Carrie Underwood Says ‘American Idol’ Contestant Hannah Harper Reminds Her of Herself When She Was on the Show

Carrie Underwood sees herself in Hannah Harper. During the latest episode of American Idol, the country icon praised the season 24 standout after an incredible performance.

Before Harper took the stage, the stay-at-home mom reflected on being in Hawaii with her family amid the competition. In between having fun with her husband and kids, Harper took time to rehearse with advisors Keke Palmer and Brad Paisley.

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Palmer encouraged Harper to engage with the crowd throughout her performance, while Paisley told her that her voice “is everything I love about this style of music.”

When Harper’s kids stopped by rehearsal, she immediately felt more comfortable and commanded the stage. As such, Palmer recommended that Harper find her loved ones in the crowd when she performs.

Harper did just that when she took the stage to perform Bethel Music and Molly Skaggs’ “Ain’t No Grave,” which earned excited cheers from the judging panel.

Lionel Richie lauded Harper for commanding attention during her performance, while guest judge Palmer called the whole thing “excellent.” Similarly, Luke Bryan praised Harper as “listenable” and even said it was his favorite performance of hers thus far.

Carrie Underwood Praises Hannah Harper on American Idol


When it came time for Underwood to speak, she told Harper that she got chills during her time on stage. The performance, Underwood added, reminded her of her own time on Idol.

“I would be on stage, I’d look out out, and I’d be like, ‘What are you doing out there hand?’” Underwood recalled of her winning season of the show. “All of a sudden, things would kind of start falling apart because I’d start thinking about what I was doing.”

“Try not to,” Underwood advised. “Just tell the story and don’t worry about what any of this is doing. I feel like we got some glimpses of that, and it’s awesome.”

Viewers at home can vote for Harper by texting 8 to 21523, navigating to the American Idol website, or by commenting “Hannah” on Idol‘s pinned posts on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Voting will be open until 6:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, March 17.