Hannah Harper’s American Idol victory didn’t just resonate with viewers at home — it clearly hit the judges emotionally, too.
Moments after Harper was crowned the Season 24 winner during Monday night’s live finale, judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie, along with longtime host Ryan Seacrest, reflected backstage on why the Missouri singer connected with audiences in such a powerful way throughout the season.
For Underwood, the answer was simple: relatability.
“I definitely see myself in her quite a bit,” Underwood told Gold Derby after the finale. “I think she’s just relatable. I think that’s why people voted for her.”
Throughout the season, Harper openly discussed balancing the competition with raising three children while her family remained by her side during filming. Underwood said that honesty is what made viewers root for her week after week.
“They see a mom that’s juggling like everybody else,” Underwood explained. “Her family’s been out here the whole time. I know she’s coming to rehearsals and going home and making dinner at whatever hotel situation they got going on here. So a lot of respect to her for already figuring that out.”
Underwood also admitted Harper’s original song “String Cheese” continued to affect her emotionally every time she heard it performed — especially as a mother herself. “I had my tissue out tonight again,” Underwood said. “It’s just like you understand when you are hanging by a thread and your kids are needing you. Sometimes it’s a lot.”
While Harper became one of the season’s breakout stars, Luke Bryan said the entire Top 3 — including runner-up Jordan McCullough and third-place finalist Keyla Richardson — made the finale especially rewarding for the judges.
“It was a really great Top 3, a great season, and great finale,” Bryan said. “Just proud to be a part of it, proud to be a part of the show.” Bryan added that he hopes Harper and the rest of the finalists use the momentum from the show to continue growing as artists. “Hopefully Hannah and anybody that was in the show can take this experience and learn from it and really grow,” he said.
Lionel Richie echoed that sentiment while reflecting on the difficult reality contestants face after the cameras stop rolling. The longtime judge compared the post-Idol experience to learning how to recover from failure in the music industry.
“The hardest work is yet to come,” Richie said. “You want to put your arm up under them like a parent and guide them. You’ll have to fall. And the falling is the part that makes the career work because you learn how to recover.”
Richie also praised this year’s finalists for finding ways to make iconic songs feel personal rather than simply copying famous performances. “I always say singers come with karaoke. Stylists come with careers,” Richie explained. “You can take a Whitney Houston song and turn it into your song. That’s everything.”
Meanwhile, Seacrest — who has now crowned every American Idol winner since the show premiered in 2002 — said the finale reveal never gets old, even after 24 seasons. “It’s such an exciting moment to be able to say the winner is … wait a beat … say a name and watch the reaction of that person’s face,” he said.
Seacrest also praised Keyla Richardson’s young son Drew, who became a fan favorite throughout this season.
“He will live on in my heart forever,” Seacrest said. “He’s got so much personality. Clearly he’s got a bigger brain than me because he can remember every song and every lyric.”
Looking ahead, both the judges and host agreed that Harper’s biggest challenge now will be maintaining the momentum she built during the competition — something Seacrest believes she’s more than capable of doing.
“The hardest thing to do is get your name out there and get attention. They’ve done that,” Seacrest said. “Now they need to hit the accelerator and ride that momentum.”
‘American Idol’ winners list: All seasons
