Who Is ‘American Idol’s Hannah Harper? Meet the Season 24 Winner

Well, it’s official: Hannah Harper is the winner of American Idol Season 24! During the May 11 finale, she beat finalists Jordan McCullough (runner-up) and Keyla Richardson (third place) to win the show.

Hannah first went viral during her audition with an original song called “String Cheese,” which she also got to sing during the finale. Hannah wrote “String Cheese” while dealing with postpartum depression following the birth of her youngest child, and with the finale happening just one day after Mother’s Day, it was truly a full-circle moment.

Scroll down to learn more about Hannah following her victory.

Who is Hannah Harper?

Hannah is a stay-at-home mom and singer. Her passion for singing began in church, where she sang “bluegrass gospel music” on weekends from ages nine to 16, she told Music Mayhem. She performed in a family band called the Harper Family, and they traveled around to perform.

Because Hannah was raised “super conservative,” she didn’t have much access to mainstream music, but she said she was “drawn to” Dolly Parton from the little she knew of her. “I was a big Shania Twain fan, like early ’90s Shania,” she added. “That was the one tape that we had on on the regular that my mom let me listen to.”

She considered Twain to be a “huge influence,” along with artists from the “more wholesome side of ’90s country,” such as Jo Dee Messina.

Where is Hannah Harper from?

Hannah lives in Missouri, which is also where she grew up. On May 6, she returned to her hometown of Willow Springs, Missouri to perform, and she was surprised by Jo Dee Messina on stage.

Hannah had previously sung a Jo Dee Messina song on American Idol, so it was a special (and very unexpected!) moment.

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Who Made the Top 30 on 'American Idol' Season 24?

Is Hannah Harper married?

Yes, Hannah is married to her husband, Devon Mendenhall. They’ve been married since April 2018. Devon refers to himself as a “fishing addict” in his Instagram bio.

How many kids does Hannah Harper have?

Hannah and Devon share three sons. They became parents for the first time in April 2019, one year after tying the knot. When Hannah auditioned for American Idol in the fall of 2025, her youngest son was one.

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During her audition, Hannah opened up about her postpartum depression, which inspired her viral song “String Cheese.” As she explained it, “I was sitting on my couch wallowing. Everybody wants to touch you. I didn’t want to be touched. I was just having a pity party, praying that the Lord would calm my spirit. And my son kept coming up to me saying, ‘Mama open this. Open my cheese.’ And I finally opened his cheese and when I did that, God had put me in that place, and where I was in my house was the biggest ministry I could have, and being a mom.”

At that point, Hannah said she “quit throwing a pity party and realized that was exactly what I wanted. I kind of kicked the postpartum depression in the butt. I said, ‘I ain’t doing it.’ And I wrote this song called ‘String Cheese.'”