Investigating the "influencer to pop star" pipeline

[@ina430]

Not Troye Sivan being 25 as well. All he's lacking is a master's degree in mechanical engineering to become Mike

[@adanactnomew7085]

A most embarrassing moment in his career

[@jakejancook]

MIKES MIC HAS A MASTERS DEGREE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING?! What in the Cis Straight Man energy is happening here

[@adanactnomew7085]

@@jakejancook How is this news luv you haven't been paying attention in class

[@nolan-zs5mc]

@@jakejancook this is like being surprised troye Sivan made music

[@lilly_colton_8648]

“jeffery star is like youtube voldemort” is the best commentary i’ve consumed on this app

[@nadeennaqaweh8499]

tomfery riddlestar

[@fsdowntown]

he who shall not be named

[@claudialee4987]

🤣🤣🤣

[@omarcastillo4240]

TOMFREY RIDDLESTAR

[@JaysieeisyaJ]

Seriously, if I wasn't already sold on Michael Microphone's entire witty self from the very first video of his I watched (the PLL one ofc) then this line alone would've sold me instantly!

[@verabesnard254]

14:18 "I don't give compliments easy" his entire era of free compliments at the beginning of every video is shaking

[@Kittikee10]

I'm still mourning that era 😞

[@bridgetf88]

i miss this please mike bring it back

[@fozzyspots]

to be fair those compliments were more threatening than anything. the fear i'd feel when he complimented my blue shirt but i was wearing green... indescribable

[@mikesmic]

compliments era was darksided.......tell me I'm wrong

[@amurray6364]

@@mikesmic you’re wrong 😡

[@TheChocolatiie]

bestie how could you NOT talk about the gabbie hanna case study 😭 miss gabbie was an og vine girlie who migrated to youtube, created an audience, pursued music, did videoclips, had a bajillion dramas and breakdowns with people in youtube, instagram, the music industry AND then burned it all to the ground and blamed the social platforms for blacklisting her music (….. it was just a flop) she would’ve been perfect for this video

[@elliefield7407]

she deserved a whole separate video

[@salmonmeister]

Yes her music is a flop…. But tbh “honestly” and “honestly encore” kinda hit

[@Rose-hh7mk]

She for sure has BPD

[@cu8065]

I CAN’T BELIEVE U DIDN’T MENTION HER POETRY

[@gerenuk8245]

@@elliefield7407no really

[@rochelledavid8679]

i still remember the day that troye sivan announced his first ep on youtube. and the day he announced he would be pivoting to music. i thought the world ended. then blue neighbourhood came out and i was like wow. you are the vision, the blueprint

[@rochelledavid8679]

MAGCON oh my god

[@Hannah-zw9ow]

Troye Sivan is such a great example of when this pipeline pays off because blue neighborhood was a great album

[@OreoChickz2013]

I still listen to this album and his music daily! Reminds me of being a teen,having my first car, no pandemic…

[@detty9256]

Am I the only one who knows him from spud first?? Maybe it's too South African

[@jtroxler8]

The world didn’t end. The world was just getting started.

[@Lauren-lk9xh]

Suprised Joji wasn’t mentioned. His whole KZbin mess deserves some analysis for its utter insanity and how that hindered but also drove his commercial success

[@senad9315]

Yesss. Literally love him

[@jennifervasquez]

Yeah was expecting he would at least mention him considering the 3 artists pretty much everyone immediately mentions when talking abt internet stars turned successful musicians are troye joji n shawn

[@analisa8105]

i was thinking the same, also clairo ??

[@CeceSamara]

filthy frank becoming joji changed me

[@ellaisboring]

Joji did pink guy in order to get his music out there. I respect the fuck out of it, even though I do miss old mate filthy frank. I enjoy seeing people who love Joji discover filthy frank and get all up in arms. Incredible, beautiful, and stunning.

[@TayahPrice]

“While Kylie Jenner hasn’t released any music i think the THREAT is always there” LMFAO PLEASE

[@KPM355]

we almost got it in rise and shine thank god it didn't happen

[@TayahPrice]

@@KPM355 omg i totally forgot about that dark period in history

[@AikiraBeats]

@@TayahPrice you and me both with that crazy merch

[@laursieloise]

didn’t she have a rap verse on We Dare You or something?

[@cait9204]

WAIT she did a collab on a song I totally forgot!

