Alex was 15 years old and totally shattered. On the last day of his first ever Glastonbury Festival 2019, he struggled with a lack of sleep, exhaustion, and heatstroke. Given his tiredness, he just wanted to get through the day, but his mates were determined to see legendary rapper Santan Dave from a front-row spot.
Alex knew from a previous concert of Dave’s in Bristol that the artist occasionally called up members of the audience to rap with him on stage. As a devoted fan, Alex had strategically put on a Paris Saint-Germain shirt, hoping it might increase his chances of being noticed and called up for a specific song.
Then, the big moment came. The rapper stopped and scanned the crowd. His next song was “Thiago Silva,” a track about the legendary Brazilian national football defender. Dave wanted someone to come up and perform the song with him. This was Alex’ moment. His mates quickly lifted him onto their shoulders.
The rapper requested that he needed someone “sober enough to sing the song with him,” as it’s a challenging piece of music. Suddenly Dave said, “I see a PSG shirt. Do you know the lyrics?” Alex tried his best to scream parts of the song towards the stage when his mates were shouting, “Alex, show him your back, show him your back!” to reveal that his shirt had the name Thiago Silva on it.
“Yes, let’s take a toss with this guy; he’s wearing a Thiago Silva shirt”, the rapper cooly said and asked Alex to come up on stage.
Alex’s heart began to race. There was no turning back now. He did not know what to expect, but security guards quickly guided him onto the stage. All of a sudden, he was shaking hands with his rap idol in front of nearly 80,000 excited festival-goers and millions watching online.
Fortunately, he was offered some water when the microphones were set up. The rap star looked at him and said, “When you need any help, just look into my eyes and I’ll help you. Just enjoy it, mate!” They shared one more look and off they went.
Afterwards, Alex was asked if he was nervous. He said he couldn’t remember being nervous. He had only one thought. I want to be better than the guy who came up on stage in Bristol.
And then the crowd started chanting his name: “Alex, Alex, Alex…!”
Before describing how it went, it’s important to know that the song “Thiago Silva” by Dave and AJ Tracey is a notable example of fast-paced grime music. It’s characterized by its rapid delivery of lyrics and complex wordplay.
In general, the average person speaks at around 130-160 words per minute in a normal conversation. In contrast, “Thiago Silva” has sections where the rapping speed far exceeds this, with some estimates suggesting the song reaches speeds upwards of 200-250 words per minute. Now, imagine being in front of 80,000 fans and having to perform in sync with your hero.
Without further ado, please click on the link
(fast forward to 2:10 if you don’t have much time).
What a stunning performance.
Alex later said that he had to change out of the PSG shirt for the rest of the night at Glastonbury, because people kept recognizing him. He didn’t go to sleep until his dad picked him up at 6 AM the next morning.
Alex didn’t realize how big of a deal it was until his friends started sending him videos of the performance. It went absolutely viral and Alex was invited to several talk shows. He even managed to make a bit of money after getting some brand deals, which “allowed him to comfortably get through college without needing to work.”
Now you may wonder, why am I sharing this story?
For me, Alex was perfectly prepared for an absolutely critical and pivotal moment in his life. He knew what he wanted, put on the right shirt, positioned himself in the front row, and, most importantly, he knew the lyrics perfectly. The rest was a bit of luck, which created a wonderful memory for Alex and millions around the world with the video attracting more than 40 million views so far.
Now, we may not all be upcoming rock or rap stars, but I strongly believe we all have certain moments in our lives when it absolutely counts to show up … ready to shine. Whether it’s an important exam, a crucial job interview, a pitch for a critical tender, or meeting a potential big client casually in an elevator … we all have those big moments.
When they come, let’s make sure we are prepared for them … prepared with everything that’s needed to win these moments. Prepared like Alex was in the front row, ready to “rap it home,” knowing his lyrics beautifully!
Are you prepared for your big moment and know your lyrics …?
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