Aretha Franklin's Granddaughter Just Auditioned For This Reality Show

There have been a wide range of singers who have auditioned on "American Idol." There was the William Hungs of the world who were so bad they were somehow good, and then there were the Kelly Clarksons who had epic "American Idol" auditions and went on to do incredible things. Then there's Aretha Franklin's granddaughter. Grace Franklin walked into her audition humbly, ready to give her best go. While it wasn't a fairy tale ending for the famous granddaughter, it was definitely a heartfelt moment (via CNN).

Grace waited in line with her family just like everyone else to shoot her shot at a chance to be on "American Idol." She actually didn't make mention of her last name at all until she was asked to tell the judges about her journey as a singer. "Uhm, my grandmother is Aretha Franklin," the 15-year-old replied (via People). Honestly, it was an adorable moment.

She didn't immediately belt out one of her grandmother's songs, but she did end up singing "Ain't No Way" second after the judges asked if she had anything else prepared. Grace's audition was a little more subdued than you might expect. It's something that she acknowledged from the beginning, though, saying, "I feel like people expect me to sing exactly like her, but I am my own artist and I have my own voice." Unfortunately, the audition didn't end the way you'd think it would when you hear that Aretha Franklin's granddaughter auditioned for "American Idol."

Grace Franklin didn't make it through American Idol auditions

After singing two songs, the judges decided that she wasn't quite ready for the next round. Well, two out of the three thought so. While Luke Bryan and Lionel Ritchie gave Grace a pass, Katy Perry was quite adamant on Grace being given a chance. 

"She's got stardust on her," Katy Perry yelled as she saw Ritchie leaning toward a pass (via People). At the end of the day, Ritchie gave her some heartfelt advice as someone who genuinely loves Grace's family very much. "Trust me, trust me, trust me," Ritchie begged. "If you go and come back and put the shyness behind you and the voice in front of you, you are going to be something amazing. I don't want to be the one to make you tip over and fall at this infant stage."

It's not exactly the way that Grace would have wanted it to end, but there's something about the way that Ritchie talked to her that proved the "no" was for a really good reason. "Grace Franklin, I love you and I think the best thing for you in life is to take a shot at going backwards," Ritchie told her. "Go back and get a running start and come at this again."