Rapper Nicki Minaj has made a St Albans teenager’s day by posting both their pictures on an online photo-sharing service.

The singer, known for explicit lyrics and eye-catching costumes, recently posted Dylan Musanhu’s picture on Instagram, where it quickly received over 50,000 “likes”.

Dylan, a Year 12 Marlborough Science Academy pupil who moved from South Africa in 2011, raps and sings his version of a range of hits from the likes of Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj on a video-sharing website.

The 17-year-old, from London Colney, loves entertaining people and has become a YouTube sensation, with over 302,000 channel views and 1,100 subscribers.

The keen entertainer caught Nicki’s eye with a photo posing like the singer.

A “very happy” Dylan explained: “I posted a picture of her and me, and she saw it and copied it on Instagram. I’m so excited. She’s always posting pictures of fans posing.

“Everybody has been talking about it and asking how I got on her page. It’s like a dream come true as she is my idol. I’m still in shock.

“And another great thing happened. I videoed my reaction to Nicki posting my photo on Instagram, tweeted the link and she saw it and retweeted it! Loads of people loved it.”

Dylan has received support from pupils and teachers at Marlborough for his YouTube videos which, apart from entertaining people, he uses to keep in contact with family in South Africa.