Boy Sings Ed Sheeran to Ellen With No Idea His Idol Is Sitting Right Behind Him

Getty Images | LEON NEAL

If you love the Ellen DeGeneres Show, then you'll know that she has a pint-sized mega fan. He often comes onto the show to serenade Ellen with his own (very unique) versions of pop songs, and his ineffable spirit wins over the crowd.

It’s 10-year-old Kai Langer, of course!

Ellen first discovered Kai, of Woodland, Texas, when he was a tiny tot of just 5 years. Kai’s mom posted a video of her little star singing Bruno Mars’s “Grenade” while wearing a cute fedora on YouTube. It clocked up to 1.6 million views.

The beloved TV talk show host invited the little guy onto her show to sing for her audience, and he then became a viral sensation so much so that Kai Langer on the Ellen DeGeneres Show became something of a regular fixture.

Over the next few years of the little boy’s life, he visited Ellen again. Kai sang Katy Perry’s “Roar” to roars of delight from Ellen’s audience. Then he sang Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball” before returning to his original karaoke favorite for an emotional rendition of “When I Was Your Man.”

More recently, the adorable performer has treated Ellen’s audience to a version of The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” with some signature Kai Langer closed-eye emotion and wild gesticulating. But it was a performance of Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud“ that really raised the roof.

At 8 years of age and just as adorable as ever, Kai was invited back onto his favorite show to meet his favorite Ellen and serenade her for the umpteenth time.

Ellen let slip that Ed Sheeran was in the house, but the news seemed to go in one of Kai’s ears and out the other. Perhaps the young performer was too preoccupied with not missing his musical cue?

As the backing track begins, Kai gets into the song as passionately as he always does: eyes closed, face contorted with emotion, arms flailing for dramatic effect. Everybody in the room has a smile on their face.

And then, somebody enters from stage right.

It’s Ed Sheeran himself! Sheeran was backstage prepping for his own performance but couldn’t resist surprising Kai by propping himself on the couch behind the singing marvel and waiting to be spotted.

He waits awhile. Kai is so engrossed in the song that Ellen has to tap him on the arm and prompt him to look around. The crowd whoops and cheers, but confident Kai, though a little perplexed, seems to think the cheering is for him.

As he finally turns to confront his idol, Kai is so overwhelmed he can only squeeze out a meek little “Hi.” Ed is in stitches; Ellen got there first, but it’s well and truly possible that Kai now has another famous fan in Sheeran!

Before he leaves Ellen’s famous couch, Kai is hit with yet another surprise. Ellen tells the little man that the show is sending his family from Houston to Manchester to see his favorite English football team, Manchester City, play a game.

This shocks Kai out of his starstruck stupor. “Thank you so much!” he beams, before giving Ellen a bear hug.

Ellen’s crew has even put together a compilation of Kai’s best performances on YouTube, and the sassy singer now has his own Instagram account too.

How many Kai Langer cover songs have you heard?