The two strangers Reneé Rapp set up at her Philly concert say they’re still talking
“They’re girlfriends for the rest of the show,” Rapp told the crowd.
Emily Simmons and Morgan Murphy attended Reneé Rapp’s Philly performance for fun. They left as potential girlfriends after the singer paired them together. Now, their maybe-love story is going viral on TikTok.
When Rapp’s Snow Hard Feelings pop tour hit the Fillmore on Oct. 24, Simmons, 19, brought a sign with her. The prompt was simple: “Dating apps aren’t working. Help me find a pretty girl.”
While performing, Rapp spotted the sign and honed in on Simmons.
“Everybody say hi to Emily,” the singer told the crowd. “Here’s what we’re gonna do, I’m going to pick one person to stand next to you, and talk to you, and that’s going to be your date for the rest of the concert.”
From there, Rapp selected Murphy, 18, who said she was OK stepping away from the front of the stage’s lip to go a bit further back and meet Simmons.
“They’re girlfriends for the rest of the show,” Rapp said. “If you guys want to kiss at any point, do it [but] don’t feel pressured by me.”
By the end of the night, the crowd was cheering on the new couple’s situationship. Since then, videos of the meet-cute have been viewed tens of thousands of times.
“It has been absolutely wild,” said Simmons, who lives just outside Allentown. “I have people reaching out to me that I haven’t even talked to in years. I never ever expected this to happen. I was hoping Reneé would maybe point out the sign, but what happened was so unexpected. I’m still in shock.”
Simmons said she and Murphy spent the rest of the concert together, singing, dancing, and even crying. Simmons gave her a friendship bracelet and her number at the end of the night.
“We were both honestly just in shock with what just happened,” said Murphy, of South Jersey. “It was a very surreal moment and we were glad to have gone through it together. It was so nice to have been able to go through this with someone like her.”
As for if they’ll remain girlfriends post-concert, that remains to be seen.
Both women said they have been texting regularly and they hope to get together soon but are navigating busy college schedules. Simmons attends Lehigh Carbon Community College, while Murphy is studying musical theater at Rider University.
“Morgan is an incredibly sweet and beautiful person and all I have to say is that Reneé has amazing taste,” Simmons said.
Rapp could not be reached for comment, but we think she’d be pleased with the duo’s blossoming friendship.