Country star Lee Ann Womack has shared high praise for rising singer Hannah Harper even admitting the 25-year-old performed one of her biggest hits better than she once did herself.
Harper, a stay-at-home mom of three from Willow Springs, Missouri, stepped into Hollywood Week on American Idol with a bold choice: Womack’s 1998 classic, “A Little Past Little Rock.”
And although Harper later confessed, “I got excited. I forgot the words,” the moment still struck a chord with both the judges and Womack herself.
From Viral Audition to Hollywood Week
Viewers first met Harper during auditions when she brought judge Carrie Underwood to tears with her original song, “String Cheese,” inspired by her experience with postpartum depression.
Opening up about motherhood, Harper shared how a simple moment with her young son asking her to open his snack helped her find clarity during one of the hardest seasons of her life.
The vulnerable performance quickly became one of the most watched clips in Idol history, resonating with mothers around the world.
Now, during the show’s new Hollywood Week format — Music City Takeover in Nashville — Harper returned with a country staple.
Taking on a Country Classic
With guitar in hand, Harper delivered an emotional version of “A Little Past Little Rock,” leaning into the song’s heartache and subtle vocal runs.
Judge Luke Bryan beamed as she began, even singing along from his seat. But backstage, Harper admitted the nerves hit her mid-performance.
“I got excited. I forgot the words. Didn’t come in on the right spot,” she said. “But I sure hope I did enough to make it to the next round.”
Despite the slip, the judges were impressed by how she recovered.
Bryan noted, “She jumbled lyrics and got through it.”
Lionel Richie added, “And she handled it and didn’t even bump.”
Underwood praised the difficulty of the song itself: “Lee Ann Womack is not an easy person to sing. You don’t realize how intricate the things that she does with her voice — and I feel like you just nailed that.”
Harper was ultimately sent to the Golden Room, moving one step closer to the Top 30.
Lee Ann Womack Reacts
Shortly after the episode aired, Womack shared her own emotional reaction.
The country legend had already expressed admiration after seeing Harper sing her 1997 debut single “Never Again, Again” in a separate kitchen performance posted online.
“To hear Hannah sing that song back to me — lick for lick — like I figured out how I was going to do it in my bathroom that night was one of the joys of my career,” Womack said, reflecting on rehearsing the song years ago while raising her daughter Aubrie.
Following Hollywood Week, Womack made it clear Harper has her full support.
“You have a fan in me, Hannah Harper! Good luck this season,” she wrote, adding heart emojis under Idol’s official performance clip.
In interviews, Womack reportedly admitted that hearing Harper tackle “A Little Past Little Rock” so naturally — even with a few forgotten lyrics — reminded her how powerful fresh voices can be. The raw emotion, she suggested, carried the performance beyond technical perfection.
A Dream Bigger Than Herself
Harper has been open about her mission on Idol.
“I want to be the next American Idol because I want to be the forerunner for mamas out there who can still raise babies and pursue their dreams,” she said during Hollywood Week.
Forgetting a few words didn’t stop her momentum. Instead, it showed resilience — something both the judges and Womack clearly recognized.
With Nashville as the backdrop and some of country music’s biggest names cheering her on, Hannah Harper’s journey is proving that authenticity — even with imperfections — can leave a lasting impression.
