JOHANNESBURG – A video of a young South African boy struggling to pronounce the lyrics to the British band Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody” has gone viral, captivating audiences worldwide and sparking a wave of supportive reactions. The clip, initially shared on October 14, 2025, quickly amassed millions of views across platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter).
The boy, identified as nine-year-old Liam Vos, from Cape Town, South Africa, attempts to sing along to the complex operatic section of the 1975 hit. His earnest effort, punctuated by charming mispronunciations of challenging English words, resonated deeply with viewers, highlighting both the song’s enduring appeal and the worldwide experience of learning a new language. The video’s popularity underscores the power of social media to connect people through shared moments of joy and cultural exchange.
Vos’s attempt to tackle Freddie Mercury’s iconic vocals has prompted an outpouring of encouragement and praise. Many commenters have lauded his bravery and enthusiasm, while others have offered helpful pronunciation tips. The video has also ignited conversations about the challenges faced by non-native English speakers and the importance of celebrating linguistic diversity.
The facebook Pixel code embedded in the original source material-including ids 302606803792956, 1686812171577318, and app ID 912116128862505-indicates the video’s initial sharing platform likely utilized Facebook’s tracking tools to monitor engagement and perhaps target similar content to relevant audiences. The presence of the Facebook JavaScript SDK suggests integration with Facebook Login functionality, though the window.isFacebookLogin variable was initially set to false. The code also reveals tracking of “PageView” events via fbq('track', 'PageView') and FB.AppEvents.logPageView(), standard practices for website analytics.
Afrikaans, one of South Africa’s eleven official languages, shares roots with Dutch but differs considerably from English in pronunciation and grammar.While English is widely spoken in South Africa, particularly in urban areas, many children like Vos are still developing their proficiency. The viral video serves as a lighthearted reminder of the complexities of language acquisition and the endearing moments that arise along the way.