Hannah Harper won season 24 of American Idol Monday night, and when the confetti dropped, she didn’t exactly pivot to a victory-lap pop anthem.
The 25-year-old stay-at-home mom of three from Willow Springs, Missouri, closed her winning moment by singing Chris Tomlin’s “At the Cross (Love Ran Red)” through tears, surrounded by her family and fellow contestants.
For Harper, it was a fitting end to a season where she kept her faith front and center. She spoke openly about being a Christian throughout the competition, and after making the Top 5, she told Us Weekly that getting to share her faith on that kind of national platform “was an honor.”
Her season started with “String Cheese,” an original song about postpartum depression and the spiritual calling of that moved judge Carrie Underwood and later turned into a small movement of its own, with moms using the song online to tell their own stories. The track also charted on iTunes and earned praise from artists including Martina McBride and Kristin Chenoweth.
Harper beat runner-up Jordan McCullough, another outspoken Christian who kicked off auditions with CeCe Winan’s “Goodness of God” and closed out his American Idol run with Smokie Norful’s “Dear God.”
