British 'New YouTube Singing Sensation' Sophia Grace Brownlee May Become New Nickelodeon Star

From the Harlow Star:

Harlow girl becomes overnight singing sensation

AN eight-year-old Harlow girl has become a global singing sensation after a video of her covering pop star Nicki Minaj’s record Super Bass on the YouTube website received almost 20 million hits.

In the seven weeks since Sophia Grace Brownlee’s parents Dominic and Carly uploaded the clip of their daughter and her five-year-old cousin Rosie Grace McClelland performing the popular track, the youngster has appeared on chat shows in the UK, America and Australia and been offered acting roles with Disney and Nickelodeon.

The youngster, who lives in Old Harlow, also caught the eye of popular American comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who paid for both girls – dubbed ‘the mini Minajs’ – to go to California to appear on her primetime television show to perform with their idol.

"It has been an absolutely surreal few weeks," Sophia’s dad Dominic told the Star this week. "We obviously never realised how much attention she was going to get when we uploaded the video; it was meant to be a bit of fun.

"But by the end of the first day it had received 250 views and within a week I’d received an email from the producers of the Ellen show inviting the girls to appear on her programme.

"We were just stunned. It has been absolutely incredible."

According to Dominic, who owns a taxi firm in Harlow, only child Sophia has taken her newfound fame in her stride.

"She is actually known as being quite shy at school," he said. "All her teachers and classmates are just amazed.

"She is coping well, though. She’s obviously extremely excited but we are also trying to maintain as much normality as possible in her life.

"She still goes to school when back in Harlow and we have made sure to keep her up to date with schoolwork when travelling. We are very aware that she is only eight years old so don’t want to put too much pressure on her."

Since her duet with Minaj on the Ellen show – a video that itself has become another huge YouTube hit – Sophie has become a household name throughout America, with people stopping her in the street for autographs.

"The day she signed her first autograph I was the proudest dad ever," Dominic added. "She has now been taken on by an LA management company and had several scripts sent to her from Disney and Nickelodeon.

"It is just crazy. We are all very proud of her and excited to see where it all leads. I have to keep pinching myself to check it is actually real!"

Sophia and her family were this week flown back out to the States for a month to make a re-appearance on the Ellen show and to work out her next career move.

To watch Sophia’s original video, go to www.youtube.com and search for Sophia Grace Brownlee.