Meet the Penang-born singer who nailed Benson Boone’s ‘Beautiful Things’ at a friend’s wedding (VIDEO)

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — By now, almost everyone has heard at least part of the hit song Beautiful Things by American singer-songwriter Benson Boone.

Many fans also know that performing the song’s catchy, climactic chorus is no easy feat.

However, Penang-born aspiring singer AE$IX made it look effortless in a now-viral video of him performing the song at a friend’s wedding.

The short clip, which has garnered over six million views on AE$IX’s TikTok, shows the singer impressing the crowd with his powerful take on the chorus.

Speaking to Malay Mail, the 25-year-old said he first met the newlyweds while performing at a now-closed gastrobar, Jama KL, in Mont Kiara. The couple was captivated by his performance there back in 2022.

Fast forward to 2024, the groom invited AE$IX to perform at his wedding. Although AE$IX knew about the event earlier this year, he only received the song list a month before the wedding, which was held on October 4.

Beautiful Things was on the list as the groom’s favourite song, and despite knowing the song would be challenging to sing live, AE$IX agreed as it was the groom’s special day.

“I wasn’t feeling well before the wedding, but I happened to recover just in time, though I still wasn’t at my best.

“But when I started singing the song on the wedding day, Calvin, the groom, ran to the stage, jumping and singing along.

“When I saw him running up, I thought, you know what, it’s his day. I couldn’t care less about my health at that moment — I knew he loved this song, so he was going to get it,” he said.

AE$IX added that while there were no videos of his entire performance, he was grateful that the wedding MC recorded a short clip of him being “in the zone.”

That short clip has become AE$IX’s big break, with social media users from around the world — including Argentina, Panama, the Philippines, and China — sharing and reacting to his performance.

AE$IX, who has been performing with his band for nearly two years, said seeing people appreciate their work meant a lot, even though there were also some hurtful comments.

“I love reading those comments because you never know what people are going through, and you can’t expect everyone to be in a good mood or be nice.

“Some came up with insults, but watching my fans defend me in the comments was even better.

“Despite a few hurtful comments, the amount of wonderful, positive feedback was fifty times more, and that made me confident that the music I’m making isn’t in vain,” he said.

AE$IX, who now lives in Kuala Lumpur, has been singing since he was 13-years-old. Although he holds a degree and a Master’s in pure chemistry, he’s always wanted to pursue a music career.

He first got into singing when his English teacher asked him to recite a poem, and he decided to sing the lines to the melody of Lionel Richie’s Hello.

“Singing is what I want to do with my life; it’s my passion. People think it’s just a hobby, but it’s not. Singing is my life’s goal,” he said.

AE$IX, who released his debut single Say Yes on September 6, admitted that the viral wedding video has helped bring more listeners to his music, motivating him to release more of his own songs.

At the time of writing, AE$IX’s viral video has garnered over six million views, with more than 800,000 likes, 6,000 comments, and 30,000 shares on TikTok.