audition for American Idol below: