Meet the 4-year-old entertainer making the internet swoon
Meet the 4-year-old girl making the internet swoon
When Reggie McConneaughey began recording videos of his one-year-old daughter, Savannah “VanVan” McConneaughey, at his Charlotte home in 2020, he had no idea she would become one of the internet’s favorite children.
Now a viral sensation thanks to her freestyle rap “Playing Outside Everyday,” which featured her father as the hypeman, VanVan’s entertainment career is underway.
The 4-year-old has gained over 200,000 followers on Instagram, several million views on her videos and hundreds of thousands of shares, and has received support from Halle Bailey, Complex Magazine, O Magazine, Black Entertainment Television and more. She also recently starred in an ad for Bojangles and has more gigs in the pipeline, including a movie role.
A camera and a plan
McConneaughey, 39, said he and his wife Tikenjna, like most parents, were naturally obsessed with their first child, but being home during the onset of the pandemic provided them an opportunity to “spend time with her” and “really watch her come into herself.”
“During [the pandemic], she took an interest in [watching ] YouTube,” McConneaughey told QCity Metro. “And I bought a camera so I could [eventaully] start her own Youtube [channel].”
McConneaughey said that though he had the equipment and the idea, he didn’t start the channel yet; he wanted VanVan to get a little older and her personality to bloom more.
But he kept recording her.
“She loved making videos. She would be like, ‘Daddy record me,’ and she would remind me like, ‘Daddy, we gotta make our video.’ She just loved it,” McConneaughey said.
Then, he discovered her love for music.
Around the age of three, McConneaughey said he began playing beats for his daughter and watched her eyes light up, so he kept doing it.
‘Playing outside’
“She always liked to rap. So I would throw on a beat, and she would just go. Then, this time, I put on the beat for [“Playing Outside Everyday”], and she was like, ‘Daddy, I like that beat,’ and it just happened that we were really about to go outside and play, so she started rapping about it,” McConneaughey said.
McConneaughey said he posted the video, and it quickly garnered hundreds of thousands of views, along with shares from celebrities and people in the entertainment industry.
“So many people in the industry have reached out and said she’s talented or just encouraged [my wife and I] and said they see how special she is. And I never wanted to be that parent that just thinks their kids is special, but VanVan really is special,” he said.
Allowing her to be herself
Recently, VanVan officially recorded her freestyle, and now the song is available on streaming services. She also performed it live for the first at the Cheerwine Festival in May.
McConneaughey said that while it’s an exciting time for their family, they are finding balance and don’t want to “push” their daughter.
“We just want her to be herself, and we want people to love her for her. We don’t coach her or push her or anything; she just really likes it. She loves music and dancing, so we hope she just keeps growing in it,” he said.
In addition to her blossoming internet personality, VanVan recently filmed an acting role in the movie “Crossover: The Revenge” with Clifton Powell and Jamal Woodward, which is set to be released in August. She will also be performing at a Juneteenth festival in Charlotte this month.
Ultimately, he told QCity Metro he would love for VanVan to have her own show where she can just be herself and have a good time.
He also said that the family’s calendar is filling up with all kinds of opportunities, but two of the biggest dates include VanVan starting school in August and the birth of his and his wife’s second child.
“It’ll be an adjustment with VanVan starting school and [the baby’s birth] but we’re excited.”