Mae Stephens: TikTok star's shock at top 20 hit single
Yas CowanA singer who went viral on TikTok while still working in a supermarket says it was a "shock" to reach the top 20 in the Official Singles Chart.
Mae Stephens has more than 11 million views on the social media platform for her song If We Ever Broke Up.
The 19-year-old from Kettering has now been signed to EMI records and is working on more music.
She said being in the charts was "absolutely incredible".
Stephens' song went viral on video sharing site TikTok after a snippet of it was posted on New Year's Day.
If We Ever Broke Up entered the Official Singles Chart at 45 two weeks ago, but has now has climbed to a high of 20 on the latest countdown announced on Friday.
'Music is my therapy'
The singer, who has been writing since the age of 12, had been working shifts in a local supermarket, but has since quit her job to work on her music full-time.
She said: "It's a bit of shock to be honest, I still can't believe everything that happened to me.
"I feel so lucky to have this in my life and to be blessed as a musician.
"It's so surreal, it feels like I'm in a dream."
Stephens said she was in the process of getting a music video for the song and arranging some live performances.
"My entire family are still in shock, I'm still their little girl," she added.
The singer said her life had become very busy but she was still able to spend time with her family and partner, who she described as "incredible" and "very supportive".
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]