Hannah Harper didn't write "String Cheese" for a competition. She wrote it for survival.
In a post-finale interview, the newly crowned American Idol Season 24 winner opened up about just how close the world came to never hearing it.
"It was one of the first songs I had ever written," Harper said. "At the time, I was still a stay-at-home mom. My husband was working in law enforcement. I didn't have the opportunity to share my music outside of church."
She wrote it to minister to herself through postpartum depression. She shared it with her sister-in-laws and close friends. That was as far as she expected it to go - until her brother stepped in.
"My brother was like, 'We should record it. We should release it and just see what happens,'" Harper recalled. She wrote it in February. They decided to release it on Mother's Day. They went into the studio, re-recorded it, and dropped it.
The response surprised even her.
The song eventually reached No. 14 on Billboard's Country Digital Song Sales chart - a rare achievement for an active Idol contestant still mid-competition.
But it was the reaction after her first audition aired that truly overwhelmed her.
"The response was so overwhelming," she said. "It was one of those songs I wrote in a vulnerable spot in my life that I never thought I would share with the world. And then it touched so many other people's lives."
After hearing the stream numbers at the finale, Harper reflected: "I wrote that song in a place of vulnerability. I was frustrated, wondering why God would allow me to walk through postpartum. But now looking back - He let me walk through that so I could minister to other moms and dads who are struggling, not feeling seen."
She said she hoped the song encouraged others in their hard seasons. Clearly, it did - and then some.
More Hannah Harper on JubileeCast:
- Chris Tomlin Reacts to American Idol Winner Hannah Harper: "Let's Sing 'At the Cross' Together Sometime"
- What Does Winning American Idol Actually Mean? What Hannah Harper Gets, and What's Next for Runner-Up Jordan McCullough
- Hannah Harper Wins American Idol Season 24 After Emotional Faith-Filled Finale
- Hannah Harper Reflects on Historic Win, Motherhood, and the Village That Made It Possible
- American Idol Finale Turns Into Worship Moment as Hannah Harper Closes With "At the Cross"
- Hannah Harper and Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" Duet Brings Faith and Healing to the Finale
