American Idol‘s most recent season may be over, but the journey is just beginning for winner Hannah Harper and the rest of the Season 24 finalists. In fact, several of the 2026 contestants already have a major gig lined up, and it’s taking place in less than one month.
The group will be helping kick off CMA Fest weekend in Nashville with a special event on June 3. Hannah, along with runner-up Jordan McCullough and second runner-up Keyla Richardson, will be hitting the stage at the show.
They’ll be joined by fellow Season 24 artists Brooks Rosser, Braden Rumfelt, Chris Tungseth, Lucas Leon, Rae, Philmon Lee, Jake Thistle, Julián Kalel, Genevieve Heyward, and Kutter Bradley. Past contestants Mattie Pruitt, Will Moseley, and Colin Stough will also be hitting the stage.
The official show announcement was made on the American Idol Instagram page on May 13, just two days after the finale. Plus, there’s also going to be a “surprise special guest,” according to the post.
Hannah auditioned for American Idol with an original song called “String Cheese” that immediately connected with the judges and viewers. Carrie Underwood wiped away tears after the performance. After the finale, she told TV Insider and a small group of other outlets, “There’s just something about her that’s so relatable, obviously, and I feel like, in the end, that’s why people voted for her.”
Underwood noted that people “see a bit of [themselves]” in Hannah. “You just want to root for her,” she added. Hannah was the first female country artist to win the show since 2005, when Underwood herself took home the title.
“What a wild, beautiful journey this has been. And somehow we’re just getting started,” Hannah wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to every single person who believed in me, prayed over me, voted, and helped carry this dream farther than I ever could’ve imagined. Y’all changed my life.”
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