Last week I wrote about Charice, one of the Top Women on YouTube, who found stardom by becoming a YouTube singing sensation turned mainstream artist. The feedback was overwhelming and it inspired me to write about other women who have found fame via YouTube.
Imagine having 500 million views on your YouTube channel? Today, Jenna Marbles (@Jenna_Marbles) has hit 527 million plus views, signing up more than three million subscribers. That makes her the most popular woman on YouTube. Jenna, who talks about anything from makeup advice to what clothes to bring on a short vacation, is a 25 year old star. Jenna Marbles (Mourney) started her channel as a simple “what to/how to” channel for women with her first upload in February 2010.
Another YouTube sensation is Michelle Phan (@RiceBunny) who began her YouTube success on the heels of an unsuccessful job search at age 19. After being rejected by a local make up counter she decided to make her own online videos for “beauty tutorials.” Today, Phan, who is 25, has 2 million subscribers and 578 million video views. Thanks to YouTube and a rejected job application, Phan is now CEO of her own company, FAWN (For All Women Network).
“How to’s” may be a challenge to YouTube stardom for some, but if you’ve got talents like Christina Grimmie (@TheRealGrimmie), you’ll have no problem. At just age 17, Grimmie attributes her YouTube success to singing popular hit songs; her version of Nelly’s “Just a Dream” made more than 291 million hits and resulted in about 1.5 million subscribers!
Justine Ezarik (@iJustine) is another gal who loves making videos. She also loves tech; so we love her! Justine has seven YouTube Channels; her most popular channel is iJustine (tech). Justine is one of the most accessible females in cyberspace, admitting she both makes and edits all of her videos herself. Get to know her (she answers questions and does live shows) or leave your questions at @iJustine (Twitter). Some of her guests have included cast members from Law and Order, even winning contestants from the Price is Right!
You Tube’s “Venetian Singer,” Jodie Rivera isn’t only an opera singer, she is known for her comedy and parody videos. She’s also quite entertaining, which is probably why she ‘s now moved on to TV (with gigs for ABC, MTV and Universal). Not bad for a 28 year old! She has more than 961,000 subscribers and 380 millions views.
Megan Nicole is another YouTube star (@megannicole). Megan attracted a lot of attention when she sang Bruno Mars’ “The Lazy Song”. Lately she’s been touring the country (and the world) with the pop rock band, Boyce Avenue. She has about 885k YouTube subscribers and about 220 million views.
What makes these women so interesting? One reason, I suppose, is that they love to interact with their audience – they’re entertainers! Two, they all make their own videos (and love what they do!). None of their videos are Hollywood perfect, but their talent and sincerity is obvious and audiences love that. Thirdly, each YouTube star knows how to connect their YouTube channel with their Twitter or website, giving their audience more information about themselves, and the ability to interface directly. They know how to use TECHNOLOGY to achieve a dream! I’d like to believe I know a bit about that too. 😉
