Hannah Harper may not be the winner of American Idol season 24 just yet, but she sure has already stolen the hearts of many people across the country, including Lauren Alaina.
Fans will recall that the 25-year-old contestant and stay-at-home mother of three young boys stood in front of Idol judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie, auditioning for the reality competition series with her original song, “String Cheese.” The incredibly touching self-penned tune captures the raw, often unspoken experiences of women who have gone through Postpartum Depression.
Although it’s unclear if Alaina has struggled with Postpartum Depression herself, she is a new mom who, with her husband Cam Arnold, welcomed her daughter Beni Doll Arnold into the world less than a year ago. Upon hearing Harper’s “String Cheese,” the Season 10 runner-up of American Idol was overcome with emotion.
Alaina shared her reaction just days after Harper’s audition aired, writing on Instagram: “8 months postpartum, hearing this song for the first time has me in a puddle. @hannahharper thank you for writing this song for us mommas. I can’t wait to watch your journey. I’m rooting for you every step of the way.”
For Harper, that public show of support meant everything.
“I hadn’t seen the video when Lauren first posted it. I had been tagged in it several times, and then she messaged me and was super encouraging. It was just like she’s rooting for me; she wants to meet me. And so that’s cool. I freaked out,” Harper said in an interview with Music Mayhem while opening up about Alaina’s reaction. “I was fangirling over that, but that’s just another person who has come out of the other side of Idol with a career, and so I look up to her a lot in that sense. And she’s a new mama, so I thought it was really neat that she shared it and could relate to the song also.”
Alaina wasn’t the only one who connected to the song.
Just her reaction video alone drew several heartfelt comments from followers. One person wrote, “This song has all us mamas a mess. So, so true. Every single word.” Another person shared, “It hit home even for me, whose babies are 25 and 27! It touched my heart.”
Meanwhile, a third follower added, “Hannah Harper is a Mama of 3 boys, and this song resonates with every mother. It needs to be our Mother’s Day song this year, and oh my, I cried too… my kids are grown now, and I miss these days… definitely a ‘grab your tissue’ song.”
The outpouring of support has been overwhelming for Harper, who grew up singing bluegrass and Christian music and carries a sound reminiscent of Alison Krauss, Kacey Musgraves, and even Dolly Parton.
“I wish I could answer every single message… I haven’t even opened all of them, [and] I mean, it’s just overwhelming,” she admitted. “I wrote the song for myself in that season, and I never thought anyone would hear it, and especially I never thought I would have the opportunity to sing it on a platform like American Idol.”
Postpartum depression (PPD) affects approximately 10% to 20% of women globally. In the United States, about 1 in 7 to 1 in 8 new mothers experience PPD symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Cleveland Clinic. But Harper says her song isn’t just for mothers, it’s for all struggling parents.
“Anyone in parenthood at all…I know there are a lot of dads who can relate to it,” Harper said. “The response to the song blew me away. It just gave me a lot of encouragement and a feeling that, in my hardships, there were benefits from it. There are a lot of times that they live in the trench, and they live in the rough, and they don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. And more so than anything, I just was like, there. There was so much good that came out of that, and I have a story now to share, a testimony, and a lot of other people relate to that. I was excited to be able to do that on that platform. And they did an amazing job putting it all together.”
Following her Idol audition, “String Cheese” took off. Not only did the song find a home on the social media pages of others, who used the track to share their own stories, “String Cheese” quickly gained momentum, climbing Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart and debuting at an impressive No. 14 with more than 1,000 units sold. The song also made waves on the Children’s Music iTunes chart, where it ranked above “Baby Shark” by Pinkfong, a surprising and telling achievement that speaks to just how deeply it’s resonating with families everywhere.
“STRING CHEESE is #14 on the Country Music charts. 
I truly don’t have words,” Harper wrote in one post on social media. “Thank y’all for listening, sharing, and loving this song so big.”
Be sure to keep up with Harper’s journey on American Idol on Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC, and the next day on Hulu.
