Hannah Harper Reflects on Dream-Come-True Opry Debut With Carrie Underwood [Exclusive]
“…it was just an absolute dream to be there. It was amazing,” Harper reflected.
Hannah Harper, Carrie Underwood; Photo by Chris Hollo
Hannah Harper’s Grand Ole Opry debut became something even more unforgettable when Carrie Underwood surprised the audience by joining the American Idol Season 24 winner on stage for a duet that felt like a true full-circle moment.
A lot has changed for Harper in the past year. While standing inside the coveted wooden circle, the Missouri native admitted that it felt like there was a “power coming through my boots.” She took a moment to reflect on the fact that just one year prior, she was sitting on her couch at home hoping and praying that she would one day have the chance to share her original music with the world. Over the past few months, she has gotten to do that through her Idol journey.
When the time came for her to bring the song that started it all at her Idol audition, “String Cheese,” to the Opry stage, Harper admits she wanted to make it even more special by asking one of this season’s judges, Carrie Underwood, to join her in singing it.
Speaking to Country Now ahead of her performance at 19 Recordings’ “American Idols Live in Concert” event, Harper revealed she invited Underwood during the show’s season finale.
“Carrie and I were taking pictures and somebody popped up and was talking to us and so I kind of pinned her down. I said, ‘You want to sing ‘String Cheese’ with me? Verse two?’ And so she couldn’t say no. She was like, ‘Yeah!’ So we got to share that moment on the Opry and…it was a great time.”
Harper began by sharing the personal story behind the song to all those gathered in the pews of the Opry that night.
“When you get home and you have multiple kids and everybody needs something at the same time, its overwhelming,” she admitted. “But there’s no place that I would rather be. And it was in that moment, one of my babies was crying, the other was like, ‘I want to watch Bluey’ and then my son was like, ‘open my cheese’ and he was just flinging his cheese in my face and I was like, ‘leave me along with the dangum cheese,’” she recalled.
“The lord shook me in that moment and reminded me that my house is the greatest ministry that I’ll ever have and this is a song that I wrote for myself that I never thought the world would hear,” Harper added with tears flowing down her face.
“String Cheese” was first released on Mother’s Day 2025. The song that captures the reality of motherhood clearly resonated with Underwood, her fellow judges and the rest of the world during Harper’s stand-out audition.
After this moving introduction, it was finally time for Harper to showcase it on one of the most beloved stages in country music. Shortly after beginning the tune, she said “Welcome my momma friend, Mrs. Carrie Underwood.”
The country music superstar made an appearance in a stunning floor-length gown with pastel colors flowing through the multi-tiered ruffles. She confidently took the mic and joined Harper in a set of stunning harmonies before taking the lead on the second verse.
This moment marked a major milestone in Hannah Harper’s life and career, made even more meaningful by sharing the stage with Underwood. Harper also made history as the first female country artist to win American Idol since Underwood’s victory in 2005.
The rising star went on to explain that the entire experience of her Opry debut was a “dream come true.”
“One of my friends was holding my hand prior to me walking out and was like, ‘Something comes through the floor, just calm your nerves because so many legends have stood on that stage and you get to be one of them.’ And she was right as soon as I stepped on the floor, I felt like something came through my boots and helped me get through it and calm my body. And it was just an absolute dream to be there. It was amazing,” she reflected.
This was just one of many performances to come from Hannah Harper this year. Following the big night, she took the stage alongside fellow American Idol alums including Jordan McCullough, Keyla Richardson, Chris Tungseth, Braden Rumfelt, Brooks, Lucas Leon, Rae, and more for the 19 Recordings Presents Your American Idols event on June 3 at 6th & Peabody in Nashville.
Hannah Harper also plans to headline her String Cheese Tour and will join Lauren Alaina on select dates of her The Stages Tour in the fall.
Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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