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\n Related: <\/span>‘American Idol’ Winners: Where Are Fantasia Barrino and More Now?<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tAmerican Idol paved the way for reality competition shows to help everyday people achieve their dreams of music stardom. The series premiered in 2002 on Fox with a star-studded judging panel consisting of Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. American Idol\u2018s freshman season introduced Kelly Clarkson, who would become the show\u2019s first breakout star. [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
For her second performance of the night, Harper performed an original song, \u201cMarried Into This Town,\u201d as a tribute to her hometown. The singer is a stay-at-home mom of three from Willow Springs, Missouri.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations on songwriting, congratulations about being that authentic person,\u201d judge Lionel Richie<\/strong> praised her original song.<\/p>\nHarper first wowed the judges \u2014 Bryan, Richie and Carrie Underwood<\/strong> \u2014 in her initial audition when she performed an original song called \u201cString Cheese,\u201d<\/a> which she said was about her experiences with postpartum depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-narrow.jpg\")
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\u201cI was sitting on my couch wallowing, and you have boys, you know. Everybody wants to touch you, and I didn\u2019t want to be touched,\u201d she explained the song\u2019s inspiration, per People<\/em><\/a>. \u201cAnd my youngest son, I was just having a pity party, praying that the Lord would calm my spirit, and my son kept coming up to me. He said, \u2018Mom, open this. Open my cheese.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018Leave me alone with the doggone cheese.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2275185611-American-Idol-Season-24-Winner-Hannah-Harper-Reacts-to-Victory.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Hannah Harper, Keyla Richardson and Jordan McCullough<\/span> Eric McCandless\/Disney<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHarper continued, \u201cAnd I finally opened his cheese, and when I did, I realized God had put me in that place, and that where I was in my house was the biggest ministry that I could ever have in being a mom. So, I gathered myself, and I got up off the couch, and I quit throwing a pity party, and I realized that was exactly what I wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I kind of kicked the postpartum depression in the butt, and I said, \u2018I ain\u2019t doing it,\u2019\u201d Harper shared.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Harper first wowed the judges \u2014 Bryan, Richie and Carrie Underwood<\/strong> \u2014 in her initial audition when she performed an original song called \u201cString Cheese,\u201d<\/a> which she said was about her experiences with postpartum depression.<\/p>\n You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n \u201cI was sitting on my couch wallowing, and you have boys, you know. Everybody wants to touch you, and I didn\u2019t want to be touched,\u201d she explained the song\u2019s inspiration, per People<\/em><\/a>. \u201cAnd my youngest son, I was just having a pity party, praying that the Lord would calm my spirit, and my son kept coming up to me. He said, \u2018Mom, open this. Open my cheese.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018Leave me alone with the doggone cheese.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Harper continued, \u201cAnd I finally opened his cheese, and when I did, I realized God had put me in that place, and that where I was in my house was the biggest ministry that I could ever have in being a mom. So, I gathered myself, and I got up off the couch, and I quit throwing a pity party, and I realized that was exactly what I wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I kind of kicked the postpartum depression in the butt, and I said, \u2018I ain\u2019t doing it,\u2019\u201d Harper shared.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n Hannah Harper, Keyla Richardson and Jordan McCullough<\/span> Eric McCandless\/Disney<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n