Singer thrilled as co-passenger enjoys his music unaware her favorite artist is sitting next to her

Meeting an artist or celebrity whose work you enjoy can be quite a memorable experience. But what happens when you meet them at an unexpected place and fail to recognize them? This was the case with a woman who sat next to a musician she didn't recognize despite liking his songs and him dropping several hints. The musician, Dotan Harpenau—who goes by @DotanMusic on X—shared the entire incident in a thread that has since been deleted. He even asked people for suggestions on what he should do.

"Ok... so I am currently on a plane (hello, expensive wifi) and the girl next to me is listening to my album. Every single song," the Dutch singer-songwriter wrote in his now-deleted tweet, per Bored Panda. "It is pretty awkward and nice at the same time. Especially since she just asked me what I do in life." The singer answered honestly, "So I told her I write music... Still not connecting the dots. I left it there and she continued listening to my music." The singer tried a different way to help the girl recognize him. "I realize she might follow me on Twitter... Well... hello, plane neighbor," he wrote. "Thanks for listening to my music and singing along quietly."

The singer shared live tweets as the amusing incident was unraveling. People jumped in with possible ways to help the girl realize who he was. "Leave her a note when you get out of the plane and tell her to read it at home," one X user wrote. The musician said that it sounded "Cheeky but fun." Another commented, "This is the best thread ever! Why don't you start singing along until she realizes it?" The singer replied he couldn't do that because he was on a plane. "I'm starting to lean towards not telling her and letting her find out through Twitter once you land," yet another person remarked.

The singer agreed to do that when there were just two more hours left for the plane to land. The woman even went as far as to ask the songwriter if he liked live music and in which language he wrote music. "I answered: 'I love gigs, nothing beats live music. And that I write in English,'" Dotan said, dropping one more clue. Next up, the singer asked her how she discovered the music she was listening to, hoping she would figure it out that way. "I heard it on my favorite show. It brings me comfort and peace," the woman said, giving a possible explanation as to why she might not know the singer by face.

Eventually, there were only 30 minutes left for the flight to land, but the woman still had no clue about the online discussion that had transpired right under her nose. She simply continued listening to Dotan's music. "And then the most awkward thing happened. She made me listen to my own music," the 37-year-old revealed. "Isn't it beautiful," the girl asked and the songwriter was simply speechless. The singer finally gave the woman a note as they landed.

"I didn't want to ruin this experience or embarrass her in any way. It's about the music and this was actually the biggest compliment ever. It might sound cliche, but these moments motivate me to keep going. Back in the studio tomorrow!" the singer expressed. He eventually received a message from the girl who apologized for not catching on to his hints and expressed how his music had helped her get through a lot of things. She also said that the singer was incredibly humble. The woman had heard the singer's song on an episode of "The Originals" but she never really looked up the singer so she didn't know what he looked like.