[@pearlearplugs]

the way cody ko and noel miller started making joke music and still make joke music and yet it is better than most peoples actual songs

[@senad9315]

Frrrr

[@courtney9180]

THIS!!!!

[@durucanoglu112]

bars

[@nova692]

*BARS*

[@edgaranalhoe7678]

....ᵇᵃʳˢ

[@remib1199]

conan gray really posted a video titled “studio vlog (last video for a bit)” and then NEVER looked back. kinda insane how quickly he evolved from youtuber to singer.

[@cinnamonboy85]

it's bc Conan is actually very talented his calm voice and lyricism

[@Victa444]

Cause becoming a pop star was his goal all along

[@Calliopebooks]

I didn’t even know he was an influencer first tbh.

[@amyisaway7800]

"i'm biased because that's what i do, but don't get it twisted, i also hate this website" me at work

[@yuriko189]

"I don't like Jeffree Star. He's like KZbin Voldemort" LMAO

[@jtroxler8]

Did he lie, though?

[@AdrianneChristineBooks]

I can’t unsee it 😂

[@diego-wc8be]

"jeffree star looks like squeletor" -not choerry sunbaenim

[@Krissi076]

TOMFREE RIDDLESTAR.

[@sorafowler4497]

@@Krissi076 CAN YOU PLEASE STOP

[@adrian945]

the way joji intergrading himself so deep into music nobody even mentions he was a youtuber

[@hannahmceleney9267]

his videos were sooo weirddd

[@whatdoyousuppose]

The day I found out Joji and Filthy Frank were the same person my mind was BLOWN

[@baby_muppy]

integrating

[@pointnexter03]

I thought you said degrading

[@RetroPokemonTCG]

I was surprised Mike didn't mention Joji at all!

[@TheDGomezzi]

"The original girl boss, Merriam-Webster" Not sure why this made me laugh so hard

[@jt2002]

He did not lie ...lol

[@lia.6408]

I know someone called Maria Webster

[@sadsadtearsofaclown859]

@@lia.6408 is she girlboss?

[@lia.6408]

@@sadsadtearsofaclown859 She is my grandma's friend who sometimes gives me vouchers for Christmas.

[@krispykracker3780]

@@lia.6408 you didn't answer the question, bestie.

[@BronwynAlexandriaa]

The fact that I found Troye and Conan when they were super small youtubers makes me so proud bc I just love seeing my besties flourish

[@ayangyi]

omg samee

[@crowleylan]

"you're an influencer- brackets derogatory" putting tones in brackets is my literal favourite form of comedy, looooosing it

[@oxChocolattexo]

"there could only be one brown-haired Australian youtuber that used to live in Perth and now lives in Melbourne" - I have been WAITING for Mike to reference Troye at some point in his videos. I've always thought that they're like alternate universe versions of each other

[@ananyaaphale8089]

YES

[@bananaguard454]

Mike's Mic - Green Village track list savage. idiot. no difficulty. calm me down. for the summer. hell. old age. gone girl. TO HER peripherary. *bonus track* natatorium

[@neeharikasaravana781]

Same 😂

[@BronwynAlexandriaa]

Honestly they are. They’re humor is 💋

[@kittycoutourxxx2706]

@@bananaguard454 you forgot the single “computer”

[@girlwiththeaxe]

not to be too political but mike’s mic is literally just troye sivan in an alternate timeline if you think about it.

[@jmat04]

the way you perfectly articulated this

[@lunargraph]

Troye with a MASTER'S DEGREE

[@paju9697]

this is the first video i watched of him and i was genuinely confused by the thumbnail cause i thought „why are the two troye sivans??“ xd

[@giani-wj2wq]

Finally someone said it from the first video I watched of him I thought he look alike

[@kennywright2934]

Naurrrrr 😂

[@WaruMonzaemon]

the CAREFUL word choices when talking about the TikTok girlies cracked me up

[@sbh6091]

"she seems like a nice person but if her career is going to be music something needs to shift" The extremely nice and long way to say singing isnt for you bestie SORRY

[@davidb5205]

It's giving very much "“Singing is a God given talent. Her thing is something different" Mariah level SHADE

[@allison8250]

22:00 I think the negative connotation behind being an industry plant comes from said industry plant going on talk shows, interviews, posting online, etc. about how they made it from the bottom, or that they had such a struggle, when really they got where they are from a big label and/or connections within the industry. It's the fake-ness that turns people away.

