Sneaking behind your parents’ backs is one thing, but swiping their phone is a whole different level. Usher’s son Naviyd took a bold risk by using his superstar father’s Instagram to message his favorite singer, and it definitely paid off.
Usher shared the adorable tale of how his teenage son connected with PinkPantheress. Naviyd seized his dad’s phone to slide into her DMs, introducing himself to the “Heaven Knows” singer in the hopes of getting a follow-back.
“So a week or so ago, my son, Naviyd, stole my phone so he could DM his favorite artist @pinkpantheress,” Usher began on his Instagram Story Wednesday (April 24).
Usher then shared a screenshot of his IG messages, showing that Naviyd shot his shot at PinkPantheress in the DMs on April 9. “Hello this is Usher’s son Naviyd I’m you true biggest fan please follow me back,” the teen pleaded before letting her know he showed her music to his dad. “I put him onto masterpieces.”
She replied in shock: “hahahahahaa this is wild!”
Usher continued in subsequent Stories: “Now I just so happened to check my DMs earlier this week and saw a message exchange from someone with a Powerpuff girl as their prof pic…so I’m like the hell is this [side eye emoji] I open it and I’m like oh this boy done DMd this girl from my d–n phone…”
After a couple more messages from Naviyd showing how surprised he was that PinkPantheress saw the message and liked one of his posts, Usher took over to steer the conversation. “I’m so sorry … my son is a super fan,” the R&B star wrote.
The British bedroom pop singer told him not to apologize and offered to host them at one of her upcoming tour stops.
Usher added that he was hesitant to let his son attend because the teen stole his phone to connect with her, but because Naviyd is such a big PinkPantheress fan, he couldn’t deny his son the life-changing moment. “My son is at [your] show tonight,” he later messaged. “I had to send him considering his level of dedication and creativity … to figure out getting your attention through stealing my phone … that’s commitment. Hopefully you guys get to link.”
Naviyd appears to have pulled up to the Nashville stop on the Capable of Love Tour earlier this week and got the full VIP experience, as he met Pinkpantheress backstage at the Brooklyn Bowl show. Usher’s son posted a series of photos from his epic concert night.
Despite Naviyd’s breach of trust, the R&B icon commended his son’s determination and eagerness to realize his dream of meeting his favorite artist.
In his Stories, Usher shared a parental takeaway from the incident, acknowledging that while Naviyd had crossed a line by using his phone without permission, he admired his son’s initiative and drive. He admitted that he should have been more cautious but expressed gratitude for Naviyd’s hustle and ability to make things happen, from sending a text to attending a concert, all the way to connecting with the artist. Usher concluded with the hashtag #HustleHard, recognizing Naviyd’s entrepreneurial spirit in orchestrating the entire experience.
PinkPantheress continues her Capable of Love Tour on Thursday (April 25), with a show in Austin before heading to California this weekend for stops in San Diego and Los Angeles.
