Hannah Harper Wins ‘American Idol,’ Relive Her Unforgettable Journey

Hannah Harper has officially been named the Season 24 winner of American Idol. During tonight’s three-hour finale, she secured a spot in the Top 2 alongside Jordan McCullough. After closing out her run with two more standout performances, the show’s host Ryan Seacrest revealed that Harper had received the most votes from America.

Week after week, Harper turned heads on the Season 24 competition with performances that showcased her powerhouse vocals, humble storytelling and growing confidence.

With each round, she continued to earn praise from the judges and secure America’s votes, which ultimately earned her spot in tonight’s three-hour season finale. As her journey comes to a close, we’re looking back at her rise and how she quickly became one of the standout voices of the season.

Harper made a memorable debut on the show when she auditioned with an original song inspired by the realities of motherhood, titled, “String Cheese.” Ahead of her performance, fans got to learn a bit about her musical upbringing, which included taking part in her family’s bluegrass gospel band for seven years. After her dad quit his job at the lead mine to pursue music full time, the entire family moved into a 40-foot-long, bright red tour bus and took their talent on the road. She returned to Missouri in 2016, settled down with a family of her own and eventually found herself turning back to music.

Underwood quickly dubbed Harper her “favorite person” and even shed a few tears after hearing her powerful story.

“Some days I wanna cry, run away and hide/ But I’d worry about their еvery need/ And when I’m ovеrwhelmеd and touched out
Thеy come climbin’ up on the couch/ Sayin’, “Mama, can you open my string cheese?”/ And I smile because I know meetin’ their needs fills my soul/ And being their mama is who I’m meant to be,” Harper sang on the chorus.

Underwood noted, “well, that’s about the most relatable song I’ve ever heard.”

Luke Bryan added to the praise by comparing Harper to iconic country music females like Kacey Musgraves, Dolly Parton and Alison Krauss while Lionel Richie agreed and said she could learn a thing or two lesson Parton’s career.

The Missouri native earned a golden ticket and continued onto Hollywood Week in Nashville, where she performed a cover of “A Little Past Little Rock” by Lee Ann Womack. Harper admitted to the show’s host, Ryan Seacrest that she was feeling the nerves after messing up the lyrics a few times, however the judges felt her delivery was good enough to send her into the Top 30.

This group of hopeful contestants then traveled to Disney’s Aulani resort in Hawaii for the first Ohana Round, where Harper performed a rendition of Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High On That Mountain,” dedicating it to her late grandfather. 

“I’m really excited about the Ohana round to have the chance to honor my grandpa. He was a patriarch. So many branches of talented people that came from him. He played music until the day he died,” she shared at the time.

Harper’s performance struck an immediate chord, bringing her family to tears and earning a standing ovation from the audition. Plus, Bryan once again gave her the highest compliment as he compared her vocals to that of Parton.  

“Gosh, there are so many parallels with your voice and Dolly [Parton] and it’s just so beautifully country,” he said.

After earning a spot in the Top 20, she sang “Ain’t No Grave” by Bethel Music & Molly Skaggs (also recorded by Johnny Cash), and stepped out of her comfort zone by ditching her guitar for the first time. This bold decision paid off as she received rave reviews from the judges at the end of the night.

“Great song choice. Your voice gave me chills the entire time. We got a glimpse of a fire that is in you that I feel like the more you go through this whole process, I hope to see more of. You remind me a lot of myself when I was on the show,” Underwood noted. “When I would be on stage, I’d be like…’What are you doing out there, hand? What’s going on? Why are you pointing?’ And all of a sudden it’s like things would kind of start falling apart because I would start thinking about what I was doing.”

This group of contestants then headed out of Hawaii and made their way to Los Angeles to kick off the live performances with Songs of Faith Night. Harper delivered an emotional rendition of “At the Cross (Love Ran Red)” by Chris Tomlin and then learned she would be advancing in the completion as one of the 12 finalists.