[@dorarandom7870]

Someone once called Mike "Mikeyla Michrophony" and now I can't stop thinking about it.

[@peachroma2320]

29 minutes of Mike? We don’t deserve this but we desperately needed it.

[@mikesmic]

🥺🥺 thanks for watching xx

[@elysianblu]

the 999 likes is so satisfying

[@justmed4430]

@@mikesmic why does it sound like a message from A from pll... thanks for watching bitches xoxo -A

[@beatrevorharris]

Watch/ listen to his podcast! That’s like 50 mins of Mike a pot

[@peachroma2320]

@@beatrevorharris I do but I like more structured content

[@alexgil-vernet7267]

Stream future hit single: "I have a masters" by Mike's Mic ft. Charli XCX

[@chelseagorry1876]

the music video would be popping

[@bentheperson8992]

its exactly the same as trophy but the i want that trophy is just i have a masters

[@dyllon5133]

this is camp

[@EF-kk3vh]

manifesting

[@Khensani]

Fun fact: Whitney Houston produced the Cheetah Girls 1 and 2 (the only ones we recognize) along with both Princess Diaries movies and the Cinderella she did with Brandy so the CGCU is actually the Whitney Houston Cinematic Universe

[@Nunu1293]

Hold on wait a minutE WHAAAAAT

[@lyrcheylap1779]

I love this

[@mikesmic]

omg this is giving me ideas 👀

[@Khensani]

@@mikesmic can’t wait bestie!

[@AikiraBeats]

No wonder why I love those two movies

[@jmat04]

“if the music hits, it hits” in love with this man’s quotes. every. damn, video!!!

[@yuvalsela4482]

9:42 "i do wanna talk about the single cover... i just feel nothingness. its like.. looking at a wall thats just been painted, but just painted one color like you recognize: the wall has been freshly painted but youre like... its just a wall and its just one color. and i have fumes in my nose now" is SO GOOD

[@itsclayo]

"Mary Beth was walking around promoing skinny tea to anyone who would listen" IM SCREAMING

[@crstph]

“use the promo code PLAGUE for 10% off!”

[@bratzscene3131]

I LOST it😭

[@sonamartirossian7718]

Michaelle delving into videoessay territory, the range is immaculate, bestie

[@marennielsen7211]

yup so true

[@MarieKyriney]

True.

[@strawberrysoda3294]

as he should!!

[@dropspindle]

We love it

[@reeverecor5096]

*immaculate, but yes indeed

[@imani0nline]

I will never be able to put into words how the era of KZbin diss tracks traumatised me 😩✋🏾

[@jadaabbygale4002]

Thanks for unearthing trauma that will forever haunt my 2016-2017 pre/teen era/self...a dark time, truly🤡

[@screamingbanshee1282]

England is my city

[@MariaMcA3]

And the roast myself challenge videos 🤪

[@shanicek5188]

The dark ages

[@mikesmic]

but we made it through and came out STRONGER

[@sakinaalia1067]

Conan and Troye were influencers but they also posted covers and songs though so I don’t know if they apply here because they were musicians before being influencers so I’m glad you made the distinction about them and how their move into music felt authentic

[@kirimartin]

conan and troye are easily some of my favorite artists. i think it's because of their history as "influencers" that makes them appeal to me. i can connect to them a lot more in the sense that i feel like i know their personalities on a stronger level than i would other artists (especially conan). plus their music just bangs and you can tell they love what they do and they always had that passion for music which makes me love them even more. it's the kind of thing where i would support them even if i didn't really like their music anymore because i know they're living out their dreams and they are getting the success they deserve. they have distinguished themselves so strongly in the music industry that sometimes i forget they were even youtube creators and when i watch their content, it seems like i'm watching a completely different person's content. i'm gonna shut the hell up now i could talk about this topic and these artists forever goodbye

[@theresabu3000]

it's unreal to me. I think supporting smaller and creative artist is important - but also do it for the right reasons. Music is a bit part of my mental health and a way to connect to myself and others. The music I like lifts my mood, makes me more active, less anxious... But that only works if I connect to it - feel something when listening to it - even after 100 times. There is a difference between a song from Paris Hilton (Stars are blind) which I admit is a catchy song. And Lana Del Rey's - Ride, which makes me daydream. It's like Fast Food versus a good home cooked meal - one is tasty, but not fulfilling. And if you've had the real deal you never want to look back.

