Viral TikTok star and former Cape Town teacher Whitney April is on a high after signing an international deal with Grammy-winner PJ Morton’s management team.
The singer who hails from Bothasig, worked as a teacher for a year before TikTok fame opened international doors for her.
When vice-president of Morton Records, Wade Jordan, offer 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.”
She amassed a fan base of more than100 000 followers as a result of her popularity on TikTok, and her videos received over one million likes. Her top renditions of Easy on Me by Adele, Here I am to Worship by Hillsong Worship, and other songs have each received more than 500 000 views.
“I made a duet with another app creator for my first video on the platform. My account quickly became popular and my followers began requesting renditions of particular songs,” she said.
April grew up in a tight-knit, churchgoing family which she described as being ‘musically inclined’.
“All the memories I have of family gatherings involve music,” she said.
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.
“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.
“When I finished high school, I didn't know what to study. My mother, Magdalene, is a teacher, so I thought I would study teaching,” she said.
“I resigned because I realised that music was becoming a bigger part of my life and I wanted to give it my all.
“I did music when I attended Edgemead High School and a music career seemed like a natural progression for me.”
On Friday morning, April released her first single, a rendition of the classic The Prayer, which she recorded with New York-based classical artist Rodrick Dixon.
“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.
“I want to inspire and touch people's lives. I want to prove that this is feasible for young girls who look like me. I want to always be a light in this dark world," she added.
In future, Jordan will be managing April from Chicago; she will continue to reside in Cape Town and travel between the two countries.
Jordan said he’d 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.”
Jordan said he always approached management from a personal space.
“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 said.
“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!"