American Idol Top 11 contestants Hannah Harper and Keyla Richardson recently opened up about their experience as parents competing on the show. The singers both have their children with them during their time on Season 24.
American Idol Contestants Talk Parenting
“It’s very hard,” Hannah Harper told Billboard about parenting as an American Idol contestant. “Each morning when I leave for call time, I can hear them hollering all the way to the elevator because they want me.”
Hannah went on to shout out the “village of people” helping her, which includes family members as well as her husband, who “quit his job so that I could pursue this.” He’s now a full-time dad to the couple’s three children. As Hannah said, “if you have a team of people backing you and the Lord behind you, then it’s going to happen, but it’s definitely a challenge.”
As for fellow Top 11 contestant Keyla Richardson, her 9-year-old son Drew has become a star in his own right, as he frequently appears in the audience mouthing along during her performances. Keyla called him “a hip baby,” adding, “He loves music. He’s always moving to the groove.”
“He listens to me all the time. He’s always with me,” Keyla said. “I’m a parent during the day, so I’ll rehearse right in front of him. ‘Hey, be quiet. Let Mommy rehearse. Let Mommy do this.’ So that’s how he knows every song.”
Voting was open during this week’s new episode of American Idol Season 24, as the Top 12 contestants took the stage for the Judges’ Song Contest. At the end of the night, Rae and Jesse Findling were in the bottom two.
As the winner of the Judges’ Song Contest, Lionel Richie was able to save one of those two contestants from elimination. He ultimately chose Rae, which meant that Jesse was unfortunately sent home. Rae is now part of the Top 11 leading into next week’s show, alongside Hannah Harper and Keyla Richardson.
The Top 11 also includes Jordan McCullough, Daniel Stallworth, Lucas Leon, Chris Tungseth, Philmon Lee, Kyndal Inskeep, Brooks, and Braden Rumfelt. Do you agree with this week’s results? Let us know in the comments below.
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
