Country Music Fans Call Wynonna Judd an "Iconic Legend" after 'American Idol' Performance

The season 22 finale of American Idol was a memorable one. The show said goodbye to Katy Perry, who will be relinquishing her judging duties after seven seasons, and 21-year-old-singer Abi Carter was crowned the winner. But for country music fans, one of the highlights of the night was the duet by Emmy Russell and Wynonna Judd.

Emmy is the granddaughter of country music icon Loretta Lynn, who passed away in 2022. She was eliminated before the final three but returned to perform for the finale. She and Wynonna wore coordinating turquoise-and-black outfits and held hands while singing Loretta's 1970 song "Coal Miner's Daughter" while images of Loretta were shown on screen. Wynonna and Emmy then joined forces to sing Wynonna's upbeat 1992 hit, "No One Else on Earth."

wynonna judd on american idol
Gregg DeGuire

Before the performance, Wynonna told Entertainment Tonight, "I love Loretta. She gave me the shirt off her back, literally, and she was the first woman that hugged me in country music."

American Idol shared a video of the performance on Instagram and fans flooded the comments section with messages:

  • "Wynona’s voice is just incredible. It’s a God given gift."

  • "Emmy definitely held her own w Wynonna. Awesome performance ladies"

  • "Wynonna is an iconic legend!"

  • "Love to see the respect and emotion between these two ladies"

  • "This pairing is everything! ❤️"

Wynonna has concerts scheduled throughout the summer before she hits the road for her "Back to Wy" tour in September. She'll be playing her debut and sophomore albums back-to-back for 17 special shows across the country.

Reba McEntire Is Starring in a New NBC Show

Photo credit: Kevin Mazur
Photo credit: Kevin Mazur

Country Music Fans Can't Get Over Wynonna's Derby Performance

Photo credit: Rob Carr
Photo credit: Rob Carr

Exclusive: Peek Inside Carly Pearce's Tour Bus

Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist
Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist

What Is Dolly Parton's Net Worth?

Photo credit: Mike Coppola
Photo credit: Mike Coppola

Reba McEntire Is Starring in a New NBC Show

Photo credit: Kevin Mazur
Photo credit: Kevin Mazur

Randy Travis Surprised Fans with New Music

Photo credit: Jason Kempin - Getty Images
Photo credit: Jason Kempin - Getty Images

What Is Dolly Parton's Net Worth?

Photo credit: Mike Coppola
Photo credit: Mike Coppola

Miranda Lambert Calls Reba McEntire a "Class Act"

Photo credit: Amy Sussman
Photo credit: Amy Sussman

Lainey Wilson Had the Best Reaction to Winning Her First Grammy

Photo credit: Jason Kempin - Getty Images
Photo credit: Jason Kempin - Getty Images

Fans Are Praising Carrie Underwood for Her Latest Career Move

Photo credit: Getty
Photo credit: Getty

Kelly Clarkson Brings Jelly Roll to Tears with "Save Me" Cover

Photo credit: John Shearer - Getty Images
Photo credit: John Shearer - Getty Images

Exclusive: Peek Inside Carly Pearce's Tour Bus

Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist
Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist

Reba McEntire Drops Major Career News

Photo credit: Kevin Mazur
Photo credit: Kevin Mazur

Carrie Underwood Surprises Fans with Major Career News

Photo credit: Getty
Photo credit: Getty

Kelly Clarkson Brings Jelly Roll to Tears with "Save Me" Cover

Photo credit: John Shearer - Getty Images
Photo credit: John Shearer - Getty Images

Dan + Shay Have the Most Romantic Love Stories

Photo credit: Pacific Press
Photo credit: Pacific Press

Lainey Wilson Had the Best Reaction to Winning Her First Grammy

Photo credit: Jason Kempin - Getty Images
Photo credit: Jason Kempin - Getty Images

What Is Dolly Parton's Net Worth?

Photo credit: Mike Coppola
Photo credit: Mike Coppola

You Might Also Like