[@casuallyidiotic]

I will forever remember when twitter found out joji was filthy frank- like hello?? we've been known

[@jennifervasquez]

Lmao yeah the entire reason it took me forever to give his music a chance was bc i knew him as filthy frank n had heard his pink guy music before n thought it would be like that funny how there were so many ppl that didnt even know that was him

[@ellaisboring]

Most incredible Internet moment lol. I still occasionally listen to Pink Guy and I will not apologise. It will never be time to stop ✋😔✌️

[@ragana112]

i just found out from the comments and am shook

[@ellaisboring]

@@ragana112 please search hair cake and the sequels, and also pimp my wheelchair

[@nichelleniks4526]

Red Velvet in the opening. Icon. The taste.

[@cinnamonroee07]

🤚🏻🤚🏻🤚🏻🤚🏻

[@Nintendomaster221]

And in the ending! Mike reveluv era coming

[@ZymonB]

agreed. girlbossing around

[@jye4710]

purr

[@gio3798]

immaculate

[@imani0nline]

I REFUSE to even have the thought that Paris Hilton’s music is nothing but ICONIC 💅🏾

[@Zraytre]

Best Friend Ass is a bop

[@MariaMcA3]

@@Zraytre check out pickle on her Spotify ✨

[@MM-dj7tn]

, cb

[@katiedykema2576]

Stars Are Blind supremacy

[@dxxy]

Nothing In This World is a fcking bop!

[@renee1309]

This was actually really fun and informative, I love examining 2000s trends and how they've shifted into the 2010s.

[@sarahbarrera1235]

i LOVE that you mentioned Peach PRC, she’s amazing and i also never would have heard of her if it wasn’t for tiktok!!! she’s so talented

[@pantasticduda5371]

I think something interesting about this phenomenon is the fans perception of the content and career change, I remember how Troye/Conan/Dodie fans felt betrayed that they stopped posting on yt bc they felt used and forgotten after the mainstream success of their faves

[@caseynealer9479]

dodie fans felt that? i'm one of her subscribers and imo she's still posting pretty regularly - tons compared to the other two

[@j_0anna]

lmao as a dodie stan i definitely don't feel betrayed, she might not make "vlogs" anymore but she still regularly interacts with us on social media :)

[@lilycampbell7996]

i miss youtube conan

[@mayakaspi3855]

I do get that but I don’t think people should feel betrayed or hurt because they started a new chapter in their career and even though I loved their videos on youtube I’m happy for them for their success, I don’t feel like they owe me anything you know? They should do whatever is best for them

[@doop5425]

Mike: *does a video essay* Me: KING shit

[@anitakulig9794]

are we entering long mike's mic videos era?!

[@ayellowpapercrown6750]

That would be the dream I love this man’s long formats

[@oof1657]

I hope so 😩

[@cashoomilk]

i hope so i can listen to him for hours

[@jessapearyid6545]

time for bestie to change the channel name to michael's microphone

[@mckamy4711]

I feel like KSI is an interesting example, because he started off just doing diss tracks as jokes and people saying he can't rap but now he's in the UK charts with some big artists and it seems like he actually wants to take music seriously now but I never seen that coming

[@mandalaqueen828]

The music is still really bad though, I think he’s an example of someone who has enough money to pay artists for features and get on playlists tbh, plus his fans are young and will listen whatever it sounds like

[@mandalaqueen828]

It’s honestly annoying to me how many songs of his are in the charts 😂

[@mckamy4711]

@@mandalaqueen828 yeah his rapping/singing abilities definitely don't justify the success he has in the charts, I mean it's not his fault he's popular and has the opportunity to work with bigger artists I can't blame him for that, but compared to people like Troye Sivan it's hard to take him seriously and know if it's just another way for ksi to make money

[@lynette12]

Knowing that TMG was signed by a label, I can say that the songs they make are real songs. They give off a lot of Lonely Island vibes and that their songs are topical, humorous and sometimes meme driven but at its core has very good production and writing involved. Their fans are happy/entertained but at the same time, anyone who has never seen or heard any of Cody Ko and Noel Miller ‘s content, can enjoy the music.

[@MissHelmet]

6:05 “We, as a society, did not do enough for the cheetah girls” Me: *instantly subscribes*

[@hanthedudette]

People love to forget that Shawn Mendes started as a Vine influencer, but I REFUSE TO LET THEM

[@GooseTurner]

Yeah, but I think the difference is that his ~thing~ on Vine was playing music. He wasn’t out here being an “influencer” like the other MagCon boys were. So yeah, he went from an internet celebrity to a mainstream celebrity, but it’s not like he had a random shift to a music career after becoming famous.

