Music

Sharon Van Etten surprised a newscaster and made him cry tears of joy

by Mark Teo

How far would your friends go to make you happy? Probably not as far as John Campbell’s friends. Campbell, a newscaster for New Zealand’s 3 News, is known to his colleagues as a giant music nerd, and goes on loving diatribes about his favourite bands. And his favourite musicians? Sharon Van Etten.

Van Etten had a concert scheduled in New Zealand, but sadly, the 51-year-old host couldn’t attend the show—presumably, because he had some other newscaster-ly duties to fulfill. So his colleagues gave him the greatest gift they could: They interrupted him on air with a surprise. A surprise performance by Van Etten (who, by the way, is a one-time cover star of AUX Magazine—someone get Campbell a copy, stat).

When his “lovely colleagues” panned the camera over to Van Etten holding a Fender guitar, Campbell could barely contain his emotions. “It’s my secret passion, holy moly,” he says of her music. “I love Sharon’s music a stupidly large amounts, and I have for many years. So I’m overwhelmed by this.”

So, to, are we. But we got even more overwhelmed when she jumps in “Tarifa,” from Are We There. Campbell’s so moved by the song—and his co-workers’ act of kindness—that he begins to cry. Watch the touching vid below.