Aretha Franklin's granddaughter says 'American Idol' judge Lionel Richie was right to dismiss her from the competition

• Aretha Franklin's granddaughter auditioned for "American Idol" on Sunday but was sent home.
• Grace Franklin appeared virtually on TMZ and shared her thoughts on the experience. 
• She agreed with judge Lionel Richie that she does "need to work on some things."

Aretha Franklin's granddaughter Grace Franklin said she understands the judges' decision on "American Idol" to send her home after auditioning for the singing competition.

Last week, on the season 5 (yet 20th season overall) premiere of "American Idol," 15-year-old Grace Franklin auditioned, singing both her grandmother's song "Aint No Way" and Lauryn Hill's rendition of "Killing Me Softly." However, Franklin didn't make it to the next round, with judge Lionel Richie giving the younger Franklin some assurance that she just needs more time.

During a virtual appearance on TMZ Friday, Grace, joined by her father Kecalf Cunningham, shared her reaction to her experience on the show.

"In the moment, I was pretty disappointed because obviously, I wanted to go on," she said. "I wanted to continue and just like see how I would compare to the other artists.

"But after thinking about it, especially that night, in my hotel room and stuff, I really thought about what Lionel said," Grace continued, "and...I started to agree with him because I do know that I'm a good artist, I know that, but I do know that I need to work on some things."

She continued: "And I think that he was right and that I should work a little bit more before I decided to put myself on such a large forum. The fact that he said that he didn't want me to like stumble and fall too early, really stuck with me because I get exactly what he was saying."

On the show, Richie expressed how much he revered Grace's iconic grandmother, but didn't approve her to the next round as he was speaking from a place of "love and genuine concern."

When asked by TMZ if she would audition again for "American Idol," Grace said as of right now, she probably wouldn't audition again.

"Maybe a couple years down the line," she added.

"American Idol," also starring judges Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.