Elvis’ Granddaughter Riley Keough Admitted To Lying About Her Singing Skills To Nab Lead Role

Jun 07, 2023

Riley Keough, the granddaughter of legendary musician Elvis Presley, admitted to lying about her singing skills during her audition for the Amazon Prime mini-series "Daisy Jones & The Six." 

The budding actress, touted to have inherited her legendary grandfather's musical talents, said in a panel interview in February 2023 that she did not have a lot of music industry experience. She was also not too familiar with the story of the character she had an eye on so she had to read the book and listen to the audiobook to prepare herself.  

Keough, however, knew that she wanted the role so badly because she found playing Daisy Jones to be a challenge. She also wanted to test herself by playing the guitar and improving her singing skills. 

While the actress grew up within a musical family, as her mother was the late Lisa Marie Presley who also sang and recorded albums, Keough also told the Associated Press that she could carry a tune, but she could not belt out songs. Thus, she had to work harder at becoming a convincing frontwoman in the fictional, successful band in "Daisy Jones & The Six." 

Outside of her family background, the 34-year-old actress said she hums songs, listens to music or sings with friends. However, she has yet to be at the level of a professional music artist who trained with instruments, just like her grandfather.

Keough was born in 1989 and never met Elvis, who died in 1977. However, his influence and impact as a musician have made a permanent mark on her life. As a child, she learned about her grandfather by watching documentaries about Elvis to the point of obsession, and she also has plenty of personal family archives to pull from.  

During the press event for "Daisy Jones & The Six," Keough confessed that she "blacked out" during her initial meeting with the production team. She proceeded to audition like any other candidate but had to fake her way into it.

"I auditioned like everybody else, lied to them, and told them l could sing," Keough said. 

However, as filming commenced after she got the part, the actress found herself grappling with demands from the producers, including the need to belt out powerful songs. Determined to succeed, she sought assistance from a vocal coach to learn how to sing with intensity. Keough described her journey as a challenging one, sharing an emotional anecdote of breaking down after a failed attempt to sing Lady Gaga's "Shallow" in her car.

"I sounded so bad that I started crying," she told Vanity Fair. "I was like, I can't do it, and when I can't do something it lights a fire in me to be able to do it."  

As a result, Keough was able to push herself to do something she has "never done before” and earned praise for her work on the mini-series. 

Keough also said that the character of Daisy Jones resonated so well with her because she was comparable to her late mom, who was not afraid to do her own thing and never cared for what other people thought. 

The actress buried her mother at the family estate in Graceland in January 2023. Lisa Marie died due to cardiac arrest. She was 54 years old. 

After Lisa Marie died, Keough was embroiled in a legal tussle with her 78-year-old grandmother, Priscilla Presley. However, the two reached a "middle ground" in May 2023 and are at peace with the settlement of Lisa Marie's estate.

Don’t you think Riley Keough had to work harder at proving she deserves the lead role for her talents and not for her pedigree? Have you seen her mini-series? What can you say about her? If you know someone who’s a fan of Elvis, pass this story along!