Daughter Asks Mom to Sing Céline Dion. Her Beautiful Response Goes Viral — and Even Catches Halle Berry's Ear (Exclusive)

12/01/2024 04:30 AM

Stephanie Ferrett tells PEOPLE how social media has been a space for her to share her musical talents

• Stephanie Ferrett has gone viral for her "Hey Mom" videos, in which her kids ask her to sing as she works around the house
• Ferrett tells PEOPLE social media has helped her reach a new audience and even work on an album this year
• The mom of four shares what she's learned about music and love on her journey toward musical success
  

Stephanie Ferrett, on TikTok @iamstephanieferrett, has been a singer since she was a kid, fondly recalling singing with her four sisters and brother growing up.

"We just grew up in a musical home and we had the theater bug. Someone was always in a play," she tells PEOPLE. "My dad and sisters would do a theater and I would do talent shows in elementary school and I would sing at local fairs."

Ferrett continued the love of music as she grew her own family, singing at home around her kids all the time. She's mom to a 5-year-old, an 8-year-old and twin 11-year-olds.

"I make up jingles. Everyone knows that when I hear a quote, I'll make a little song about it," she shares. "I'm just always singing, no matter what. It's starting to come out in my kids too, like those little jingles and stuff and I laugh because it's like, 'Oh my God, that's so me.' "

When it comes to favorites, Ferrett is a fan of the divas, citing Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Céline Dion as some of her heroes.

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@heyyymommm

My heart will go on

♬ original sound - heyyymommm

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"I grew up singing Céline Dion, and she taught me how to sing. I used to sing her albums, in my room, cover to cover," she recalls.

"I would stare in the mirror and sing all day long. I was the baby so I was the loudest. All my sisters would be singing but no one every took me seriously as the little sister, so I had to be louder to get noticed."

@heyyymommm

I love singing with my sisters ❤️Anastasia "At The Beginning"

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There's no question that Ferrett is getting noticed now. In January 2024, she competed on I Can See Your Voice.

"When I did that show, I had like the Bucket List Family reach out to me. Now we're friends and we've made more friends. It's funny how small an industry it really is. You think it's so broad but everyone is actually so connected," she says.

The appearance led to more work on social media, where she's long promoted her talents.

@heyyymommm

I did it! #icanseeyourvoice#stayathomemom#heymom#dollyparton#9to5

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"Before 'Hey Mom,' which started in 2021, I was always sharing online. I started a YouTube channel years back. I used to do some Tyler Perry stage plays back in 2009, so I started posting on YouTube around then," she recalls.

"I started the 'Hey Mom,' thing because I always sing in my kitchen with my kids. After I did I Can See Your Voice, it took off into something more premeditated, but it started off very organically and I just kind of ran with what people enjoyed."

@heyyymommm

Things my kids ask me to sing 🎤🎶👶🏻 @whitneyhouston #whitneyhouston#iwillalwaysloveyou#thingsmykidsaskmetosing#heymom#stayathomemom#singer#love#stephanieferrett

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Ferrett says for the most part, her experience on social media has been "nothing but positive."

Her older kids are "so excited" to see mom's viral success. "They love YouTube and things like that, so they joke like, 'Can you give me a shout out in your video?' And of course I can, because they're the reason why this has taken off the way it has. It's a family affair. We're all in this together and they love it. It's my dream to one day go on tour and bring them with me."

@heyyymommm

#duet with @iamstephanieferrett #aliciakeys Things my kids ask me to sing 🎤 🎶👶🏻 Alicia Keys "If I Ain't Got You" A huge thank you to everyone who tagged @aliciakeys in this video on TikTok I'm still in shock that she saw it and was so sweet to not only repost, but make a duet. I am so appreciative of this kind gesture I'm still emotional 😭 about it all. Yesterday my cup was empty. I didn't know what else to do. I cried to God for help, to please give me the heart to keep going and then Alicia reposted this video. My cup is full once again because I gave it all to God. I only have any kind of career because of God. Everyone that tagged her in this video, THANK YOU. I am just a Mom with a dream and because of people like you, I keep getting tiny break throughs that get me closer to that point. I notice everything you all do for me. My heart is full of humility and love from everyone. I feel all your prayers and well wishes for me and I know you all are cheering me on. THANK YOU. I will continue to fight for my dreams. This road is not easy but I was sent a great quote, "The race is not given to the swift or the strong, but the one who endures to the end" please keep fighting for your dreams. I am living proof of that. God Bless You All!

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Ferrrett has also connected with some interesting people on social media, including actress Halle Berry.

"I finished an album this year called Bloom, which I did with a gentleman named Van Hunt, who is Halle Berry's partner. She discovered me by my 'Hey Mom' videos. I slid into her DMs, not even realizing that she would even write me back. She reached out to me and was like, 'I have someone that I think can help you,' " Ferrett shares.

@heyyymommm

One Sweet Day

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Ferrett and Hunt "talked back and forth throughout the course of 2024. We worked on the music together and it was great. He really believed in just giving the artist control of their career and life, so he didn't want to take anything from me. For us, we just wrote back and forth together virtually and created this album. It was great. It's this crazy part of my life that started quickly and ended just as fast as it came, but I get to be like, 'Hey, that happened.' "

Ferrett continues to promote the album but is also accepting of the fact she doesn't know where this journey will take her.

"It made me realize fame and all of that, none of it matters if you don't have your family and religion, whatever that may be. None of it matters if you aren't truly happy with yourself. So, I'm grateful for the opportunities, I would love to do more," she says.

"I would love to be able to support my family and help my husband out, as our sole provider. I hope one day I can relieve some of that burden, but if that never happens that's okay too. So here I am, unsigned and looking for labels and leaving it in God's hands," she adds. "I'm grateful for everything."