New star ‘feels like Stevie Wonder’

130209 - Cape Town - The car guard singer sensation Alen Abrahams who was recently discovered entertaining fans at Kenilworth Centre this morning. PICTURE: WILLEM LAW.

130209 - Cape Town - The car guard singer sensation Alen Abrahams who was recently discovered entertaining fans at Kenilworth Centre this morning. PICTURE: WILLEM LAW.

Published Feb 10, 2013

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Cape Town - One of his favourite words is “spectacular” - and that’s just what Cape Town thought of “singing car guard” Alen Abrahams’s first live performance on Saturday.

Abrahams, who shot to fame last week after videos of him singing spoof versions of pop songs were posted on YouTube, performed at the Kenilworth Centre yesterday to the delight of hundreds of his new fans.

 

His performance earned him his first fee too - a R1 000 grocery voucher.

As he performed his hilarious Afrikaans versions of songs like Shaggy’s It Wasn’t Me and Sean Kingston’s Beautiful Girl, which he changed to Stupid Girl, fans took cellphone videos, danced and sang along.

But it was his performance of Meisie, an adaptation of Justin Bieber’s Baby, that really got the crowd on their feet.

And while Bieber and his record label caused problems for the new star last week by removing his video of the song (it has since been reposted), Abrahams and Bieber have similar stories.

They were both discovered on Youtube, Bieber by R&B singer Usher, and Abrahams by Heart 104.9fm DJ Aiden Thomas.

Thomas said last week that he found the singer after a year-long search. “My life hasn’t been the same since.”

Abrahams was mobbed by fans after his show yesterday, who tugged at his shirt, wanting photos and autographs.

Weekend Argus had to interview him in a car to avoid the crowds.

“My shirts are constantly being pulled and torn,” he said.

Asked how he felt, he said: “Ek voel soos Stevie Wonder” (I feel like Stevie Wonder).

His new manager, Marlon Kruger, was overcome with emotion as he described the whirlwind week.

By yesterday Abrahams had over 300 000 YouTube hits.

“I was trying to think, what has been this big in South Africa,” Kruger said, before being interrupted by Abrahams, who answered without missing a beat: “Mandela.”

Abrahams, who used to guard cars in the city centre, said he hadn’t been back since last Saturday.

“I did the interview with Heart on Friday morning after guarding cars until 5am.

“Then I went back on the Saturday after the interview, because I was still broke,” the rising star said. - Sunday Argus

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