From the moment Hannah Harper auditioned for American Idol, she connected with Carrie Underwood, the only female judge on the Season 24 panel. Underwood was brought to tears over Harper’s original song “String Cheese,” which dove into the struggles of motherhood (something Underwood, a mother of two herself, was able to relate to).
After Harper was named the winner during the May 11 finale, Underwood was one of the first people to congratulate her on stage, and Harper reflected on that moment in an interview with TV Insider.
“Carrie was really encouraging, just as a mom,” she shared. “She relates. She was like, ‘Anything you need in the industry, I want to be available, help you with whatever you need.’ That was really nice.”
In general, Harper said “getting to chat with [the judges] after the show and hearing how genuine they are [was great]. They’re real people who just want to encourage us every step of the way. It was one of the highlights of the whole competition.”
In addition to Underwood, this season’s contestants were judged by Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.
Harper and Underwood are about to reunite for a special performance at the Grand Ole Opry on June 2. Harper will be making her Opry debut at the event, which will also feature performances from Avery Anna, Henry Cho, Dailey & Vincent, Drake Milligan, and Bill Anderson.
Now that the mom of three is moving forward in her career as a musician, she’s taking what she learned from Idol into the future.
“Going forward … you just have to be confident in knowing your ability and you’re exactly where you need to be,” Harper shared. “I walked into the competition feeling small and towards the end I stood taller, not because of my ability necessarily, but knowing that there’s a crowd of people who want to hear what I have to say. That’s a great feeling.”
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