Three months after making Carrie Underwood cry with “String Cheese,” her original song about motherhood, Hannah Harper has become the newest winner of “American Idol.”
At the end of Monday night’s finale, “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest crowned the 25-year-old singer and mom of three from Missouri the Season 24 winner.
With her family cheering her on from the side of the stage, Harper was emotional as Seacrest read her name aloud and confetti fluttered around her. The tears came as she stood on the stage with a few of her fellow “Idol” contestants to close out the finale with a brief reprise of Chris Tomlin’s “At the Cross (Love Ran Red)” that she performed earlier in the season.
The outcome isn’t all that surprising; throughout the season, Harper’s performances have consistently garnered more views on YouTube than her competitors. Her higher number of social media followers also pointed to a potential win, per Parade.
A recent poll from the entertainment site Gold Derby also predicted Harper would win, with just over 50% of readers voting for the rising country artist. Jordan McCullough was in second with nearly 30% of votes while Keyla Richardson had close to 20%.
The finale results reflected that poll as McCullough, who got rejected on “The Voice” seven years ago, finished as runner-up behind Harper.
During Monday’s season finale, Harper created a full circle moment by ending her time on the show the way she started: with a performance of “String Cheese.” This time, the heartfelt song came to life with a full band behind her.
Earlier in the episode, Harper introduced viewers to another one of her original songs, “Married Into This Town.”
“Congratulations on songwriting,” “Idol” judge Lionel Richie told the singer following the performance. “Congratulations on being that authentic person.”
Here’s a look back at Harper’s viral audition and her run on the show.
Hannah Harper goes viral with ‘String Cheese’
Despite telling herself she wasn’t going to cry during her “American Idol” audition, Harper had an emotional start as she opened up to the judges about her song.
The “Idol” contestant shared that she developed postpartum depression shortly after the birth of her youngest son.
“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.
During her audition, 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.
“I thought finding peace in the quiet’s what I wanted / but I’d do anything to go back to being needed.
“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,” Underwood 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 Dolly Parton, Kacey Musgraves and Alison Krauss — Harper received her golden ticket to Hollywood, advancing to the next round of the competition.
“String Cheese” created an Instagram trend where moms posted the song and shared their own motherhood stories. The song charted on iTunes in the children’s music category and earned praise from artists including country legend Martina McBride and Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Harper remained a standout contestant on “Idol” all season long. Performances throughout her time on the show included McBride’s “A Broken Wing”; Jo Dee Messina’s “Heads Carolina, Tails California”; Taylor Swift’s “Mean”; Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide”; and Chris Tomlin’s “At the Cross (Love Ran Red).”
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 previously said during an interview with Howell County News, an outlet in Missouri.
She started 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 in part to the success of “String Cheese,” Harper has more than 400,000 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.”
Hannah Harper ‘American Idol’ highlights
Below are some of Harper’s top performances on ‘American Idol’:
Jo Dee Messina’s ‘Heads Carolina, Tails California’
‘Ain’t No Grave,’ traditional gospel song
Chris Tomlin’s ‘At the Cross (Love Ran Red)’
Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Landslide’
Taylor Swift’s ‘Mean’
Martina McBride’s ‘A Broken Wing’ duet with Kellie Pickler
Peggy Lee’s ‘Fever’
Hannah Harper’s ‘Married Into This Town’