Luke Bryan applauded an American Idol contestant’s performance, and even drew “parallels” between her voice and Dolly Parton’s.

Hannah Harper took the stage with a moving rendition of “Go Rest High On That Mountain,” her late grandfather’s favorite song by Grammy-winning artist Vince Gill. The performance took place during American Idol’s first-ever 'Ohana Round.

“Gosh. There are so many parallels with your voice and Dolly. It’s just so beautifully country,” Bryan said. “Your voice is so beautiful to me.”

Harper, 25, a stay-at-home mother of three from Willow Springs, Missouri, went viral when she performed an original ballad called “String Cheese” during her audition. She shared a vulnerable story about overcoming postpartum depression, and her emotional song brought Carrie Underwood to tears. During that audition, Bryan said Harper’s voice reminded him of Parton, Kacey Musgraves, Alison Krauss and others. Lionel Richie has also applauded Harper’s performances and her “authentic mountain voice,” after the 'Ohana Round. Watch the performance below.

American Idol airs on ABC on Monday nights from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT. It’s available to stream the next day on Hulu.

Bryan is also part of the star-studded lineup of the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival. The show also includes Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Shaboozey, Dylan Scott, Russell Dickerson, Gretchen Wilson, Chase Matthew and Lauren Alaina. iHeartRadio's Bobby Bones is returning as the event’s host. The show will take place on May 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Tickets to the show are available as of January 23. Fans across the country will be able to catch all the action as the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival will be broadcast live across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and the free iHeartRadio app on Saturday, May 2nd at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT).

Brooke Taylor

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