'American Idol's' Hannah Harper Addresses Rumors That She Left the Show for a Record Deal

From her audition during the early days of Season 24 of American Idol, Top 20 contestant Hannah Harper had people talking. She sang an original song for her audition and was immediately put through to go to Hollywood, and she became an early fan favorite. But after rumors began swirling on social media about her early exit, fans were concerned that Hannah Harper left American Idol before an elimination.

Before Hannah auditioned for American Idol, she was part of Harper Collective, a family bluegrass gospel band made up of Hannah and some of her family members. Per her Instagram, Hannah was recording music and performing live for a while before she made her TV debut. But does that mean she was willing to leave the competition early for the promise of a record deal outside of the show?

It's unclear how or where the rumor started about Hannah leaving American Idol early for a record deal. There is a post on a Facebook group called Noah Thompson fans. In the post, a user wrote that Hannah quit American Idol and signed a deal with Dolly Parton's record label Butterfly Records. However, there is no truth to this, and Hannah shared an Instagram post to shoot down the rumors that she left the show.

"This @americanidol TOP 20 did NOT sign a contract and leave the competition," Hannah wrote in her post. "The amount of AI and false information floating around right now is honestly mind blowing! Meanwhile I'm over here just smiling, dancing around, and acting like I know what's going on at @disneyaulani when the truth is I have absolutely no clue."

Hannah added a Bible verse in her post about God's plans. She also wrote that she plans to "keep trusting the Lord" as she continues her American Idol journey. Which, according to her, does not include leaving the show before the competition is done. There is always the chance that she will be offered a record deal if she doesn't win. But for now, far ahead of the finale, Hannah said she did not quit the show.

Although some American Idol contestants might want to stick it out for as long as humanly possible, real life has a habit of interfering sometimes. And, in those instances, contestants are allowed to quit the show if they need to. Per Us Weekly, plenty of contestants have pulled themselves out of the running over the years for a wide range of reasons, from sick children at home to wanting their own artistic control.

But even if Hannah decided to leave the show early, she's such a frontrunner that producers might try to convince her to stay. Thunderstorm Artis from Season 23 of American Idol told the Consider It Joy podcast that he left his season early, but that producers quickly reached out to him to convince him to stick around. Sometimes, the American Idol talent is too good to pass up.