It’s been six weeks since Hannah Harper won American Idol, and the 26-year-old mom from Willow Springs, Missouri, is moving like someone who knows exactly how rare this window is.
Harper has signed with WME Group, one of the largest and most powerful talent agencies in the world. The deal comes on top of her existing record contract with 19 Recordings/Atlantic Records, and it puts the kind of infrastructure behind her career that most artists spend years trying to build.
“It’s a blessing to work alongside people who share the same goal: creating great music, serving others well and pointing people to Jesus along the way,” Harper said in a statement. “I immediately connected with Morgan Kenney’s vision, heart, and the way she champions the people she serves. I’m honored to be represented by WME and excited to see what doors this partnership may open.”
Mentioning Jesus in a talent agency announcement. That’s Hannah Harper in a sentence.
Six Weeks and She’s Already Stacking Career Milestones
The WME signing is just the latest in a run that has barely let her catch her breath since the confetti dropped on May 11.
On June 2, Harper made her Grand Ole Opry debut, and Carrie Underwood surprised her on stage for a duet of “String Cheese,” the original song about postpartum depression that went viral during her audition with over 140 million views. Underwood had teared up when she first heard the song during auditions and told Hannah, “You might be my favorite person that’s walked through those doors.”
Standing in the Opry circle, Harper told the crowd she could feel “power coming through my boots” and then introduced Carrie as “my mama friend, Miss Carrie Underwood.” That’s the first female country Idol winner since Underwood herself in 2005, handing the moment right back to the woman who paved the way. Twenty-one years between them, and there they were on the same stage singing a song about the chaos of motherhood.
Her String Cheese Tour kicked off earlier this month and runs through November. She’s already booked gigs opening for Brad Paisley and Lauren Alaina on their summer and fall tours. She’ll play Dollywood on September 30. And she’s bringing her husband Devon and their three boys on the road with her because that’s who she is.
For You
If you’ve been paying attention to Hannah’s story from the beginning, none of this feels accidental. She grew up performing in her family’s traveling band, The Harper Family, starting at nine years old. She spent years playing bars, churches, and county fairs in the Ozarks before anyone outside of Southeast Missouri knew her name. Producers told her not to sing an original at her audition because “the judges don’t love to hear originals.” She did it anyway, and it changed her life.
Harper told TV Insider she wants to “keep the fire going” and teased new music on the way. “I have a good collection of stuff that I’m ready for the world to hear, but also, I’ve only been writing for about two years,” she said. “But a lot has happened in the last two years and I’m ready to share more.”
Two years of writing. Six weeks since winning Idol. A record deal, a WME deal, an Opry debut with Carrie Underwood, a national tour, and opening slots with Brad Paisley and Lauren Alaina already locked in.
A year ago, Hannah Harper was sitting on her couch in Missouri, hoping someone would give her a chance to share her songs with the world. Now she’s got one of the biggest agencies in the music industry in her corner and a calendar that’s filling up faster than she can process it. She told the Opry crowd that she prayed God would shut the door if Idol wasn’t for her. He didn’t shut the door. He kicked it wide open, and she hasn’t stopped running since.
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