Dubai-born singer and songwriter Celinedee Matahari was set to meet the music world’s maestro AR Rahman at a trailer release event in the city.
But fate had other plans: the music composer was stuck in traffic, which led to the meet and greet.
Celinedee wasn’t going to let that come in the way of meeting her idol, so she caught Rahman right outside the venue, which now is a viral moment.
Several fan pages and meme accounts across India have picked on a video which shows a talented ukulele player asking Rahman, her idol, if she can play her favourite rendition of his.
As she begins to sing Vande Mataram, Rahman records it in appreciation of the 15-year-old’s musical prowess.
The original video on Celinedee’s TikTok page has over 2 million views and 180k likes.
The short clip was even shared by Rahman on Instagram Story.
“Honestly, I am still in shock. It happened so fast,” Celinedee confessed as we sat down to discuss the viral clip during her visit to the Khaleej Times office.
“I can’t believe it, but I am so grateful for all the support from India. They’re so supportive of me and I am just so happy that they accept me.”
Interestingly, the encounter took place exactly a month after she had performed the same song at the opening of the Climate Control Awards during COP28 in the UAE.
Although just 15, Celinedee has a profound interest in Rahman’s music, with favourites dating back to 1992 like Chinna Chinna Asai, 2006’s New York Nagaram and others.