Famous Pop Stars Who Started on YouTube

From humble beginnings to signing their first record deal, many artists decided to showcase their musical talent by posting homemade videos on YouTube and Vine. Little did they know this would lead them to stardom. 

Let’s look at some of YouTube’s talent who went viral by posting amateur music videos. Consider the videos a success!

Justin bieber

Justin Bieber singing a snippet of “With You” by Chris Brown, was one out of many videos his mother posted of him that grew the “Biebers” fanbase. At just 13, his cover songs on YouTube led him to sign his first record deal in 2008 after he was discovered by talent agent Scooter Braun. Bieber is one of the best-selling music artists of our time with 105 million record sales in the US alone. 

Clairo 

YouTube’s algorithmic response led to a massive discovery of American singer-songwriter Claire E. Cottrill when she released her video clip “Pretty Girl”. The bedroom pop tune attracted 45 million views on YouTube and gained her major label interest. Her sudden rise to internet fame, however, ignited skepticism concerning (not her talent), but her authenticity and the role her connections played. 

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Tori Kelly

Raised in a musical family, the star started posting videos on YouTube when she was just 14. Her cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinking about you” led to her wide recognition. Although she didn’t go very far in American Idol and Simon Cowell described her voice as “almost annoying”, she carried on writing songs. Posting her performances on Youtube led to her growing her fanbase to over a million subscribers. She won a Grammy for Best Gospel Album last year.

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran was already touring and releasing music independently before he turned to YouTube to expand his following. Amateur videos of his live performances which were taking place just about everywhere in London (including metros stations) brought him a lot of attention. In 2011 he ended up signing his first major record deal with Asylum Records for the release of his debut studio album “+”.  

Shawn Mendes

Posting 6-second videos on Vine and his raw talent was enough to get the Canadian singer-songwriter his well-deserved following. His cover of Justin Bieber’s “As long as you love me,” caught the attention of thousands on the social platform making him the third most followed artist in 2014. He has released 3 studio albums ever since. 

The Weeknd

Abel released an anthology of mixed tapes on Youtube by using cover art for his videos. He managed to stay low as he was gaining recognition by mainstream publications for his unique sound. Three times Grammy winner, he sold over 70 million records in the US alone. 

5 Seconds of Summer

The Australian pop-rock sensation, also known as 5SOS, became internet celebrities by posting amateur YouTube videos of cover songs when they were only teenagers. Their first upload was a cover of “Please don’t go” by Mike Posner on Hemming’s channel. Their following increased significantly when Louis Tomlinson from One Direction posted a link on YouTube of their song “Gotta Get Out”. Their first music release, “Unplugged”, promoted only on their Twitter and Facebook, reached number 3 in Australia on the iTunes chart.

Sometimes putting up an amateur video can come across as more authentic to your audience – at least that was true in the earlier days of YouTube when expectations weren’t as high. It is true that now it’s harder to stand out among the plethora of video content on the platform. But one thing’s for sure – true talent will shine through no matter what.