Love Books First, Singing Second, Says Minaj to Young Fans

Oct 12, 2011

Last week, 8-year-old Sophia Grace Brownlee’s cover of Nicki Minaj’s "Super Bass" went viral, and the video proved to be her ticket to meet the star. The tiara-clad youngster and her "hype-girl" (5-year-old cousin Rosie) flew in from Essex, England to appear on Ellen DeGeneres’ show yesterday. Ellen surprised the girls by bringing Minaj on stage to join them. Little Sophia’s screams light up the room with her uncontained excitement, outshining even Minaj’s signature kalaeidoscopic colors as the girl smothers her idol in hugs. Sophia treats the audience to a little live performance before re-erupting in squeals. "You are incredible," Minaj praises the young starlets, offering some advice. "I just want you to stay in school, the both of you. Music is beautiful, but I want you to stay in school. Put your books first and singing second." We’re ending the day as often as possible by celebrating love. We welcome your ideas for posts. Send suggestions to [[email protected]](mailto: [email protected]), and be sure to put Celebrate Love in the subject line. You can send links to videos, graphics, photos, quotes, whatever. Or just chime in to the comments below and we’ll find you. Be sure to let us know you’ve got the rights to share any media you send. To see other Love posts visit our [Celebrate Love page](https://colorlines.com/celebrate-love/).