Sophia Grace Brownlee is a British actress, singer, and TV personality who rose to fame after her YouTube video of her singing a cover of Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” went viral. Since then, she has appeared on ‘The Ellen Show’ and released three singles, including “Best Friends” which made it to the “Billboard Hot 100” list. She has also co-written a successful children’s book and has a large following on YouTube with almost 2 million subscribers.
Quick Facts
- Age: 20 Years, 20 Year Old Females
- Family: father – Dominic Brownlee, mother – Carly Brownlee, siblings – Belle Brownlee
- Born Country: England
- City: Essex, England
- Occupation: Pop Singers
- Nationality: British
The Meteoric Rise To Stardom
It all started with an Essex woman making a video of her nieces and posting that on YouTube. The video featured Sophia and her cousin Rosie performing the Nicki Minaj song “Super Bass”, both clad in pink tutus and tiaras. The video immediately went viral and received a huge amount of attention from celebrities on Twitter. The original video that was posted on YouTube has over 51 million views till date.
Ellen DeGeneres and Nicki Minaj
Ellen DeGeneres was so impressed with the little girls when she saw the video that she invited the duo on her show and surprised them by introducing them to their idol Nicki Minaj. They even went shopping with Nicki who showered them with gifts, which they showed on the show on a later date.
Tea Time with Sophia Grace & Rosie
Once they became regular on the show, they even got their own segment called ‘Tea Time with Sophia Grace & Rosie’, in which the duo interviewed celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Hugh Grant, Justin Bieber and more. They also started to represent Ellen on the red carpets of several award shows and their segment won the “Teen Choice Award” for “Choice Web Star”.
Sophia Grace’s Stardom
Sophia Grace Brownlee is like any other child despite her celebrity status. Early stardom could not stifle her childlike enthusiasm and craziness. She shrieks with joy to see her favorite stars on the red carpet. She is too restless to let the interviewer finish and interrupts in the middle. She often babbles to herself and blurts out her delight when she receives a gift. Be it her shows, interviews or her songs, her youthful energy is evident everywhere.
Accomplishments
Sophia and her cousin Rosie, in their short career so far, have already made music videos, starred in their own movie, published a couple of children’s books and also launched their own singing dolls. Besides their repeated appearances on ‘The Ellen Show’, they also appeared in two episodes of ‘Sam & Cat’. In 2014, they got their own movie ‘Sophia Grace & Rosie’s Royal Adventure’, which is supposed to have a number of sequels. They also published two illustrated story books, ‘Tea Time with Sophia Grace & Rosie’ and ‘Showtime with Sophia Grace & Rosie’, with illustrations by Shelagh McNicholas. The two girls also have their own doll set, with their trademark pink tutus and tiaras.
Beyond Fame
In early 2013, when she was only 10, it was revealed that Sophia has been cast as “Little Red Riding Hood” in the Disney movie adaption of ‘Into The Woods’. Some criticized this decision citing that Sophia is not even in her teens and the role has slight sexual undertones. Some even opined that Sophia, while famous for her musical stunts on viral videos, may not be able to pull out Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical. Once the cast of the movie was officially announced and Sophia was replaced with Broadway star Lilla Crawford, her father Dominic Brownlee stated that “after careful consideration” they felt that she was too young for the part.
Behind The Curtains
Sophia Grace Brownlee is the daughter of Dominic and Carly Brownlee and lives in Essex, England. Her father is a writer, producer, and music consultant. Sophia has a younger sister named Belle. She is very close to her cousin Rosie, who often acts as her ‘hyper girl’. Sophia, who is a star in the USA for appearing in The Ellen Show multiple times, enjoys the fact that she can lead a normal life back in England, where fewer people know her.