Blog #5: The Age of YouTube

This week, we will be discussing “YouTubers.” Whereas the influencers we discuss today are often capitalizing off of their fame on TikTok, back in 2014, YouTube was the place to be. In this post, we will look at how “YouTubers” from years ago used their fame to release music and determine if they are genuine artists or taking advantage of their fame. Keep reading to learn more about Trevi Moran and Troye Sivan.

Trevi Moran

Just as many people we’ve discussed, Trevi Moran jumped into the spotlight at a very young age. Growing up in Southern California allowed her to explore stardom early. Knowing she wanted to be famous as a kid, she auditioned for “The X Factor” at 13 and started a YouTube channel at just 10 years old.

"When I created my YouTube channel, I had full intentions of being a star." - Trevi Moran

She found larger success with the group that called themselves, Our2ndLife (O2L). This group sums up “the age of YouTube” by being famous for doing challenges and pranks, appealing to the middle school and high school aged audiences at the time. They accumulated approximately 3 million subscribers and disbanded in 2014.

However this was not the end for Trevi, who released her song, along with its music video, “Echo,” that same year. In 2020, Trevi publicly came out as transgender through a YouTube video. Her account remains somewhat active, with vlogs, interviews, stories, but mainly all of her music and covers.

Most recently, Trevi has spoken publicly about her journey with substance abuse, and just moved to New York. Her most recent song, “too hot to be this hungover,” explains her realization that she needed to make the difficult decision to put herself into rehab. Moran calls it an anthem.

Troye Sivan

Troye Sivan is another star that has been under the spotlight from a young age. He grew up attending an Orthodox Jewish school in Australia, singing at services for his synagogue. Beginning singing lessons at just seven years old, by 10 he was building a brand through online videos and self-released EPs.

He built his fanbase through his YouTube channel, targeted at GenZ in the mid-2010s. He began by uploading singing videos, but his platform really took off in 2016, after posting vlogs of his life. As he was already a child actor as well, his personality and stories were attractive to viewers, gaining 4 million subscribers by 2016.

According to Matthew Schneier with the New York Times, “He sang his way into YouTubing, YouTubed his way into acting, grew up on webcam (he came out on vlog at 18), and now, ramping up to the release of his second album, is working hard to turn himself into a frisky pop phenomenon.”

Sivan now has two albums, the latest being released in 2018, as well as numerous EPs and singles. Some of his top hits include his collaboration with Lauv, “i’m so tired…” and “YOUTH” off of his first album, Blue Neighborhood. He has also collaborated with Martin Garrix, Kacey Musgraves, and Ariana Grande.

Although beginning on YouTube, Sivan has established himself as a pop icon. This is especially true among the LGBTQ+ community, as the subject of most of Sivan’s music is his sexuality. Sivan serves as an advocate for his young fans struggling with their sexuality.

and inspires others by being unapologetically himself and proud. He does this through his persona, his music, and even his acting roles. These include his roles in Three Months and Boy Erased.

As for his music, his lyrics and performances identify with LGBTQ youth and serve as anthems. This community has helped him become the pop sensation he is today, allowing his YouTube channel to shift to exclusively his music.

Discussion

Trevi Moran and Troye Sivan are just two examples of YouTubers shifting towards music careers. These two in particular started with the intent of sharing music. When considering their start and current content, are Trevi Moran and Troye Sivan artists or influencers?