Hannah Harper had Carrie Underwood in tears as she sang about the chaos of being a mom of three young boys during her “American Idol” audition.
“I thought finding peace in the quiet’s what I wanted / but I’d do anything to go back to being needed,” the 25-year-old artist from Missouri sings in her original song, “String Cheese,” which the “Idol” judges compared to Dolly Parton’s style of storytelling.
Since the audition, which aired on Feb. 2, “String Cheese” has charted on iTunes — ranking above “Baby Shark” in the children’s music category — and ranked No. 14 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart. The song has also earned praise from artists including country legend Martina McBride and Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth.
A new Instagram trend also has moms posting the song and sharing their own motherhood stories — including country star Lauren Alaina, who is eight months postpartum.
“Hearing this song for the first time has me in a puddle,” Alaina captioned a video that shows her holding her daughter. “Hannah Harper, thank you for writing this song for us mommas. I can’t wait to watch your journey. I’m rooting for you every step of the way.”
Here’s a look at Harper’s viral audition — and what inspired her to write “String Cheese.”
Hannah Harper sings ‘String Cheese’ for ‘American Idol’ audition
Harper told herself she wasn’t going to cry during her “American Idol” audition. But the tears came pretty quickly as she started opening up to the judges about her song.
Shortly after the birth of her youngest son, who is now 1, Harper told the “Idol” judges she had postpartum depression.
“I was sitting on my couch wallowing. ... Everybody wants to touch you, and I didn’t want to be touched,” she said during her audition. “I was just having a pity party, praying that the Lord would calm my spirit, and my son kept coming up to me. He said, ‘Mom, open this. Mom, open this, open my cheese.’ I’m like, ‘Just leave me alone with the daggum cheese.’
“And I finally opened his cheese, and when I did, I realized that God had put me in that place, and that where I was in my house was the biggest ministry that I could ever have, in being a mom,” she continued. “So, I gathered myself, and I got up off the couch, and I quit throwing a pity party, and I realized that that was exactly what I wanted.”
“String Cheese” was born out of that moment.
As Harper began to sing of Miss Rachel on the TV and Hot Wheels under her feet, Underwood, who is a mom of two boys, was visibly moved.
“One day I’ll be alone with a hot fresh cup of joe / Wishing that someone would just drop by / And I’ll sit and reminisce on times that I sure miss / Scattered toys and a baby on my hip.”
When Harper ended her song with the lyric, “Being their mama is who I’m meant to be,” Underwood asked “Idol” judge Luke Bryan to hand her a tissue.
“Well, that’s about the most relatable song I think I’ve ever heard,” the country star said.
“I just think you have a beautiful simplicity to your voice,” she added. “You’re one that I’m going to think about when we leave here, like, ‘I wonder what song she’s gonna sing next.’”
After receiving praise from all of the judges — and drawing comparisons to artists like Parton, Kacey Musgraves and Alison Krauss — Harper received her golden ticket to Hollywood, advancing to the next round of the competition.
Since the audition aired, it has surpassed 45 million views, per Howell County News.
Who is Hannah Harper?
Harper grew up traveling and performing bluegrass and gospel music with her family band, The Harper Collective.
The singer took a break from performing to focus on being a stay-at-home mom, but began to miss the creative outlet music provides, she said during a recent interview with Howell County News, an outlet in Missouri.
She began writing songs at home and posting videos on TikTok, which caught the attention of “Idol” recruiters.
“‘American Idol’ recruiters seek people out with little-to-no following,” she told Howell County News. “I had about 100 followers.”
Now, thanks to the success of “String Cheese,” Harper has more than 250,000 followers on Instagram.
“When I wrote the song, I wasn’t sure anyone would ever hear it,” she said. “For the audition, I had prepared a cover song because the judges don’t always like originals. I was ready, but the song resonated. It’s relatable for anyone. It was special. (Underwood) has heard everything, but something sparked.”
Harper will next perform on “Idol” during the Hollywood round, which begins Feb. 23.