For anyone who’s been rooting for American Idol’s 25-year-old mother Hannah Harper, adores country music’s sweetheart Ella Langley, or can just appreciate a good cover– this is for you. The currently ‘Top Twenty’ idol contestant posted a clip singing Langley’s chart-topping success, “Choosin’ Texas,” and the crossover is impeccable.
Before Harper stole viewers’ hearts with her original song “String Cheese” at her idol audition, she had been posting covers to her social media for quite some time, showing off her singing chops. Now solidifying herself as the Dolly Parton/Lee Ann Womack/Allison Krauss-esque voice of the season, it’s a pretty fun trip down memory lane to see all of her other renditions she’s smashed.
In a video from November 2025, Harper lent her sweet southern twang vocals to “Choosin’ Texas,” and it’s truly one of the best stripped-down covers of the song. Rooted in her faith-based values, which she’s no stranger to discussing both online and on the show (ie, last week’s performance of Bethel Music’s “Aint No Grave”), she even changed the lyrics “drinkin’ jack all by myself” to “drinkin’ coffee by myself.”
Presumably, with Harper now blowing up the internet, considering her “String Cheese” audition currently has over 13.7 million views on TikTok, the cover made its way to Langley’s radar. About five weeks ago, the Alabama native sent her love to the aspiring artist, commenting, “Sing it, sister.”
With this nod of appreciation from one of country music’s hottest voices right now, as well as the kudos from judge Carrie Underwood last week, noting that she sees similarities between her and Harper, I’d say she’s got all the support she needs to go far, whether on American Idol or beyond. Langley also currently follows Harper on Instagram alongside an impressive list of other fellow fans like Parker McCollum, Zach Top, Ernest, Emily Ann Roberts, Jake Owen, etc.
As the competition continues to tighten, next week’s show will not feature Harper, given that they split the Top 20 performances into two nights. The ultimate results of her advancements and hopefully another stellar on-stage cover from Harper will take place in two weeks, on Monday, March 30, on ABC.