A birthday wish from Beyonce for Leamington student - live on stage

Shehnaz Khan, who has been to see the Crazy In Love superstar 22 times since she became a fan at the age of ten, was celebrating her 22nd birthday at Beyonce’s The Mrs Carter Show World Tour concert at the LG Arena in Birmingham on Sunday night.

The broadcast journalism postgraduate student, who is from Lillington, was wearing a birthday badge that Beyonce happened to spot - and to Shehnaz’s amazement, she stopped the concert to take her hand, ask her name and sing a personal ‘Happy Birthday’ song to her.

Shehnaz was so mesmerized that she did not even realise that she was holding her mobile phone in her Beyonce-free hand and taking a video of the momentous occasion.

The 22-year-old said: “I wanted her to notice me so I wore a badge and she saw it while I was in the VIP section.

“My friends and I had normal tickets, but because it was my birthday and I had donated some clothes to Beyonce’s Bey Good charity at the start of the concert, myself and my five friends were given an upgrade to the VIP area in the pit to the side of the stage.”

And it was from there that Beyonce saw Shehnaz - and stopped her performance to give her a special message. Luckily, for Shehnaz, her mobile phone was running.

“I didn’t realise I was filming when she was singing to me,” she said.

“I will never forget it. Nothing will ever top that.”

The former North Leamington School pupil has been to see Beyonce 22 times in concert - and the group of friends she was with had all met through going to the concerts.

“We now go around the country together to see Beyonce,” she said.

“I grew up listening to Beyonce and I admire her because she is so humble even though she has achieved so much. She is inspiring to women.”

Shehnaz studied a journalism degree and is currently doing a postgraduate degree in broadcast journalism in London. And she has had a firsthand experience of the media this week, with many national newspapers covering her encounter with the 
American superstar.

To see the video Shehnaz took on her phone of Beyonce singing to her, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnUo6UIVg3Y