Meet the TikTok Star Obsessed With Serenading Celebrities

“Can I sing for you?” That’s the standard opening line from Harry Daniels, a Gen-Z TikTok sensation and rising vocalist whose presence on social media has skyrocketed in recent months. If you’ve ever found yourself trapped in the endless scroll, burning through your retinas (guilty as charged), you’ll likely know him as the maestro of tracking down today’s biggest stars. Having met an impressive roster of A-listers—from Dua Lipa and Margot Robbie to Jacob Elordi and Timothée Chalamet—Daniels possesses a unique talent for delivering cringe-worthy serenades to stars…and I mean in the most painful yet oddly mesmerizing way. “I’m trolling everyone, first and foremost,” Daniels confesses to Vogue. “Some people think I’m being serious, and I have to clarify every time—it’s my online persona; performance art, perhaps.”

Growing up in Long Island, Daniels found himself deeply enamored by stars like Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa, even before they hit the global spotlight. “I remember attending one of Dua’s earliest concerts—I’ve been to many since then—where she performed for a crowd of maybe 15 people because she hadn’t yet broken through in the US. I was a huge fan even before she exploded,” he says. “My admiration for these artists led me to look into their journeys, to understand what propelled them to where they are today—and that’s when I started figuring out ways to connect with them myself.”

What was Daniels’s first “Can I sing for you” moment? “It happened at a Sabrina Carpenter CD-signing event, where you got to meet her if you bought a record,” he remembers. “I had already met Sabrina a few times, so my friends egged me on to prank her. I decided to play along, claimed I was a singer, and belted out a song... and, well, people found it funny, so it kind of became a thing.”

Since that fateful encounter, Daniels has serenaded a galaxy of stars, some more amused than others. Either way, it’s always a riot (and a challenge) to witness: among his targets have been Cher, Adam Sandler, Olivia Rodrigo, Kylie Minogue, Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion, Omar Apollo, Lorde, Emma Chamberlain, and Michael Cera. But how does he summon the courage to approach these celebrities in such a way? “It becomes second nature after a while, and once you’ve interacted with certain individuals multiple times, the nerves just go away,” he explains. And of course, I had to ask: How does he consistently stumble upon these famous people? He simply shrugs, remarking, “I attend many of these press events hoping to cross paths with people, but oftentimes it’s by chance. I’ll approach them, and they’ll recognize me and know exactly what’s about to go down. I don’t chase, I attract.”

When questioned about memorable moments, Daniels enthusiastically recounts an unexpected encounter with Doja Cat. "I was driving past Carbone, a restaurant and celebrity hotspot in New York, and noticed a gathering of paparazzi, so I had to pull over to investigate. After waiting for about five minutes, Doja’s boyfriend came out, recognizing me from TikTok. I debated whether to approach Doja for a serenade, but he encouraged me to go for it,” Daniels recalls. “Moments later, she appeared and asked, ‘Can you sing for me?’ I was stunned; she was aware of my videos, despite my relative newcomer status at the time. She’s one of my biggest inspirations, so for her to know about me was surreal.”

Daniels highlights a recent run-in with Dua Lipa as another standout moment. “Some say never meet your heroes, but that doesn’t apply to Dua—she’s incredibly down-to-earth, sweet, and humble,” he shares. “Initially, when I started singing, she mentioned having to leave, but she eventually returned and listened. We even reminisced over some of my older videos at her concerts and shared a laugh; it was truly delightful.”

As for the more peculiar encounters? “I met Lil Baby very early on, and he immediately shut down my singing attempt—it was the funniest thing because he essentially turned the tables and trolled me right back,” he says. “Then there was the time I bumped into Billie Eilish at the People’s Choice Awards recently, and she flat out said, ‘Nope, not happening,’ but what people don’t realize is we have a history; I’ve been to numerous concerts of hers and met her on several occasions. Still, it was a comical and unexpected moment that caught me off guard.”

While a TikTok ban looms in the United States, Daniels is adamant that he’ll figure out a way around it. “It marks a really interesting time in American history, given how much our culture has shifted because of the app, especially since it blew up post-lockdown. But like all hurdles in the past, people have just jumped over them. If a ban were to occur, I’d simply have to adapt to the times and find new ways to distribute my content—but I’d never stop making it.” Thank goodness for that.