American Idol winner reveals surprising advice that judge Carrie Underwood shared after win

Hannah Harper was crowned the season 24 title-holder on May 11.

'American Idol' stars Carrie Underwood and Hannah Harper

‘American Idol’ stars Carrie Underwood and Hannah Harper.Credit: Disney/Eric McCandless

American Idol contestant Hannah Harper walked away with this season’s title on May 11.
Harper, 26, says that judge Carrie Underwood advised her to remember that the show isn’t real, and that she should focus on her husband and sons.
Underwood herself is a married mom of two boys.

Hannah Harper has a fan in Carrie Underwood.

The “Before He Cheats” singer was the American Idol‘s cheerleader all season, from the day she stepped into auditions with her original song, “String Cheese,” which she wrote about postpartum depression. Underwood, who’s a mother herself, was left in tears.

So, of course, Underwood, 43, offered 26-year-old Harper some advice after her big win: it isn’t real.

“The only thing that was real and mattered was my kids and my relationship with my husband, which I think is very important,” Harper told Parade. “I think that’s why so many people admire Dolly [Parton] because she’s such a character. She can put it on and then she can take it off and she can be a separate person, so I’m struggling with that because I take pride in authenticity, of being real on stage and off stage, so just balancing those relationships is going to be hard at first.”

But the mom of three young sons, whom she shares with husband Devon Mendenhall, is hopeful.

“I think we’ll get it, but, like I said,” the Missouri native emphasized, “Carrie just wanted to make sure that I kept a hold of the grasp of reality once everything settled down and just made sure to still focus on the priorities, which is my kids and my husband.”

Underwood married professional hockey player Mike Fisher in 2010. They share sons Isaiah, 11, and Jacob, 7.

Harper defeated her competitors Jordan McCullough and Keyla Richardson, who came in second and third place, respectively, in the talent competition, with not only originals but covers of tunes such as Alicia Keys’ “No One,” Peggy Lee’s “Fever,” and “Mean” by Taylor Swift.

“I love how your voice just makes everything sound just beautiful and tender and like a lullaby,” Underwood, who won Idol herself in 2005, told Harper in the finale. “I had the biggest smile on my face the entire time.”

Carrie Underwood with her husband, Mike Fisher, and their sons

Carrie Underwood with her husband, Mike Fisher, and their sons.Carrie Underwood/Instagram

For her part, Underwood has been vocal about having ditched celebrity life, well at least one in a big city, for time on a farm. She told Us Weekly that, since 2019, her family has lived on a 400-acre farm. They grow vegetables and raise animals such as chickens, goats, and sheep.

“I go home, and I had to have talks with my family at one point, because I was like, ‘OK, when I’m away, I’m like, Cinderella at the ball,'” Underwood said. “I’m a princess, and it’s great. And then I come home, and I’m like, covered in dirt. I’m covered in poop. It’s just the polar opposite. I’m like, cleaning up after everybody and barefoot in the kitchen. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

 

 

SOURE: https://ew.com/american-idol-winner-reveals-surprising-advice-from-carrie-underwood-11978228