STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Aretha Franklin’s Granddaughter Performs Rendition Of Her Grandma’s Favorite Song

Grace Franklin, 15, stunned an audience during a premiere of 'Respect.'

A viral video of the late Aretha Franklins granddaughter, Grace Franklin, has taken the internet by storm after she performed a powerful rendition of her grandma’s favorite song. 

The 15-year-old joined Jennifer Hudson at a premiere of Respect on Wednesday (Aug. 12), and the pair wowed the audience with their voices singing “Ain’t No Way” by Aretha herself. Hudson stars as the Queen of Soul in the biopic out in theaters Friday (Aug. 13). 

The 39-year-old Oscar winner shared the video to her 3.2 million followers on Instagram. 

“What better what to celebrate Aretha Franklin than for her granddaughter [Grace Franklin] to sing her song at the film premiere? She would be so proud !,” Hudson captioned her post. 

RELATED: INTERVIEW: Jennifer Hudson Shares Details About Her Greatest Challenge Playing Aretha Franklin In ‘RESPECT’

Hudson and Grace sang together earlier this month, and the teen shared a video of the pair singing a portion of “Natural Woman,” one of the legendary crooner’s hits. 

“Surprise! [It was] truly an amazing experience getting to sing for such an amazing vocalist. chilling and talking with [Jennifer Hudson] at my great-grandpa’s old house was so wonderful. She’s so down to Earth, it was like we met before! she did such a great job playing my grandma, I hope all of you enjoy :) @respectmovie #respect #respectmovie,” she captioned her post.

In 2019, Grace performed at the  “A Benefit in Memory of Aretha Franklin” event on the first anniversary of Franklin’s death. The 18-time Grammy winner died Aug. 16, 2018, at 76 from pancreatic cancer.

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.