America fell in love with idol contestant Hannah Harper thanks to the initial viral audition of her original song, “String Cheese.”
Written as a reflection of her struggle with postpartum depression following the birth of her third child, her stunning vocals during the performance not only solidified her as a fan-favorite but also moved Carrie Underwood and the viewers at home with no dry eyes. This seems to be a common theme for Harper, who can apparently also bring a grown man to tears.
Last June, right before Father’s Day, the 26-year-old aspiring singer shared her original song written for her Dad, “My Hero, A Simple Man.” Per the title, no it’s not a mashup track of the dad-rock hits from the Foo Fighters and Lynyrd Skynyrd but rather a sentimental recount of Harper recognizing the dichotomy of her father’s hard work yet gentle touch with the lyrics, “He’s a hero but a simple man, with his calloused hands he’d fight for us till the very end.”
In a post of her strumming the tune on her front porch from June 17, the now Top 20 American Idol star wrote, “Celebrating the men in my life with a special Father’s Day song I wrote.” Noting the influence on her three young sons with, “I’m so grateful my boys have such inspiring role models to look up to.”
Sure enough, building on the heart-tugging emotional lyrics, Harper also posted a video of her father reacting to the song, and it’s absolutely precious. The Missouri mother revealed on the show that her musical roots stem from her family growing up in a bluegrass band alongside her siblings. Surely, to be able to give back to the man who paved that avenue for his children with a dedicated track had to be a full-circle moment for her father, who actually plays banjo in the band.
With blushed cheeks and wiping the tears from his eyes, the reaction video will have you holding back sniffles as well. Harper shared, “My dad is the biggest teddy bear, and his reaction was everything I expected and more. So grateful to have been raised by such a loving, tender-hearted man.”
While unfortunately Harper will not be a part of tonight’s Monday, March 23 episode, given that the second half of the top twenty finalists will be performing, she will return to ABC for next week’s airing of the final results. Time will tell if last week’s performance of Bethel Music’s “Ain’t No Grave” will earn her a seat in Season 24’s Top 14.