Vivian Nouri went from refugee status to online star. The 24-year-old Syrian-born pursued her dream of becoming a singer... and all her hard work is surely paying off.
Nouri is going to be featured in the soundtrack of Paramount Pictures' upcoming comedy movie, Daddy's Home 2, which is set to be released on November 10 in the USA.
"I was at the gym and the next moment I get a call from the music supervisor at Paramount Pictures to sing a Christmas song for one of the scenes in the movie," Nouri told the Daily Mail Australia in an interview.
The movie's cast is a compilation of A-list Hollywood stars such as Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, John Cena, Mel Gibson, and John Lithgow.
"I dropped everything and left to the studio. I learned the song on the spot and sang it within an hour and a half. A week later, I got an email saying that the song was locked in the movie, and I was in tears," she said.
Nouri's story begins with her mother escaping Northern Iraq along with her elder sisters in 1991 during the Kurdish uprising to find refuge in Iran.
Later on, they were sent to a Syrian refugee camp where she was born. In 1995, she and her family were granted refugee status in New Zealand where they have been living ever since.
When she realized that she had to follow her dreams, Nouri quit her job in IT and flew to the US.
She had already started her career as a YouTube singer, uploading covers of songs on her channel such as Elvis' Can't help falling in love.
She is yet to be signed by a singer or record label.