Defining Fame: Where does influencer end and celebrity begin?

By Maja Musa ‘28

What is it exactly that differentiates influencers from celebrities? Is it the size of their platform, or perhaps the media through which they built their career? Despite the fact that many influencers gathered millions of followers on TikTok, Instagram or other social media, in the eyes of many they are not considered as ‘important’ as traditional celebrities. After the photos of TikTok stars at the Met Gala, biggest Fashion Week shows, or the Grammys come out, a discourse begins online almost immediately; should they really be there? And why? Still, in spite of the differing opinions on how much fame and fortune influencers really ‘deserve’, it is undeniable that some influencers managed to grow and transform their social media careers in such ways that they are now face to face with our beloved traditional celebrities. Social media influencers seem to turn into pop stars today just as Disney Channel stars used to some years ago, and great recent examples of this are Troye Sivan and Addison Rae. 

It seems like everyone online is familiar with Troye Sivan’s big hits, like Rush and One Of Your Girls, but what not many people are aware of is the fact that Troye started his public career on YouTube. He first began posting videos in 2007, but his audience reached a significant number only in 2012. His early beginnings were marked by song covers, and later he became known for his comedic videos and a number 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 Troye expanded his music career with two more albums, another EP and a number of 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 or Ariana Grande. Timothee Chalamet’s SNL skit where he dressed as Troye Sivan went viral on all social media platforms, becoming a staple Halloween costume. By collaborating with all these different celebrities, Sivan makes an appearance on the For You Pages of several different demographics, expanding his own and becoming a favourite for fans of different tastes. 

Another influencer-beginning to turn 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, making an appearance in 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” (The Daily Californian). People found resonance in her music, and some even compared her to cult classics, like Britney Spears’ or Madonna’s pop. Rae is quickly climbing up the ladder of pop music, and at this pace might easily become the next pop icon.

So if this worked so well for Troye and Addison, why did it fail for other influencers? There are several TikTok influencers who attempted at launching music, but never saw the results that might have been expected. What Addison did differently, however, is the fact that she played the long game. Addison did not fully exploit all of her fame back when she was on top of the TikTok world, as other influencers did, creating a number of brands which had little to nothing to do with their image, only to then experience a downfall. Such is the example of the D’Amelio sisters, who launched a footwear line, a skincare line, a food and beverage company, and multiple clothing brands or collabs with brands. While some of these businesses were successful for the D’Amelios, they did not bring them a steady, long-term relevance which Addison’s music could potentially bring her. Even after the initial criticism of her debut single Obsessed or her movie She’s All That, Addison continued creating and now finds herself really living that life. Perhaps it was Troye and Addison’s decision to enter into 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, better and different than 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. Some 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. A YouTuber who did reach success in his music career is Conan Gray, who now has seven albums and a large pool of fans. Nevertheless, none of these influencers ever came close to the stardom Troye Sivan is experiencing today. 

Troye and Addison both succeeded in their descent into stardom for multiple reasons. Right now, Addison’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 into her performance, Addison assured its virality and cemented the hit. Last year, Troye 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-pop stars 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.” (InStyle) Wherever the line between an influencer and a celebrity is, they seem to be walking it, with Troye one foot into the celebrity ground already. Whether one finds former influencers worthy of such stardom or not 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 every day and make us bop or 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.