By Kayla DeKraker
AMERICAN IDOL winner Hannah Harper just got a personal invitation to sing with Christian worship icon Chris Tomlin.
“Hannah Harper, huge congrats on winning AMERICAN IDOL,” Tomlin said to Harper. “I love hearing you sing At The Cross!!! Let’s sing it together sometime! God bless you and your family in this next season of your life.”
Harper took home the No. 1 spot after singing Tomlin’s “At The Cross (Love Ran Red)” during the AMERICAN IDOL finale earlier this week. Overcome with emotion, she struggled to sing through tears as contestants gathered around her in support. The powerful worship moment transformed the televised finale into much more than just a singing competition.
Related: 4 Former AMERICAN IDOL Contestants Who Love Jesus and Sing Worship Music
“Closing out this season on such a high note! Congratulations to our #idol Season 9 winner @hannahharper. I could tell from the beginning you were gonna make us proud,” judge Luke Bryan posted afterwards.
Shortly after she was announced winner, Harper told USA Today, “I’m a puddle right now. All the sacrifices have been made [by my family] to make this happen. Had it not been for my husband…that poor man has sacrificed his entire life.”
The mom of three added, “Every part of normalcy he had – to uproot life and bring our whole family here and live out of a hotel for two months – just so I could do this meant everything to me. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay him for that. He’s not the only one; my parents also. I just feel like my village is growing now.”
When Harper won, the judges celebrated and gave her some encouragement.
Lionel Richie said, “As I told Hannah, enjoy the moment because right now the real work will start. Enjoy this right now because every time they say, ‘Here’s your hit record,’ the next question is: ‘What do you have next?’ And ‘Here’s your fabulous tour! [But] what do you have next?’”
He added, “We understand what it takes to get to where we are. And it’s not an easy ride. There’s no more praises coming your way unless you create that praise.”
Harper first captured fans hearts at her audition where she got vulnerable about her struggles with postpartum depression.
“Knowing that I could connect with other women who were feeling the same as me – women and men, really – that meant everything to me,” she told USA Today of her original song “String Cheese.” “And that I had the opportunity to share my ministry, basically, and my relationship with the Lord, all of those things are precious to me. So every step of the way has been awesome.”
We’ll have to wait to see if we get a Hannah Harper-Chris Tomlin duet of “At The Cross”!
Read Next: Hannah Harper Wins AMERICAN IDOL Season 24, Closes Finale at the Cross
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