What To Know

Hannah Harper returned to her hometown for a concert ahead of the American Idol finale.
While on stage in Willow Springs, Missouri, she received an unexpected celebrity surprise.
Hannah will be competing in the American Idol finale with Keyla Richardson and Jordan McCullough on May 11.

Hannah Harper received the surprise of a lifetime when she was performing for a hometown crowd in Willow Springs, Missouri, on May 6. The American Idol finalist took the stage in front of thousands of local supporters and was left stunned by an unexpected celebrity appearance.

While Hannah was singing Jo Dee Messina’s “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” the country singer joined her on stage and began duetting with her on the track. Hannah had no idea Messina would be showing up, and screamed into her microphone when she realized what was going on. Eventually, she was able to pull herself together to finish the song.

Hannah has listed Messina as one of her inspirations. She also sang “Heads Carolina, Tails California” on the show during the Judges’ Song Contest round. Messina watched the performance on television and recorded a video of herself in tears afterwards.

It was recently revealed that Hannah will be singing with another country superstar, Lee Ann Womack, during the American Idol finale. The three-hour event will feature Hannah and fellow finalists Keyla Richardson and Jordan McCullough performing for viewer votes one last time, and a winner will be named at the end of the episode. With a strong social media following, Hannah is a favorite to win Season 24, but it will all come down to where the votes fall on Monday night. Fans first fell in love with the mom of three when she auditioned for the show with an original song called “String Cheese,” which she wrote while dealing with postpartum depression after the birth of her third child.

Hannah, Keyla, and Jordan will be mentored by Alicia Keys during the finale, and other guest performers include Clay Aiken, Brad Paisley, Nelly, and many more.

American Idol, Season 24 Finale, Monday, May 11, 8/7c, ABC