Defining Fame: Where does influencer end and celebrity begin?
By Maja Musa ‘28
Fig. 1: Arthur Dreyfus, “‘French Chic Is All about Attitude, a Kind of Natural Ease’: Addison Rae Speaks to Vogue France.” Vogue France, 2025.
What exactly differentiates influencers from celebrities? Although many influencers gathered millions of followers on TikTok, Instagram, or other social media apps, in the eyes of many, they are not considered as ‘important’ as traditional celebrities. After photos of TikTok stars at the Met Gala, the biggest Fashion Week shows, or the Grammys come out, a discourse begins online almost immediately—should they really be there? And why? Despite the differing opinions on how much fame and fortune influencers really “deserve,” it is undeniable that some influencers have managed to grow and transform their social media careers in ways that bring them face-to-face with our beloved traditional celebrities. Social media influencers seem to turn into pop stars today just as Disney Channel stars did some years ago, and great recent examples are Troye Sivan and Addison Rae.
It seems like everyone online is familiar with Sivan’s big hits, like “Rush” and “One Of Your Girls,” but what many people are unaware of is that Sivan started his public career on YouTube. He first began posting videos in 2007, and in 2012, his audience reached a significant number. His early beginnings were marked by song covers, and later he became known for comedic videos and of vlogs. In 2014, he released his first EP, TRXYE, known for songs like “Happy Little Pill” and “The Fault In Our Stars (MMXIV)”. The following year, he released his debut album Blue Neighbourhood, and soon Sivan expanded his music career with two more albums, another EP, and several singles. Today, his career has developed so far beyond his YouTube era that many of his current fans and followers remain completely unaware of it.
Sivan is undeniably talented, but this is not the only reason his rise to fame seems so organic. Even in the early years of his YouTube career, Sivan was closely associated with bigger influencers of the time, such as Zoella or Tyler Oakley, making his internet presence even bigger and more influential. Today, as he is diving into the world of music, he surrounds himself with the biggest pop stars of the year, like Charli XCX and Ariana Grande. Timothee Chalamet’s SNL skit, where he dressed as Sivan, went viral on all social media platforms, becoming a staple Halloween costume. By collaborating with all these different celebrities, Sivan makes appearances on the “For You Pages” of several demographics, expanding his audience and becoming a favorite for fans of different tastes.
Fig. 2: Hannah Jackson, “Troye Sivan Is the Ultimate Pop Girl in the ‘One Of Your Girls’ Video” Vogue, 2023.
Another influencer turned popstar was taken under Charli XCX’s wing, and it’s someone we have all heard of: Addison Rae. Rae’s internet career began in 2019, when she went viral for doing dances on TikTok. She later formed connections with other influencers, joining the TikTok-famous Hype House, a house in LA where TikTok stars lived together, and she built friendships with celebrities. She even made an appearance on Keeping Up With The Kardashians! Rae’s single, “Diet Pepsi”, quickly went viral on TikTok and was followed by a remix of “Von Dutch” she made with Charli XCX. Her next single, however, shook the internet. “Aquamarine” was praised for “embracing a kind of lighthearted sensuality.” (1) People resonate with Rae’s music, and some even compare her to cult classics like Britney Spears or Madonna. She is quickly climbing up the ladder of pop music and, at this pace, she might easily become the next pop icon.
So if this worked so well for Troye Sivan and Addison Rae, why did it fail for other influencers? Several TikTok influencers have attempted to release music, but never saw the results they might have been expecting. What Rae did differently, however, was play the long game. She did not fully exploit all of her fame back when she was on top of the TikTok world, as other influencers did. For example, the D’Amelio sisters launched a footwear line, a skincare line, a food and beverage company, and multiple clothing brands or collabs with brands in quick succession. None of these businesses were successful for the D’Amelios, and they did not bring them a steady, long-term relevance, which Rae achieved through music. Even after the initial criticism of her debut single “Obsessed” or her movie She’s All That, Rae continued creating and now finds herself really “living that life.” Perhaps it was Sivan and Rae’s decision to enter the music industry instead of film, fashion, or random skin care lines that cemented their newfound fame. Recently, we have been constantly looking for new music that is different from the old, and they have been giving us just that.
Before TikTok, many YouTubers released music as well, with some songs getting a significant amount of attention, such as Jacob Sartorius’ “Sweatshirt” or HRVY’s “Personal”. Other YouTube stars never got the taste of that kind of fame with their music, like James Charles or Gabby Hanna, whether due to poor production, talent, or the pure meme-ability of the work. On the other hand, Conan Gray, who now has seven albums and a large pool of fans, is an example of a YouTuber-to-musician success story. Nevertheless, none of these influencers ever came close to the stardom Troye Sivan is experiencing today.
Sivan and Rae both succeeded in their ascent to fame for multiple reasons. Right now, Rae’s song “Aquamarine” is all over the internet due to the dance from the music video going completely viral on TikTok. By including a silly and fun dance to her performance, Rae assured the hit’s virality. Last year, Sivan released a music video for his song “One Of Your Girls” in which he wears a full drag and dances with Ross Lynch. The performance was unexpected and quickly took over the internet. These two influencers-turned-popstars are not afraid to shock the people, and that is exactly why they are quickly taking over. Charli XCX’s recent success with her album Brat proves that people are looking for pop music in its ‘original’ form: “simultaneously manufactured but still messy, unapologetic, irreverent and always in on the joke.” (2)
Wherever the line between influencer and celebrity is, Sivan and Rae seem to be walking it. Whether one finds former influencers worthy of such stardom becomes irrelevant in the face of the clear shift happening in the music industry. Influencers seem to know which steps to take to show up on our “For You Pages” and make us bop our heads. Furthermore, Addison Rae and Troye Sivan, following Charli XCX, seem to be on the front lines of a complete genre shift happening in pop music today. It seems like people no longer want a taintless pop princess and are looking for something new, refreshing, and shocking, which is exactly what these artists are providing.
Footnotes:
1. Jordan Montero, "Addison Rae Blows Tired Pop Out of the Water," The Daily California, 2024.
2. Noni Reginato, "Addison Rae is the Popstar We Deserve in 2024," InStyle Australia, 2024.