The Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences student choir became a household name after a YouTube video featuring the students’ rendition of Pharrell Williams’ hit-single “Happy” hit the Internet last month.
Since their digital debut, the student choir’s video has reached more than 1.4 million views on YouTube, and recently caught the eye of talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and producer & songwriter Pharrell Williams himself. During DeGeneres’ April 10 show, the Ellen program awarded the under-funded academy with a check for $50,000 with help from Internet-based image publishing service Shutterfly.
“That’s what the song was all about,” said Williams. “It was just about lifting people. Sometimes you go through things, but you forget that you’re important, that you have a right to be happy, and that happiness doesn’t cost anything. It’s a perception.”
DeGeneres was quick to praise the charter school’s CEO Maurice Morton, in addition to the school’s 15-year choir director Angela Kee. The $50,000 check is set to contribute to the choir’s upcoming trip to perform at Disney World.
Watch the segment from The Ellen DeGeneres Show below: