In 2022, South African singer Naledi Aphiwe went viral on TikTok for a video of her singing in a classroom. Fast-forward two years later, and Chris Brown sampled the young songstress on his 11th studio album, 11:11, for the track “Shooter.”
Aphiwe (born Aphiwe Myongwana) has now had another exciting moment that came just in time for her 18th birthday: meeting Breezy in person. The encounter came as he performed two sold-out consecutive shows in her country.
Although Aphiwe didn’t get to perform the song with the R&B crooner, he did bring her backstage for a meet-and-greet. In an Instagram video posted to her page on Sunday (Dec. 15), Aphiwe showed Brown embracing her while wishing her a happy birthday.
“He just said he appreciates me. Thank you so much, Breezy, for everything,” she captioned the lifetime memory. “Appreciate you too! I had the bestttt birthday ever.”
According to an interview Aphiwe did with TimesLive, the living legend paid her R56,000 ($3,000 USD) for the sample—which she said helped kick start her career.
“Chris Brown did what I would have never done. There are many people who are talented outside and he chose a child from a small city like mine,” she told the news outlet. “I appreciate him so much. People who didn’t know anything about Naledi Aphiwe today know her. It has changed my home situation. Everything is good now.”
Speaking of how she planned to use her earnings, she detailed, “First I want to buy a new phone so I can carry on making content and push my music. I also want to go to my mom’s grave to fix it for thanksgiving since we weren’t able to do things the way we wanted when we buried her last year.”
The 35-year-old sold out two consecutive shows in Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 14-15). The ethereal performances came after women’s rights activists tried to ban him from coming to the FNB stadium, which saw over 90,000 attendees each night.
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this kind of moment,” a full-hearted Brown told the massive crowd. “I just want to say from the bottom of my heart I love you guys so much. This night means a lot to me.”
Take a look at her meeting Brown above and the viral clip that got her noticed below.
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