Viral TikTok star and former teacher, Whitney April, is on a high after signing an international deal with Grammy winner PJ Morton’s management team.
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The Cape Town native’s ever-growing TikTok fan base of 100K followers caught their attention and now, she’s released an awe-inspiring version of the classic song, The Prayer.
The singer who hails from Bothasig, worked as a teacher for a year before TikTok fame opened international doors for her.
“I resigned because I realised that music was becoming a bigger part of my life and I wanted to give it my all,” she explained.
When the vice-president of Morton Records, Wade Jordan, offered to represent her in June, it changed April’s life.
“I distinctly recall seeing his message and thinking to myself that it couldn’t be true. Although it was overwhelming, I felt humbled and honoured,” she said.
“I was stuck in a rut and praying that God would intervene. Thankfully, this opportunity came my way,” added April.
April’s online success propelled her real-life success and she’s spent the last few weeks in the studio recording a Christmas track and the first song for her upcoming extended play album, reports IOL.
“I am sharing a message of hope. I want to inspire people and motivate them. The song we recorded is a women-empowerment song and I am super excited,” she said.
“We recorded it via Zoom and my part was recorded in my brother Kurt’s studio here in Cape Town,” she said.
“Rodrick guided me with how to project my voice. I never thought I’d be receiving a vocal lesson from him, for free,” she continued.
The 25-year-old singer said she believes that having a singing career is her true purpose in life.
“My only goal is to live out my purpose. I believe that God granted me this opportunity for a reason. I want my career to be a testimony to how someone from Cape Town can reach the world,” she said.
In future, Jordan (manager for R&B artist / Maroon 5 keyboardist PJ Morton), will be managing April from Chicago, but she will continue to reside in Cape Town and travel between the two countries.
Jordan explained how he has been searching for talent like April’s for the last three years.
“Little did I know that I would connect with someone on the other side of the world. Whitney has a heart for people which is the most important thing for me,” he said.
“I found Whitney on TikTok when she was singing with a group of people but she stood out to me. I spent four to five months getting to know Whitney over Zoom and WhatsApp. I work with people that I truly care about and want to help them fulfil their dreams,” he added.
Jordan concluded by saying: “Whitney is so proud to be from Cape Town and I have no doubt she’s going to make the people of Cape Town and South Africa proud!”
Watch the Music video The Prayer below:
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Picture: Whitney April/Facebook