[@annakepes8050]

Not just viner, a magcon boy

[@AikiraBeats]

Wasn't he apart of boy group

[@freshbling7096]

Yeah, once a magcon dude always a magcon dude

[@omu6740]

same, i refuse to let people forget he was a magcon boy

[@brookeebee4014]

comparing bella poarch to dixie was actually genius, if whoever was behind dixie's debut would have tried a bit harder I think things would have gone over much better if they didn't try and rush and exploit her popularity

[@theliamcooke]

Build a bitch really caught me by surprise, I don't have tiktok but obviously her facial expression videos went everywhere so I had an idea as to who Bella was but wow what a great debut single and the video is insane

[@lucysheehan361]

howww did joji not get a mention, he has to be the most interesting youtuber to serious musician transition. rly great video tho

[@wantedu2812]

His rebrand was insane,most people don’t even know about his YT anymore

[@tealleavitt182]

Mike forgor 💀

[@Mmc.879]

Okay, but am I the _only_ one who wants to hear more about Mike's hatred of the word "neighborhood"?

[@Channotek72]

In Australia it’s spelled Neighbourhood, which could possibly answer your question. It’s weird to me that Neighbour looks normal, but Neighbourhood looks like that. And Neighbor just looks incomplete to me. Neighborhood looks fine though. A weird word.

[@Mmc.879]

@@Channotek72 honestly, all really good points!

[@ayellowpapercrown6750]

As a linguistics graduate? The few seconds we got were delectable, I could have listened to one more hour of that

[@stellacollin6347]

surprised poppy wasn’t mentioned.. her youtube/ music journey is so confusing.. but the girls are streaming

[@AikiraBeats]

Yeah it's weird watching her

[@losvegan6382]

okay okay I like her girls in bikinis song

[@akiyamamoto6661]

@@losvegan6382 same

[@undercoverbreadbug7729]

poppy was literally created to make music so i don’t think it counts

[@lenanarla]

Poppy made music at first, before she was the blond figure from titanic. So it was her dream from the beginning

[@melisdantou]

gosh finally a music expert covering this topic

[@lindw2842]

This honestly killed me 😂

[@shv5626]

Lowkey was expecting this to be a lead into Mike announcing he’s dropping his first single

[@kayvonneferguson7119]

I very much love the longer video essays. It shows your personality really well and it makes you genuine and shows your humor. I also love watching your videos.

[@straighttothedisco]

I feel we can also talk about the Disney channel star to singer pipeline. Also the early to late 2000’s obsession with being a triple threat pushed all these people to consider a music career when it didn’t need to be done.

[@AikiraBeats]

That's a good point with Miley, Selena, Demi, and Hillary Duff

[@chaeriplease]

@@AikiraBeats let's not pretend demi and miley dont have great voices

[@freesuckerMCR]

This would be pretty interesting cause yes Disney/Nick stars are all catapulted to fame and pretty much destined to become the next "it" person in pop but not all of them make it and it's actually pretty random the way some of them do. Drake Bell's music was intensively pushed but no one really paid any attention to him outside of Drake & Josh. Miranda Cosgrove was also way more successful and mainstream than Ariana Grande ever was and look how everything turned out in the end lol. And the most obvious example right now is probably Olivia Rodrigo and her rise to fame from being - yes, on a Disney original show - but which was never at the same level of fame that, say, That's So Raven was.

[@straighttothedisco]

@@freesuckerMCR That’s true! I have a memory of Miranda cosgrove having a singing career, along with Emily osment and Kyle Massey.

[@freesuckerMCR]

@@straighttothedisco Exactly, it seems like everyone is set for stardom but only few of them actually get to that superstar status.

[@marcellakilgarriff]

I am legitimately so proud of dodie. I remember watching her post her original songs with her ukelele from her bedroom 5 or 6 years ago and waiting for the world to discover her talent. I can't exaggerate how pleased I am she's finally getting her recognition. Also I am obsessed with Peach PRC and hearing her mentioned outside of Tik Tok is blowing my mind.

