美国国家公共电台 NPR--VanVan, 4, raps about her ABCs and 123s

VanVan, 4, raps about her ABCs and 123s

Transcript¹

Savannah McConneaughey got her start in music like most four-year-old rap stars: by watching Frozen. Her dad, Reggie, was impressed by how quickly she memorized songs. Soon, he started posting videos of her singing on TikToK.

"I was like 'yo, this little girl's amazing,'" the older McConneaughey told NPR's Morning Edition.

Playing Outside Everyday

His daughter raps about everything from playing with him to what she's learning in school. "I like to rap about my ABCs and my 123s," Savannah said. "It makes me happy."

Dozens of videos on TikTok and Instagram show Savannah, who goes by "therealvanvan" on social media, freestyle rapping with some encouragement from her dad. Some of the videos have scored millions of views.

In "Playing Outside Everyday," she dances to the beat while rapping the lyrics² "My name is VanVan / Ain't no time to play / Playing outside, everyday." It's her most popular TikTok post, with more than three million views.

McConneaughey said his daughter picks out her own beats to serve as a backing track to her songs. As for the lyrics, McConneaughey insists they're Savannah's own work — no ghostwriting from dad here.

"She just kind of comes up with what she says," he added. "Sometimes, the pattern might throw her off, so I help her get back on beat."

VanVan on the beat

As she eases into her newfound fame, Savannah says she likes watching people react to the videos online. "Everyone's dancing and singing to it," she said. "It makes me happy."

Her dad, who runs the TikTok account, often tags the videos with race-aware hashtags like #brownskingirl and #blackgirlmagic.

"My daughter's a beautiful young lady, and I want to make sure that people will see how beautiful she is," he said. "She's beautiful to me, beautiful to her mom. Her spirit is beautiful."

The McConneaugheys say they want to avoid rushing a potential career for Savannah, all too aware of the pitfalls³ of stardom at such a young age and the struggles that can ensue.

The McConneaugheys say they want to avoid rushing a potential music career for Savannah.

Reggie McConneaughey

"We are the decision makers⁴ when it comes to those kinds of things," said Savannah's mom, Kenya. "We want to make sure that we keep her innocent and make sure she stays her sweet little self."

There's a lot in the works for Savannah — she just recorded a studio version of "Playing Outside Everyday" and she'll be making a music video soon. She's also starring in the upcoming film Crossover: The Revenge. But when asked what she was most excited about this year, the young star only had one thing in mind.

"I'm excited to be a big sister!" Savannah exclaimed.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

3 pitfalls   

（捕猎野兽用的）陷阱( pitfall的名词复数 )； 意想不到的困难，易犯的错误

参考例句：

• the potential pitfalls of buying a house 购买房屋可能遇到的圈套
• Several pitfalls remain in the way of an agreement. 在达成协议的进程中还有几个隐藏的困难。

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》