The Secret 'American Idol' Ingredient Winner Hannah Harper Wishes She Could Take With Her on Her 'String Cheese' Tour (Exclusive)
Since winning American Idol, Hannah Harper has gained a lot. She made her Grand Ole Opry debut with Carrie Underwood, the two singing Harper's original song, "String Cheese," which was her audition song for Idol; she released two singles, "String Cheese" and "Married Into This Town;" and she announced her upcoming "String Cheese" tour, which begins June 20 in Willow Springs, MO, and runs through Nov. 14 in Bartlett, TN.
The first female country artist to win American Idol since Underwood's victory more than 20 years ago still has trouble believing all the life changes, since just a year ago, she was a stay-at-home mom of three with husband Devon Mendenhall, but now she's getting ready to leave her home in Willow Springs, MO, and head out on the road.
The one thing she doesn't have that she wishes she could take with her are the two vocal coaches she worked with during her time on American Idol, Baraka May and Felicia Barton.
"Both of those women taught me so much, I didn't want to end it," she told Parade in an exclusive interview. "I was like, ‘You guys need to come on the road with me forever, because they did such an amazing job. They're confidence builders also. They weren't just coaches. They were training me in a lot of other ways to perform."
Truth be told, the Idol contestants spend more time working with the behind-the-scenes coaches than they do with the judges. May does a lot of voice acting for Disney, and can be heard in Frozen II, Encanto and Coco, to name a few, and Barton, who appeared on the eighth season of American Idol in 2009 and currently sings with the band, has co-written songs for Demi Lovato and Lea Michele, and is also the lead singer for the theme song of the 2017 reboot of the Disney animated series DuckTales.
Related: Hannah Harper Reveals What Carrie Underwood Advised Her After American Idol Win (Exclusive)
"Baraka coached me in Hawaii, and it was probably the first time that I've ever had to physically perform," Harper continued. "I think she had to coach me more mentally and emotionally than vocally because it was such a challenge for me to overcome moving my body even an inch. I am still stiff as a board -- still working on that. Both of those women just poured into me the entire time, taught me different techniques, whether it's breathing or singing from different positions in my head and my chest, all the things. I went into Idol knowing how to sing, but I didn't know how to do it properly. I was like, ‘OK, there's more to this than just opening my mouth.'"
The other thing Harper wouldn't mind is some company from her Idol fellow contestants. She has made lifelong friends in Kyndal Inskeep, Genevieve Heyward, and Jordan McCullough, who she claims kept her grounded.
"Genevieve went home the first week we were there, but those girls were my roomies," Harper shares. "Once we got on set, we shared a dorm together. I don't know what you'd call it, like a dressing room. I got to know them and it was really nice. And Jordan, he was like a therapist the whole journey. He's a worship leader and he also does counseling. I am well aware of what the Word says, but he would make sure I stayed in touch with reality. He'd say, ‘The Bible says this, this and this,' if you need me, let me know. He prayed over me several times during the competition. So, those are lifelong relationships."
American Idol has not yet been given an official pickup for 2027, but auditions are taking place just in case.
Next, Will American Idol Return in 2027 for its 25th Season? Auditions Are Open Now
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 2:16 PM.