[@juliasutter6996]

IKR dodie is so amazing

[@Julia-oq2dp]

Can we talk about the fact that "Stars are Blind" is so iconic it was the main song in the Oscar-winning movie Promising Young Woman

[@celopretto]

I discovered the song bc the movie kkkkkk

[@melodyhaviland9393]

DUDE I WAS GONNA COMMENT SOMETHING ABT THIS!!!!! I CANT HEAR THIS SONG WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT BO BURNHAM DANCING AND SINGING IN A PHARMACY

[@nejdalej]

I like Stars are Blind, it's a nice song x

[@popebonifaceviii2736]

I CAN’T STOP LISTENING TO IT BECAUSE OF THIS MOVIE

[@kifah_j]

hm I think that Joji is also a very good exemple of somebody that stared on yt posting literal meme content and after his accident shifted completely and fucking succeeded like crazy in the music industry or post Malone who used to do Minecraft and video games yt content.

[@marlathebigtourist935]

Mike being a dodie stan makes so much sense with my fantasy

[@H.annahPaige]

All I ever wanted as a child was my mediocre KZbin channel to take off so I could be a main pop girly

[@kasha_kold]

“Use code plague for 10% off” 😭😭😭

[@kt4124]

I ascended, failed the point test to get into heaven, then descended into the mantle.

[@RebekahSage]

Troye will forever be the most iconic

[@makstracy]

Joji too

[@taylor-dz7lp]

@@makstracy yup bc they're the only ones with actual good music

[@casuallyidiotic]

@@taylor-dz7lp facts

[@keving7940]

@@taylor-dz7lp does Troye go by they/them pronouns now?

[@jaybehkay2438]

Kev G I don’t believe so. Taylor was replying to the person that added that Joji also makes good music

[@jjhatch5697]

stars are blind was such a crucial moment in the culture. unironically a great catchy pop song

[@ashleynavarro5561]

Mike, you must really be vibing your masters rn cause this was a whole dissertation.

[@emmacarroll12]

I’ve been waiting for this one... TURN IT UP BESTIE

[@seanthebluesheep]

When Mike mentioned Dodie I sprung up ready to throw hands before I remembered we were still in the "talent and personality" portion of the video

[@purplepinksky28]

Tomffree riddlestar that is exactly what I'm gonna call him from now on.

[@ermerlie]

love mike for including the audience, replying “money” to him was the highlight of my day

[@AudreyRoseLawson]

Crazy how since this video was uploaded.. Troye has another song with Ariana on HER album ! Addison Rae did the collab with charli xcx and it did extremely well ! And Paris Hilton has released a second album/ did a Stars Are Blind collab with Kim Petras!!!! This “influencer” with pop star collab really works just how you described it with the chart. It’s the perfect blend of talent and personality. Huge commercially successful singers joining together with the powerful extended & dedicated audience of the content creators is so smart, especially since labels these days rely on tiktok posts/dances to further push sales.

[@littlemissoptimism]

the love I have for dodie, Conan and Troye cannot be overstated

[@jessica23claire]

the way dodie has gotten me through so many meltdowns

[@tatemitchell1479]

@@jessica23claire LIVING for your username omg

[@Reggie_la]

The greatest meme songwritter is Danny Gonzalez, with bops such as "Yummy", "bad boy", "Im gonna kill santa claus", "Slime", "we are not the same person", "spooky ho", "help, let me go", "Jhonny Jhonny" and his most recent hit: "I'm in love with a creeper"

[@QNiki]

Just constant bop after bop

[@U._.D]

Don't forget the classic: "Daddy"

[@celene_moon]

@@U._.D daddy is in my playlist unironically 🤡

[@MissKatie5098]

It would be interesting to contrast this with the 'influencer to author' pipeline that was popular a few years ago. Much like record labels, the biggest thing a lot of publishers now look for is social media followings to port over into a new literature (if you can call it that) format. However, I think that unlike with the move from social media to music (which are both visual online formats), the drastic change in medium from social media to book (unless coming from a blog) is a more obvious financially motivated decision that isn't as easily sold to their audiences, which might be why this method of transition between mediums doesn't seem to be as common now. Mind you, a lot of them were still very popular. I guess you could argue is that its because books are a 'dying medium' but I think book sales would challenge this idea, though of course music has much more market value currently.

[@MissKatie5098]

I guess it could also be the perception that books aren't as popular with those social media audiences or perhaps because you can't release them as prolifically as music? Idk but could be an interesting comparison to think about!

