“You’re like my favorite person,” Underwood pointed out.
Dressed in a homemade, patchwork dress filled with vibrant colors, Hannah Harper made a memorable debut on American Idol. She instantly became a voice for moms everywhere thanks to her powerful storytelling, and it’s safe to say she is one the judges won’t soon forget.
During her audition, which aired midway through tonight’s episode of the singing competition show, viewers first got a look into Harper’s background. She explained that she grew up in a very musical household and performed 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.
“We just would go coast to coast and play banjos and sing for the Lord. It was a very unconventional upbringing, but I literally wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” Harper shared.
She returned to Missouri in 2016 and settled down with a family of her own. Now, a wife and a mom of three young boys, her life is filled with a lot of fun and chaos, and amid the hard moments, she has found herself turning back to music.
“I’m trying out for the show just because I want the opportunity to give the boys the same life that I had growing up, in a bigger way, if possible, to be able to sustain my family and do music full time,” the Willow Springs, Missouri native added.
Harper then revealed she would be singing an original song for the Judges titled “String Cheese.” After hearing her story, Underwood, being a mom of two boys herself, couldn’t help but relate and fall in love with the songstress before even hearing her sing.
“You’re like my favorite person. You’re wearing homemade clothes,” Underwood said. “You’re singing songs called ‘String Cheese.’”
Richie then asked her to elaborate on the meaning behind the song. While the title may sound clever and lighthearted, she explained that the meaning is far deeper and is sure to hit home for any moms listening.
“My youngest is one, and shortly after he was born, I had postpartum depression, and so I was sitting on my couch,” Harper said while trying to hold back tears. “I was sitting on my couch wallowing, and you have boys, you know. Everybody wants to touch you, and I didn’t want to be touched. And my youngest son, I was just having a pity party, praying that the Lord would call my spirit and my son kept coming up to me. He said, ‘Mom, open this. Mom open this, open my cheese.’ I’m like, ‘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 and being a mom.”
In that moment, Harper saw that she was doing exactly what she wanted to do. So in her attempt to overcome the postpartum depression, she wrote this song. The judges graciously offered her a moment to brush her tears away before giving her the opportunity to show off her talent.
Once she finally opened her mouth, it was hard not to be completely tuned in. Her voice carried a warm, heartfelt energy throughout the tune that offered humor, honesty, and true vulnerability. With every line, she painted a vivid picture of motherhood, speaking to the mess, the plethora of toys, the stress and the fleeting moments of joy.
Her delivery was intimate and full of life and easily made listeners feel like they were right there in her living room as she balanced a baby on her hip and a cup of coffee in hand.
“I warmed my morning coffee up for the third time/ Miss Rachel on the TV with their favorite nursery rhyme/ Hot wheels and little people under my feet/ Babies crying, it’s pure chaos, but I don’t miss beat/ Always knew that a nine to five wouldn’t suit me very good/ But my hours are extended, that’s just motherhood/ I never knew this is what my twenties would look like/ But they saved me before I had the chance to waste my life,” she sang.
Harper’s song went on to capture the simple yet powerful moment with her youngest asking for string cheese. Her authenticity had the judges visibly moved as every note carried the weight of the reality of motherhood.
“I thought finding peace in the quiet’s what I wanted/ But I do anything to go back to being needed/ To those days, I want to cry, run away and hide/ But I worry about their every need/ When I’m overwhelmed and touched out, they come climbing up on the couch saying, ‘Mama, can you open my string cheese?’/ I smile because I know meeting their needs fills my soul/ Being their mama is who I’m meant to be,” the song continued.
Silence filled the room as she finished the touching performance that had Underwood reaching for tissues as her eyes welled up with tears. She noted, “well, that’s about the most relatable song I’ve ever heard.”
Luke Bryan added to the praise and even compared her to some iconic country music females.
“Hannah, Great job. Great job. Just with that mountainous bluegrass sound that you have in there, I kept thinking like Kacey Musgraves is in there. I kept thinking, Alison Krauss…a little Dolly in there. And gosh, even if we got you to lean in more on it, fill the room a little more. You’re going to be able to move some people. But great song, way to really write the moment you’re in.”
Richie then offered Harper some words of advice, pointing out that she could learn some lesson from Dolly Parton’s career.
“I want you to use Dolly as the example of two things: One, her storytelling ability, and two, she has the ability to tell that story and then give us a lift. You’ve got the range. I would’ve loved to have found you just on one of those lines, just hold it for a minute…”
Underwood called Haper her “favorite person” to walk into their Idol audition room thus far.
“You’re gorgeous. Like you look famous already. I just think you have just a beautiful simplicity to your voice,” the superstar confidently stated. “You’re one that I’m going to think about when we leave here and wonder what song she’s going to sing next. And I feel like I’m going to be just rooting for you. I loved everything about everything you just did. I mean, it’s a yes. I’ll go first. It’s a yes for me.”
After receiving glowing feedback from each of the judges, Hannah earned two more resounding “yes” votes from Bryan and Richie, officially enrolling her in this season of Idol University. This result left Hannah feeling a wave of relief and joy, realizing that her story and her song had truly resonated in the way she hoped.
“Hearing Carrie say that I was one of her favorite people that has walked through the doors, I almost melted in my boots. That’s the biggest compliment I’ve ever received…It means a lot to me to get up there and stand and represent other moms and let them know that they’re not alone and let them know that they can still chase their dreams with their little people.”
Hannah Harper’s journey on American Idol, like many others, is just beginning. American Idol continues next week with more auditions and inspiring performances, all airing Monday nights on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.
