Luke Bryan hugs teary Ryan Seacrest after Loretta Lynn's granddaughter's moving “American Idol” performance

"I'm crying," Seacrest said of the original song by Loretta Lynn's granddaughter on "American Idol."

Emmy Russell, granddaughter of country legend Loretta Lynn, moved Ryan Seacrest to tears with her top-20 American Idol performance on Sunday.

"I'm crying," Seacrest said after Russell finished her performance of the original song "Want You." The song, she said, was about a partner who didn't return her feelings. "I want you to want me / Like I want you / I want you to need me / Like I need you,” she sings.

"Ryan, do you want somebody to want you like that, too?” judge Katy Perry asked after Seacrest's proclamation.

The moment prompted Luke Bryan to get up from his seat and offer Seacrest a hug, which the host accepted by leaping into Bryan's arms like a child. He later joked that Seacrest was the "most expensive thing I've ever held."

Addressing Russell, Seacrest explained, "Knowing that was your song, you started writing at 9, and those are your lyrics, it was just so emotional backstage," he explained.

The judges felt the emotion as well, allowing Russell to stay in the competition. They instead sent Elleigh Marie, KBlocks, Blake Proehl, and Hailey Mia home, narrowing the field as it moves toward its top 14 singers on Monday.

“That was so you," Bryan told Russell. "I loved it because it was so real, and I think we could really feel the emotion in that, and that’s what your artistry is about and don’t lose that."

While she was saved from elimination, Perry did offer some constructive feedback. "Miss Emmy, that was one of my favorite original songs that you've sang," Perry said. "I know you were just a little nervous. I just want more breath, more long notes."

Russell lives on to perform in upcoming episodes when American Idol airs at 8 p.m. ET on Sundays and Mondays on ABC.

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