[@placeholder1546]

There’s also the fact that most social-media influencers are probably not well-equipped to write a book. With music, a producer can just make a very easy-to-sing song and it could pass even with bad vocals. People will still accept “X” influencer as the artist of the song, because they sang in it. With books, however, people will be less likely to accept the influencer as the writer of the book if they hired ghostwriters. You can weasel your way into claiming a song, but not so much claiming a book.

[@littlewillowlinda]

It would be kinda cute if they could write anything that's not a memoir

[@edgarallenhoe3518]

@@littlewillowlinda oh I thought this was about lindsay ellis and xiran jay zhao

[@ijustlikethiscrapokay]

perhaps not what you’re looking for, but drew gooden did do a video on youtubers who made books and i think it was good

[@RBRCR-se2gz]

now lets talk about the “drag queen to pop star” pipeline and pre-save God Save This Queen by Bimini Bon Boulash

[@user-jr6cw3un9n]

trixie mattel videogames cover is not talked about nearly enough and thats catastrophic

[@monroe8566]

@@user-jr6cw3un9n AND her blister in the sun cover? Revolutionary

[@illeatthat]

@@user-jr6cw3un9n its a bop

[@ziggy6191]

hey, not what you were talking about but in Brazil, most of the famous artists in the pop category rn are drag queens! Like pabllo vittar, gloria groove, lia clark and others, I just though it would be nice to mention lol

[@RBRCR-se2gz]

@@ziggy6191 woah thats so cool!!

[@yourambitioniskey]

im honestly surprised that james charlie hasn't threatened us with his own drop

[@kawanatengo9474]

bestie the way you pronounce "influencer" sounds like the italian word for "flu" and i'm here for it

[@sjwells04]

Influenza lmaoooo

[@sourpatchstarkids]

oh didn’t you know? michael the microphone is in fact italian

[@leafletanon]

influensa omg

[@kawanatengo9474]

@@sourpatchstarkids of course, we all know his name's actually michele microfono

[@matildaeklund3472]

Shawn Mendes is out here trying to erase his Magcon past, just like he tried to erase that he is NOT, in fact, from Toronto, but from Pickering, Ontario. We remember Shawn.

[@ioannad1857]

bestie you realise the best step in ur career is pop star now ‼️

[@josecuerda1]

Peach prc and Lizzy McAlpine are really good examples of good musicians that found their platform in tiktok, they both have the personality and the talent

[@parasaur9061]

Nat Puff (the girl who did the 'hahaha, *I* do that' vine) makes music under the name of Left at London and it actually BANGS

[@yoshrek2900]

Let’s talk about Doja Cat though - I like her music in general but I remember that song “bitch I’m a cow” which went viral. To me that was her being “wow I’m so weird” and then she became a serious artist

[@sbh6091]

Reminds me of cardi b's vines too

[@natopal0819]

she had a looooot of other (amazingly good) songs before that where she wrote and sung about random stuff (waffles are better than pancakes).. so nah it really wasn't her being "quirky", it was her being her and being lucky that this specific song went viral

[@jena9853]

She had been making music for years before that .

[@AikiraBeats]

Yeah she switched it

[@bananaguard454]

Doja already had an excellent album and an ep released before that. Amala, her debut album, is even better than Hot Pink imo. Y'all should definitely listen to it.

[@tia1500]

“I don’t like Jeffrey Star... he’s like KZbin Voldemort”

[@Khensani]

I don’t know if people overseas are that familiar but also Troye’s successful performance in Spud, which is like a classic here in South Africa, was also an integral part in helping him move from youtuber to verified star

[@alittlelovesick]

Wait IT'S TROYE?!

[@CathrynDianne]

I FORGOT ABOUT SPUD

[@AJ-pu9jq]

What the fuck idk he was in a movie

[@AL3XlS_]

@@AJ-pu9jq he started as an actor. He was in X-Men Origins Wolverine as his first gig. Then did the Spud trilogy. Recently he got back into acting. 3 years ago he was in Boy Erased and was nominated for a Golden Globe. He wrapped up filming another movie a few months ago which I'm pretty sure he has a big character in. Not sure if he's the main character or a big supporting act.

[@graysonwroe1634]

"the song TANKED-" cuts into an ad. the drama I loved!

