During the Top 20 performances on “American Idol” Monday night (March 16), contestant Hannah Harper received all-around accolades for her rendition of “Ain’t No Grave.” The 25-year-old Missouri native, who grew up performing in a family bluegrass-gospel band, “went from singing to preaching” during her performance, according to judge Lionel Richie.
Wearing one of her signature patchwork dresses, Harper belted out lyrics about Jesus defeating death: “When I hear that trumpet sound / I’m going to rise right out of the ground / Ain’t no grave / Can hold my body down.”
The song was written in 1934 by Claude Ely, a 12-year-old who was battling tuberculosis. Numerous performers, including Johnny Cash, have covered the song. Most recently, Bethel Music and Molly Skaggs recorded a version of “Ain’t No Grave.”
Hannah Harper Creates ‘Resurrection Rock’ Genre
While being mentored for this week’s “American Idol” episode, singer Hannah Harper said she’s still getting used to putting down her guitar and being “more comfortable in my body” on stage. She thinks a lot about how to get audience members “engaged,” she told guests Keke Palmer and Brad Paisley. During the mentoring, Harper’s boys dropped by, which helped her calm down.
After Harper belted out “Ain’t No Grave” on the March 16 broadcast, the judges gave her rave reviews. “You got our attention,” Lionel Richie told her. “You did a great job.”
Luke Bryan told Harper, “I think you started a new genre: resurrection rock.” He “loved the whole performance,” he said, calling Harper’s voice “so listenable.”
Judge Carrie Underwood said Harper made a “great song choice,” adding, “Your voice gave me chills the entire time.” Underwood said she didn’t know what to do with her hands on the show either. “I would start thinking about what I was doing,” she recalled about appearing on Season 4, which she won.
Underwood waved her hands and advised Harper, “Just tell the story, and don’t worry about what any of this is doing.”
“I feel like we got some glimpses of that,” Underwood added, “and it’s awesome, so keep at it.”
Fans are saying they appreciate Harper’s Christian witness. On Harper’s Instagram post about Monday’s show, someone wrote, “I hope you know how powerful it is to sing about Jesus on national television.”
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On Tuesday (March 17), Harper posted, “More than anything, I’m just incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have this platform to bring glory to God and for the freedom to openly sing and speak about my Lord without hesitation.”
During the Top 20 performances on “American Idol” Monday night (March 16), contestant Hannah Harper received all-around accolades for her rendition of “Ain’t No Grave.”Click to Post
