Hannah Harper is honoring Dolly Parton. The latest American Idol winner recently performed at Dollywood, and delighted fans at the Tennessee amusement park with a cover of “9 to 5.”
Following the show, Harper announced that she’d be releasing the live performance as a single. Now, “9 to 5 (Live From Dollywood)” is officially out in the world.
“What an honor it was to stand on a stage at Dollywood and pay tribute to a woman who has paved the way for so many of us in country music,” Harper said following the song’s release. “Dolly has always been living proof that you can hold tight to your roots and still dream bigger than the mountains you came from.”
“Getting to sing ‘9 to 5’ in a place so special to her was just the icing on the cake!” she continued. “It’s one of those songs that everybody knows, and I don’t care who you are, when that music starts playing, you can’t help but smile and sing along!”
Harper was an apt choice to cover one of Parton’s songs. In fact, back during her American Idol run, judge Luke Bryan compared Harper’s voice to that of the late legend.
“Gosh. There are so many parallels with your voice and Dolly. It’s just so beautifully country,” Bryan said after Harper covered “Go Rest High on That Mountain” by Vince Gill. “Your voice is so beautiful to me.”
What to Know About Hannah Harper’s Time at Dollywood
Performing at Dollywood meant a lot to Harper, and she penned a lengthy Instagram post after the experience.
“Two days at Dollywood and goodness, did we have the BEST time,” Harper wrote in part. “… Dollywood truly is such a delight. And while I didn’t get to meet Dolly, her story is woven into every corner of the park from the music and memories to the way she celebrates her roots and the people and place that made her who she is.”
Following the trip, Harper also shared photos of herself in Parton’s dressing room and on her tour bus.
“Miss Dolly’s dressing room and her ’94 Prevost,” she captioned the post. “If walls could talk.”
In a follow up post, Harper gushed, “What an honor it was to stand on a stage at @dollywood and pay tribute to a woman who has paved the way for so many of us in country music. Dolly is was proof that you can hold tight to your roots and still dream bigger than the mountains you came from.”
Once her version of “9 to 5” came out, Harper celebrated the release with one last post.
“Getting to sing this iconic song, at @dollywood of all places, was such a full-circle moment!” she wrote. “Dolly has inspired so many of us girls with big dreams, and it means the world to me to put my own little spin on one of her classics.”
Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images
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