DETROIT, MI -- Ellen Degeneres and Pharrell Williams surprised the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences show choir Thursday with an appearance via video feed and a $50,000 check.

The talk show host popped up on a screen and said hello to a DAAS classroom as 40 students and their choir director Angela Kee let out screams of joy that only intensified when the "Happy" singer poked his head out from behind Degeneres' couch.

The choir started gaining fame a couple years ago as the students performed their own version of Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” – “Detroit State of Mind" -- around town, including at a Detroit Lions game.

(Related: Detroit kids sing crowd into elation)

And earlier this year, the nation caught on to their talent when a parent-shot video of the choir singing Williams' "Happy" went viral, gaining over 1.4 million views as of the Thursday afternoon broadcast

(Related: Viral video inspires outpouring of support for school)

The school's CEO Maurice Morton told Degeneres that about 80 percent of the students at DAAS live at or below the poverty line.

"What we do to inspire them here is we infuse the arts into the programming," Morton said. "... We use the arts to get them excited about learning. And they do a great job."

He said Key goes above and beyond her duties as music director to oversee the choir's activities.

"She commits probably an extra 25 to 50 hours a week to the job," he said. "If there's shows to be done, she's there. If there are field trips, she's there. Weekends, nights, she's teaching the kids."

Williams called the students' performance of his song "amazing."

"That's what the song was all about, it was just about like lifting people," he said. "... You guys are definitely lifting people's spirits."

The online image sharing service Shutterfly put up $50,000 to help the kids go on a trip to perform at Disney World.

Follow MLive Detroit reporter Khalil AlHajal on Twitter @DetroitKhalil or on Facebook at Detroit Khalil. He can be reached at kalhajal@mlive.com or 313-643-0527.