Hannah Harper gave her first live performance of American Idol Season 24 with a beautiful rendition of Chris Tomlin’s “At The Cross.”
American Idol went live for the first time this season with the return of Songs of Faith night and the reveal of the Top 14. During the 2-hour episode, the Top 20 contestants and the judges sang inspirational tunes that held a special place in their hearts.
One of the most anticipated performances of the night came from Hannah Harper. Harper, a mom of three from Missouri, captured the hearts of America with her audition performance of her original song, “String Cheese.” In the weeks since her audition aired, Harper has garnered an impressive following.
Her success is due in part to her relatability with her fellow moms, and also due to her appalachian, bluegrass sound. Throughout her Idol run, the judges have compared her to Dolly Parton, Lee Ann Womack, and Alison Krauss.
Harper is also a devout and outspoken Christian, and she drew from her faith for her powerful performance on Monday night. She chose to sing “At The Cross,” a song written and recorded by Christian worship artist Chris Tomlin.
The powerful lyrics and beautiful medley drew tears from members of the audience, and had Harper fighting tears at the end of her performance.
The Judges Were In Awe Of Hannah Harper’s Performance
Carrie Underwood was clearly moved by the rendition. She told Hannah, “From the beginning, you’ve been one of my absolute favorites. I loved your version of that. I could feel your heart in it, and I was right there with you.”
Lionel Richie said, “That was with such a purity that it was fantastic…that was so spectacular in terms of your delivery and your voice.”
Luke Bryan agreed, telling Hannah, “It was just perfection to me. It roped me in. Everything about that – I totally bought into it, heart, mind, and soul.”
Watch Hannah Harper’s powerful performance of “At The Cross” from American Idol‘s Songs of Faith Night in the video below.
Top 14 Results Revealed
For the past two weeks, pre-recorded performances from the Top 20 have been aired. After each episode, viewers had the opportunity to vote for who they wanted to see in the Top 14.
At the end of Monday night’s episode, the results of those votes were revealed. Six of the Top 20 were sent home, leaving 14 contestants still in the running for this season’s title. Hannah Harper is a favorite to win this season. Her videos have consistently garnered more views than any other contestant this season.
But did those views translate into votes and advance Hannah to the Top 14? They did! Hannah was one of the 14 who survived elimination!
Tune in next week to see her sing once again for the Judge’s song choice contest with a ’90s twist.