[@jammyintears]

‘UGH I don’t wanna talk about TOMffrey ridleSTAR ANYMORE’ with that level of exhaustion is just as vicious as the Jessie J tweet, but with a wildly different energy

[@chiaral6438]

The first mammal to get out of the ocean: Breaking My Silence... Why I left Buzzfeed

[@EF-kk3vh]

Why I left the ocean (emotional) (not clickbait) (watch til end)

[@Poltergeist329]

joji was also an influencer before he was a musician! he's fascinating in particular because he actually had a parody album, meaning that he was already creating music before officially launching his solo career.

[@sacreddatura1399]

Yessss, it would’ve been interesting to see his take on the massive shift between the music joji made before and after the pink guy era. Like he was releasing music under the joji name even when he release pink season, so he always showed his talent but like the massive success he got on edgy 2015 KZbin seriously boosted his exposure once he left and started pursuing music more seriously.

[@ghostytrickster8458]

YES papa franku -> joji is the ultimate influencer to popstar pipeline

[@wantedu2812]

His rebrand was the best Ive ever seen

[@georgiamalkin5633]

Breaking into the long-form content niche bestie

[@aeches]

i think this is a very interesting video. conan gray was really good pre-tik tok heather-days. Sunset Season was amazing, and I remember when he was still uploading covers. The tiktok influence pipeline i feel like ruins artists because they form into this specific mold, instead of something creative.

[@shelbysamford2102]

I like the longer videos and video essay format, you are endless entertainment and literally make me laugh out loud

[@Sherpai123]

I think Corpse's career is also interesting considering his single hit gold today without there being a big label involved

[@shari4756]

Disappointed that this video didn't end with Mike dropping his debut single, "Masters degree"

[@lizawallman]

Looking forward to Mike's journey from influencer to pop star edit: oops sorry for calling you an influencer! not sorry for calling you a future pop star though

[@mikesmic]

an attack an offense an affront but life goes on

[@ermkayyy]

Can't believe "It's Everyday Bro" actually got deleted from my entire memory & I just remembered it when you mentioned it

[@xedrasiv]

I have never heard any of the names you talked about in this video except Paris Hilton but I am very thankful that you are educating me

[@Aman-mf2ml]

"Dixie seems like a nice person" love how he's being so careful lmao

[@ad1t1_s]

It's ok bestie you can say she really seems to suck!!

[@beefy74]

@@ad1t1_s he’s an adult and she’s a minor... and he also doesn’t know her irl... some teenagers are wayyyy too comfortable with hating on people just because they’re famous.

[@daksharawal3906]

@@beefy74 she's 19

[@beefy74]

@@daksharawal3906 my bad! i still don’t think the hate for both d’amelio sisters is justified. none of us know them personally and we will likely never know. acting like they curb stomp puppies in their spare time because you don’t like them is WEIRD. they may be rich and famous, but shit man, they’re still human. and still young women. trying to degrade them for no good reason is, again, WEIRD.

[@crazykenna]

I remember the first time I felt old was when a bunch of vine stars showed up at an awards show and I didn’t recognize any of them. But now that you talk about all of these people on TikTok making music and I don’t recognize any of them I feel like a certified Internet Grandma. This is the true Millennial/Gen Z divide.

[@gabrielaharries8149]

i remember watching troyes videos on youtube, but have no idea who these people from tiktok are

[@milam_is_ok]

the rumours are true, he's an icon he's a legend and he is the moment

[@andohlea]

Really enjoying your approach on delivery and editing…you are so very charming! This sounds like a read but I don’t deeply care or know about what you are talking about…that said I feel like I learn something new in each of your vids and find myself lulled into a calm sense of having gotten to catch up with a friend that always makes me laugh…you got a gift!!

[@WarmZZy]

In the late 90s and early 2000s I think production companies did this by constantly auditioning and debuting pilots for reality shows. If a random contestant on a reality pilot gained a following they would get poached for a different reality show until you had all these people with individual “followings” in one house, competing to be the best investment for a production company. Then the most notable of those (whether or not they win the show they’re on) goes on to have a career in Being Famous

[@gansey97]

not us talking about troye's yt channel like its ancient history... im so oLd!!

[@Tucciiz]

This is exactly the sort of thing that Mike is actually qualified to make a 29 minute video about. This and full stack development or something...

[@emilyhr33]

red velvet’s dumb dumb at the start?? knew this was gonna be a banger vid from the beginning.

[@kaemincha]

THESE PAST TWO VIDEOS HAVE ABSOLUTELY SLAPPED. The deep dives are so good.

[@AK-cx6di]

I live for the 1 second of kpop songs at the beginning of mike’s videos