What does ‘American Idol’ Season 24 winner get? Hannah Harper's huge prize money, deals, and the major catch
Season 24 of 'American Idol' recently concluded on Monday, with Hannah Harper crowned as the winner. The 25-year-old singer performed 'At The Cross (Love Ran Red)' by Chris Tomlin, delivering a rendition that moved her and the judges to tears. The Missouri native had been ranking at the top spot on the leaderboard throughout the previously aired episodes of the ABC singing competition show, and pre-finale predictions had already anointed her as the champion. Now that Harper has won 'American Idol' season 24, what prizes will she be up for?
As is widely known, the long-running ABC show awards its winners $250K in prize money. However, it must be kept in mind that Harper wouldn't be receiving the entire sum in one go. The payments would be spread over multiple installments: $125K would be transferred to her upon signing the contract, with the remaining amount provided upon completion of her debut album. Having said that, the monetary sum is all but an advance, and Harper will have to pay it back through streams and album sales before she is eligible to receive any additional proceeds from her album. Harper will also be signed with Hollywood Records, owned by Disney, which is now the parent company of ABC.
According to convention, the 'American Idol' winner is given approximately $300K by the record label to complete their debut album. This money, similar to the aforementioned prize money, can be repaid to the studio over time. The winner is also eligible to receive a certain amount of royalties on their music, which amounts to about 15%. Lastly, Harper's victory trophies also include an all-expenses-paid luxury trip to Disney World or the Aulani Disney Resort, since the show now airs on ABC. Elsewhere, Harper competed against Jordan McCullough and Keyla Richardson on the finale, who ended up in second and third place, respectively. During the course of the three-hour finale, Harper's competitors joined her on-stage as all three of them sang together.
Harper had captivated the judges right away during the auditions when she sang her original song 'String Cheese', relating to her personal struggles with postpartum depression. Speaking about her struggle to overcome her depression, Harper had recounted, "I realized God had put me in that place, and that where I was in my house was the biggest ministry that I could ever have in being a mom. So, I gathered myself, and I got up off the couch, and I quit throwing a pity party, and I realized that was exactly what I wanted. And I kind of kicked the postpartum depression in the butt, and I said, ‘I ain’t doing it'."
