“Well, that’s about the most relatable song I think I’ve ever heard,” Underwood told Harper, who was later compared to Kacey Musgraves, Alison Krauss and Dolly Parton.
Carrie Underwood Crying To Hannah Harper; Photo Courtesy of American Idol / ABC
Hannah Harper, a 25-year-old stay-at-home mom from Willow Springs, Missouri, brought raw emotion and heartfelt storytelling to her American Idol audition, performing an original song inspired by her journey through motherhood and postpartum struggles. The future country star brought Carrie Underwood to tears with her touching song.
Harper grew up in a very unconventional musical family, singing bluegrass and Christian music on the road, traveling coast to coast from 2009 to 2016.
“I grew up doing bluegrass. My family had a bluegrass gospel band, went [from] church to church, and sang at churches… In 2009, my parents quit their jobs, and we bought a [tour] bus, and we went on the road as a family band. The tour bus was 40 [feet] long. It was bright red, and we lived on the bus for seven years,” Harper explained. “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.”
In 2016, she met her husband and got married, and a few months later, they discovered they were expecting their first child. The couple quickly grew their family and now have three young boys.
“Then one turned to three really fast. With three boys comes a lot of chaos and a lot of fun. It’s just hectic at all times,” she continued. “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.”
After welcoming her youngest child, Harper struggled with postpartum depression, and she put that feeling into lyrics for a song titled “String Cheese,” and that’s the song she chose to audition with. “I was sitting on my couch wallowing… My youngest son kept coming up to me saying, ‘Mom, open this. Open my cheese.’ When I finally did, I realized God had put me there and that being a mom was the biggest ministry I could have. I got up, quit throwing a pity party, and kicked postpartum depression in the butt, and I said, I ain’t doing it. So I wrote this song,” Harper explained through tears.
Wearing a homemade patchwork dress that screams “yeehaw,” Hannah Harper went on to deliver an emotional performance of an original song, “String Cheese,” joined by an acoustic guitar player.
“I have two boys. They make things more interesting… You’re wearing homemade clothes. You’re singing songs called ‘String Cheese,’” Underwood said before the contestant went on to showcase her vocal talents.
“To those days I want to cry, run away, and hide/ but I’d 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,” she sang on the track’s chorus, which brought Underwood to tears.
As her emotional audition came to a close, Underwood was seen with tears streaming down her face asking Luke Bryan for tissues. “Well, that’s about the most relatable song I think I’ve ever heard,” Underwood said as she wiped away tears.
Bryan then compared her vocals to the likes of superstars Kacey Musgraves and Alison Krauss, while Underwood added the legendary Dolly Parton to the list. “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, certainly Alison Krauss,” Bryan gushed. “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.”
Lionel Richie asked Harper to use Parton as an example to follow, not only for her exceptional storytelling abilities but also for her ability to tell that story. “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 ’em, but it was hard to come from a tear,” Richie stated.
Underwood added, “You might be my favorite person that’s walked through those doors in the past [weeks]. You’re gorgeous. Like, you look famous already. I just think you have just a beautiful simplicity to your voice. You’re one that I’m going to think about when we leave here, like, I 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.”
Collectively, Richie, Underwood, and Bryan all voted “yes,” advancing Hannah Harper to Hollywood Week, which will take place in Music City this year.
“Hearing Carrie say that I was one of her favorite people that had walked through the doors, I almost melted in my boots. That’s the biggest compliment I’ve ever received,” Harper told Idol producers. “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 ’em know that they can still chase their dreams with their little people.”
Her audition ended with Harper and her youngest son putting her golden ticket on their refrigerator at home.
New episodes of American Idol air every Monday at 8/7c on ABC and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
Source: musicmayhemmagazine.com
