Sophia Grace Brownlee is on baby duty. The 19-year-old British singer revealed she welcomed her first child on February 26, 2023. She shared a black-and-white Instagram photo of her newborn baby’s hands. Ellen DeGeneres commented, “Welcome to the world, Nicki Minaj the third!”
Sophia shocked fans when she announced on her YouTube channel in October 2022 that she was 21 weeks pregnant with her first child, and even admitted that she was surprised herself. “I was very shocked when I first found out,” the star recalled. “I got used to it now and I’m super, super happy about it and I can’t wait to share this journey with you guys and definitely have a lot of different content from what I usually have.”
Sophia was in a two-year relationship when she chatted with E! News in December 2021, but it is unclear if her long-term beau is the father of her baby. “I keep that side of my life pretty private, but I do have a boyfriend and I’ve been with him for maybe two years but I don’t post him on Instagram or anything,” she told E! about her love life at the time. “Obviously, now that I’m older, that is a part of my life.”
Although many fans were excited about Sophia, others criticized her for promoting teen pregnancy. “I feel like 19 is quite young, obviously, to have a baby,” she confessed to E! News shortly after her pregnancy announcement, addressing the backlash she received. “Usually, most people are like, ‘You should have babies when you’re 30, and you’re married, and you live in your own house,’ which is completely fine. But obviously, everyone’s gonna have their different opinions.”
She added, I just feel it’s about the person themselves. And as long as you feel ready and it’s something that you’re happy about, then it’s really no one else’s problem.” Sophia also said that the supportive comments she read made her “feel happy.” She continued, “It really, really makes me so more confident.”
Sophia and her cousin Rosie McClelland rose to fame in 2011 after an adorable video of them performing Nicki Minaj‘s “Super Bass” as children went viral. The attention landed them a spot on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, solidifying their way into social media stardom.
Rosie reacted to the exciting news with pure joy, as exemplified by a photo she shared on Instagram of her and the expecting mother hugging over the pregnancy news. “This photo was the moment Sophia told me she was pregnant (as you can see I am crying),” Rosie captioned the post. “Congratulations to my beautiful cousin Sophia on the news of your pregnancy! To say I’m excited is a understatement, I can’t wait to share this whole new chapter with you and be by your side watching you be the best mum ever! Love you so so much.”