The Season 24 finale of American Idol was three hours long and packed with some of the biggest names in music. Alicia Keys. Lee Ann Womack. Jelly Roll. Carrie Underwood performing with Mötley Crüe. Every performance that night was built to be memorable.
HANNAH HARPER’S WAS BUILT IN A SINGLE MENTORING SESSION THE WEEK OF THE FINALE.
Alicia Keys was brought in as the guest mentor for the final three contestants. When Hannah sat down with her and said she had chosen to sing “No One,” Keys did not tell her to sing it bigger, hit harder, or show America what her voice could do.
Hannah Harper and Alicia Keys discuss the song “No one”
SHE TOLD HER SOMETHING MUCH SIMPLER AND MUCH MORE SPECIFIC. ADD YOUR BLUEGRASS TOUCH TO IT. MAKE IT YOURS.
Hannah dedicated the performance to Devon. The man who had given up his career, moved his family into a hotel for months and stood beside her every single week of this journey.
Then she walked out and turned one of the most iconic pop songs of the last twenty years into something that sounded like it had always been a country song waiting to happen.
Hannah gives a banging performance of “No one”
Lionel Richie said she took an Alicia Keys song and made it entirely her own the moment she opened her mouth.
Carrie said she loves how her voice makes everything sound beautiful and tender like a lullaby.
Luke said her voice is like walking through a beautiful garden.
Three judges with completely different comments.
All of them reaching for words because what Hannah did to that song was genuinely difficult to explain.
Critics called it the strongest performance of her entire season. And it almost didn’t happen the way it did until Alicia Keys guided Hannah through her song.