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11-year-old ‘Ellen’ regular takes aim at pop music with new video

Like a giant Kmart commercial.

 

Rae Votta

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Posted on Jan 6, 2015   Updated on May 29, 2021, 8:12 pm CDT

Sophia Grace Brownlee is more than just a cover artist charming millions on daytime TV and online—she’s also apparently a budding solo superstar and has just released her new single, “Best Friends.”

The 11-year-old shot to fame thanks to viral videos of Brownlee, her cousin, and best friend performing Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” (46 million views and counting). This caught the eye of Ellen Degeneres. She’s since appeared on Ellen numerous times, interviewing celebs on the red carpet. Now Brownlee branches out to original music, with “Best Friends” her most recent outing.

There’s little to complain about here. The song is poppy, upbeat, age appropriate, and feminist-leaning. (Who needs boys? You’ve got a best friend!) There’s just two glaring problems: One, her adorable friend Rosie is missing in action. This is likewise true of Brownlee’s previous single, “Girls Just Gotta Have Fun.” It’s more disconcerting this time because the whole affair comes off as nothing more than a Kmart advertisement. That’s not totally out of line, since Sophia Grace and Rosie launched a line with the store recently, but come on—this is supposed to be a track about best friends.

It also clocks in at four minutes, which is a good two longer than any adult should be watching 11-year-olds sing about best friends as they model new dresses. 

Screengrab via Sophia Grace/YouTube

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*First Published: Jan 6, 2015, 9:10 pm CST