The next week she took on “Heads Carolina, Tails California” as part of the 90s Judges Song Contest episode, adding her own flair to the beloved country hit. This performance earned the stamp of approval from the artist who made the song famous, Jo Dee Messina.

Messina documented herself watching from home and joked, “Okay, Hannah, you’re not allowed to sing it better than me!”

This week fans also saw Harper received the ultimate surprise when Messina joined her on stage during her hometown show to perform the hit song together

@jodeemessina Loved this so much! Be sure to tune in to @AmericanIdol on Monday to watch me surprise @hannahharperofficial in her hometown 💜 #americanidol #hannahharper #jodeemessina ♬ original sound – Jo Dee Messina

Harper once again had the chance to step outside of her comfort zone during Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-themed episode. She landed a spot in the Top 9 after a standout performance of “Landslide.”

One of Harper’s favorite nights of the season was the Disney themed episode as served as a moment of “redemption” for her journey. The Season 24 contestant opened up to the guest judge of the week, Jennifer Hudson, about how her previous performance of “Heads Carolina, Tails California” sparked criticism online with users claiming her performance level doesn’t match the talent of her voice.

With that feedback in mind, Harper made a strong effort to go add some choreography to her delivery of  “Almost There” from Princess and the Frog. 

“Two weeks ago, I had all this choreography planned for ‘Heads Carolina, Tails California’ and I went out there and I froze like a statue…And then as soon as I got online, everyone’s like, ‘Her voice is okay, but she sucks at performing.’ And I was like, ‘Yes, she does. They’re not wrong.’ This week is my redemption moment,” she proudly stated.

Her powerful vocals once again stood out, earning a standing ovation from the judges, her fellow contestants, and the live audience.

“It made my heart smile. It made me smile watching you grow into…You kind of started with this Reba McEntire attitude thing and then you grew into your character, and you didn’t overdo anything. You did it perfectly,” Bryan told her.

This performance earned her enough of American’s votes to move forward in the Top 7. 

Next came the highly-anticipated Taylor Swift night. Harper took this opportunity to respond to the criticism she had received online by performing a stripped-back version of Swift’s “Mean.”

The following week she teamed up with Idol alum Kellie Pickler for a rendition of Martina McBride’s “A Broken Wing” for the semifinals/reunion episode, which helped secure Harper a place in the final three.

All these performances and unforgettable moments with Hannah Harper leads us to tonight, the three-hour season finale of American Idol on Monday, May 11. The episode featured a slew of star-studded performances from past contestants as well as the finalists. Harper teamed up with Lee Ann Womack for an emotional duet of the iconic hit, “I Hope You Dance,” and later had a full circle moment as she brought her original audition song, “String Cheese,” back to the stage.

The hopeful singer stood beside runner-up Jordan McCullough before ultimately claiming the coveted title. The biggest smile spread across her face as tears filled her eyes while she took in the life-changing moment. There wasn’t much time to celebrate, though because just moments later, she delivered her final performance of the season, reprising yet another song she previously sang, Chris Tomlin’s “At the Cross (Love Ran Red).” As confetti poured through the room, Harper became so overwhelmed with emotion that she struggled to make it through the song. She celebrated with the entire Season 24 hopefuls by her side.

Immediately following the win, the singer/songwriter took to social media to celebrate with a heartfelt message, reflecting on the “wild, beautiful journey” she has experienced.

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A post shared by Hannah Harper (@hannahharper)

“Thank you to every single person who believed in me, prayed over me, voted, and helped carry this dream farther than I ever could’ve imagined. Y’all changed my life. I’m beyond thankful for the doors the Lord has opened and for the opportunity to walk this path.”

She ended her statement by letting fans know that she will be hitting the road soon and that they should keep an eye out for details regarding tour dates.

This might be the end of Hannah Harper’s American Idol journey, but this is just the start of a brand-new chapter.

“…somehow we’re just getting started,” she added.