We’ve all had dreams of bumping into our favorite artist on the city streets and sharing a pic or handshake. But when one Parisian guitarist met Paramore’s Hayley Williams on the fly, he did something that would wrack most fans with fear.
Armed with an acoustic guitar, Florian Gilbon (who goes by the stage name Skapier) busts out the intro riff of Paramore’s hit “Ignorance,” leading Hayley Williams into an impromptu busking performance of her very own song. This rare, low-key performance has gone YouTube viral, amassing more than 9.8 million views since it was posted in 2010. Music Man readers can watch the magic unfold in the clip below!
Now, most fans would be stunned speechless at meeting such an iconic singer on the streets. But Florian dashes those starstruck vibes aside to plant Hayley in a context we’ve rarely seen her face before: a bare-bones performance with no mic, stage dress, or band behind her, instead channeling all focus on her raw talent and surprisingly down-to-earth personality.
Hayley looks a little freaked at the start, smiling with excitement and astonishment as Florian nails the heavy rock riff on his unplugged acoustic. It sounds almost a world away from Paramore’s original, which unacquainted listeners can check out below. But once Hayley lends her voice to this surprise street performance, her natural talent proves her a force to be reckoned with, even when caught off guard, miles from the stage and studio!
With a voice identical to the 2009 single, Hayley sings her lines while eyeing Florian’s fingerwork, her bright voice balancing the grit of the rock tune, which Florian masterfully sustains through this stripped-back rendition.
Fans of this viral YouTube clip can’t get over the instant chemistry shared between Hayley and Florian, especially Hayley’s open nature to jump straight into any Paramore performance going around. Top commenters have been writing, to multi-thousand likes each, “I love it how she seems more excited to play with random guys on the street than the fans getting to play the song with a world-famous singer!”
“That man has serious confidence to play their own song in front of them and to do it well. It’s no wonder she looks impressed. Respect.”
“Many stars wouldn’t engage in something like this, let alone be so humble about it.”
“Can we talk about how Hayley couldn’t stop smiling? Like, she looked so genuinely impressed and moved, and just really f****** stoked that this dude took the time to learn how to play the song.”