Do you remember those special teenage years when your bedroom walls were covered in posters of the bands and singers you idolized?
The pre-internet age seems so much more innocent in retrospect, as we could only imagine what it would be like if we ever met our idols. Especially considering that we knew much less about them back then, and their reputations were mostly untarnished.
While that may no longer be the case, many teens still manage to have that stereotypical teenage crush on musicians, a tradition dating back for many years. And sometimes meeting these stars turns out to be a beautiful life changing experience which you can share with friends and family for years to come.
This was the case in 2015 for 13-year-old Sydney Bourbeau.
Bourbeau was on stage singing in a local Canadian mall as part of a fundraiser for the local Humane Society. The song she chose was “Thining Out Loud” by the English pop star Ed Sheeran.
Well, as it turned out, Sheeran just so happened to be in the mall that day when Bourbeau was singing.
The singer and his cousin Murray Cummins were walking around the mall when he noticed a familiar tune. It was a live version of his song. And it was then and there that the singer hatched a plan to surprise the singer.
With Cummings holding the camera, Sheeran looks back with a sly smile on his face before doing something extraordinary.
The duo speed walks through the mall, making a b-line towards the music.
Before long, they’re standing right at the stage where the girl’s performing Sheeran’s song in front of a small crowd.
At first, nobody notices as Sheeran strolls right up onto the stage.
But a moment later he makes sure that the crowd takes notice, as he walks right up to the young singer as she is performing!
As you can imagine, the group started going crazy with excitement and surprise.
Hilariously, Sydney at first, looked a bit confused as she didn’t immediately realize what was happening.
She later told The Edmonton Journal that she simply thought someone was coming up on stage to fix the sound equipment, which was why she at first did not react. After all, the show must go on!
But it didn’t take long before her brain registered who was standing next to her, and she was utterly taken aback.
The young girl covers her mouth in shock and tries to regain her composure.
Sheeran then takes the microphone from her hand and begins singing a duet.
Can you just imagine how you would react if your idol randomly got on stage with you and started singing along?
It turns out, Sydney wanted nothing more than to stop singing and talk to her favorite singer.
“I was like, should I stop? I didn’t want to stop, but I wanted to talk to him,” she told The Edmonton Journal. “This is, like, the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
But Sydney was a pro, even at 13, and while her nervous voice was a bit shaky at first (which is entirely understandable), she managed to refocus and sing along to finish off the song as a duet with her idol.
By this time, the entire audience was cheering and filming this special moment happening before them on stage. I bet as they were planning a day of shopping, they never expected to witness something so amazing!
Cummings also managed to capture some funny moments in the background of shoppers strolling by only to realize what was going on suddenly.
And as the crowd’s enthusiasm grows, so does Sydney’s confidence. By the end of the performance, the two singers even start harmonizing together! How incredible!
It was such a sweet, and pure moment made even more special by how the young teen managed to keep her composure and perform with her idol.
When the song is over, the crowd gives a standing ovation and Sheeran, and Sydney shares a heartfelt hug.
Even better, the lucky teen got her chance to see him again.
According to MTV, following the performance, Sheeran’s manager contacted the girl and offered her tickets to an upcoming performance.
So far, the video from the more has over 12 million views on YouTube, and it’s not hard to see why!
Check out the video below, and sure to share this extraordinary story with friends and family.