Kendrick Lamar pauses Australia show to sing 'Happy Birthday' to 9-year-old fan
Photo: Reuters
Kendrick Lamar paused his live performance in Australia this weekend to sing happy birthday to a 9-year-old fan, creating a memorable moment during the final run of shows on his Grand National tour.
The rapper was headlining the Spilt Milk festival in Canberra on Saturday, December 13, when he noticed a young fan named Kalina in the crowd. Lamar stopped the set, spoke to her directly and led the audience in singing “Happy Birthday”, while also gifting her a signed pgLang hat dedicated to her.
Footage shared online shows Kalina spelling out her name for Lamar as she sat on someone’s shoulders in the crowd. A member of staff then handed her the hat as the audience cheered. Visibly emotional, she smiled, wiped away tears and placed the hat on her head as the moment unfolded.
Kendrick Lamar paused his show mid-performance to sing Happy Birthday to a 9 year old fan and went on to gift her a signed hat ❤️pic.twitter.com/pt497heH6Y
Addressing the crowd, Lamar said, “She was official from the start. Now she’s super, super, duper official. Make some noise for Kalina. [...] Now, on three, we gon' sing happy birthday to Kalina. Don't mess this up. The cameras is everywhere. We gon' take this back to America. One, two, three...” He then joined the crowd in singing.
Some social media users have suggested that Kalina is Aboriginal, though this has not been confirmed. No further details about her background were shared during the performance.
The moment came as Lamar wraps up the final Australian dates of his Grand National tour, which followed a highly successful year that included major Grammy wins and a Super Bowl halftime show appearance.