“American Idol” Season 24 winner Hannah Harper has found herself at the center of an unexpected online debate over an unreleased song called “Pink Back.” Fans noticed similarities between Harper’s concept and a song with the same title introduced by “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Jen Affleck.
Harper previously explained that “Pink Back” was inspired by flamingos. The idea draws on the way flamingo parents can lose some of their bright coloring while caring for their young and later regain it, which Harper turned into a metaphor for mothers rediscovering themselves after becoming parents.
That message fits naturally with the music Harper has been creating. The 25-year-old Missouri singer is a mother of three boys, and her official biography says her songwriting frequently draws from her experiences with motherhood, family and faith.
Motherhood was also at the center of the song that first made Harper an “American Idol” standout. During her audition, she performed her original “String Cheese,” which was inspired by her experience with postpartum depression and the everyday demands of raising three young children.
The performance quickly went viral and helped establish Harper as one of Season 24’s most memorable contestants. She eventually won the competition on May 11, defeating runner-up Jordan McCullough and third-place finisher Keyla Richardson.
The new controversy emerged after viewers encountered Jen Affleck’s own “Pink Back” storyline on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” According to the original report, Affleck’s song also deals with motherhood, losing part of yourself after having children and eventually finding that identity again.
Some fans immediately questioned whether Harper’s concept had been copied because she had publicly performed and explained her version before Affleck’s storyline aired. However, the available evidence does not establish that Affleck heard Harper’s song or intentionally took the idea from her.
There is another important detail complicating those accusations. The “pink back” motherhood metaphor existed before either singer’s current song, with Lindsey Gurk launching “Get Your Pink Back” in 2022 and using flamingos as a symbol for parents rediscovering themselves after having children.
That earlier use has divided the online reaction. Some commenters believe the similarities between Harper’s and Affleck’s songs are difficult to ignore, while others argue that neither woman can claim ownership of a motherhood metaphor that was already circulating among parenting creators.
The debate also comes as Harper continues building her career after “American Idol.” She released “Hold Your Horses” on September 4 and had previously introduced “Married Into This Town,” a song inspired by her life in Willow Springs, Missouri, and the community she married into.
Harper’s focus on personal storytelling has been consistent since her audition. Even before winning “Idol,” she explained that connecting with listeners on a deeper level mattered to her, and her songs have repeatedly drawn inspiration from marriage, motherhood, small-town life and her own experiences.
For now, the “Pink Back” controversy remains an online debate rather than a proven case of copying. The similarities have certainly caught fans’ attention, but without evidence showing that Affleck knew about Harper’s song beforehand, the fairest conclusion is that the two motherhood-inspired songs share a striking concept whose roots appear to predate both of them.
