6 TikTok Stars Who Found Mainstream Success
TikTok stars are taking over everything.
At least, that's what it feels like. Every time we turn around, another one of these teen sensations has found their way off the app and into the thrill of conventional fame.
If you're curious about teens who aren't just TikTok famous anymore, keep scrolling for six stars who found mainstream success through the app.
Loren Gray
Loren Gray first rose to recognition on musical.ly, the American version of TikTok, before the two apps merged last year. After gaining more than 28 million followers, Loren switched her attention to acting, modeling and dancing. Since then, she's become the host of her own Snapchat show, Glow Up, and signed with Virgin Records to create her own music. She's also received nominations at the People's Choice Awards, the Teen Choice Awards, and the VMA.
Baby Ariel
Baby Ariel is also an OG social star who rose to fame on musical.ly. In 2016, she signed with prominent talent agency CAA and was later cast on Disney's Bizaardvark. She's released several songs since her first single in Dec. 2017, and has expanded her fame into multiple gigs on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon TV shows. She's also gained a prominent following on both YouTube and Instagram, where she keeps her followers informed about all the many happenings in her life.
Jacob Sartorius
Jacob Sartorius first found social media fame in 2015 when he posted videos of himself lip-syncing on his various accounts. He now has over 21 million fans on TikTok. However, his success goes beyond the app. He released his first single, "Sweatshirt" in 2016, which landed on the Billboard streaming charts. He's continued to make music after that initial success, releasing his fourth EP in May 2019. Most notably, he dated Stranger Things sweetheart Millie Bobby Brown, a relationship that helped expand his growing public image.
Annie LeBlanc
Annie LeBlanc first found social media success on her family's YouTube channel "Bratayley." Eventually, she branched out to TikTok, where she pursued her music, and gained a massive social media following in the process. She expanded her online success when she was cast on the Brat web series Chicken Girls. She also starred in another Brat series, A Girl Named Jo, and a film called Intern-in-Chief. In 2018, she signed a deal with Nickelodeon and started her own web series, Camp Nick. Although she's far beyond her TikTok days, she still has 13 million followers on the app.
Josh Richards
Josh Richards first rose to stardom on TikTok primarily because of his good looks. His large following got him cast in three movies, including Brother's Keeper and Summertime Dropouts. He's also a pretty successful model who still has over seven million fans on TikTok.
Lil Nas X
Yes, yes—country-hip-hop's brightest star got his start on TikTok, though it was rather unconventional. Lil Nas X first uploaded his popular song, "Old Town Road" on TikTok in Feb. The tune promptly turned into a meme, spreading the catchy song like wildfire over the internet. Since then, the song has broken the all-time record for the Billboard Hot 100, staying at the top of the chart for 17 weeks. The artist skyrocketed to fame with the song, and now he's set to be a performer at Stagecoach 2020.
Still trying to understand Tik Tok? Click HERE to see what happened when we tried out the app.