Gaming queen, and beauty expert among those who hit the big time
Rising YouTube stars have amassed more than 18 million subscribers
Their YouTube videos have seen them amass a combined total of over 17 million subscribers, roughly equaling the population of the Netherlands.
But while the next generation of YouTubers are hot real estate online, with their loyal following tuned in for their daily doses of content, their popularity has also spilled over into the real world.
Many of the social media stars have hit the big time, having launched their own merchandise lines, apps and signed lucrative book deals.
Others have landed coveted radio hosting slots and even launched their own beauty series.
Here, MailOnline looks at up-and-coming YouTubers who are captivating millions with their content creations – and how they are turning their success into other businesses.
LDShadowLady
7M YouTube Subscribers, Games and Minecraft
LDShadowLady has over seven million YouTube subscribers and is one of the UK’s top female gamers
LDShadowLady, aka Lizzie, 30, is one of the UK’s top female gaming YouTubers.
Such is her popularity that in 2018, when YouTube looked at data from its most viewed accounts, LDShadowLady was revealed as the second most viewed female UK YouTuber – behind none other than singing sensation Dua Lipa.
She became fascinated by games from an early age, when she sat on her father’s knee while he played video games and began to develop her own interest in Minecraft, World of Warcraft, Burnout games and The Sims.
She has been running her channel since 2010, aged 17, after naming it after her XBOX gamer brand inspired by her favorite YouTuber at the time ‘NDTitanLady’.
LDShadowLady, aka Lizzie, 30, is one of the UK’s top female gaming YouTubers
Her first videos are excerpts from Call of Duty games, because when she started her channel, she dreamed of becoming a Call of Duty YouTuber by commenting on gameplay videos and montages of her best game moments.
With her first Call of Duty videos reaching 300 subscribers after a few months, she switched to Minecraft videos in 2011, and after appearing in another prominent YouTuber’s video, she hit 3,000 overnight got subscribers.
This boost led her to start posting more of her own Minecraft videos and she has grown in popularity ever since.
Her Let’s Play Minecraft series has been a huge success, which she credits as the reason her channel has grown in numbers, with the top rated showing the most exciting and funniest gaming moments.
As a female gaming YouTuber, Lizzie told the Evening Standard: ‘I know a lot of young women look up to me as an example, so I want to show them that women can co-exist with men in the gaming scene.
“The group of people I make YouTube gaming videos with includes a mix of genders and I feel it’s important to show younger players that there doesn’t have to be a divide and that we can all work together harmoniously.”
Outside of gaming, she has a cat named Buddy who occasionally appears on her channel and she studied computer animation and visualization at Liverpool John Moores University.
Lilly Sabri
4M YouTube Subscribers, Fitness & Workouts
Lilly Sabri (32) is one of the world’s fastest growing fitness influencers
Often referred to as the ‘female Joe Wicks’, Lilly Sabri, 32, is one of the world’s fastest growing fitness influencers, with her channel beating that of Body Coach TV (which has 2.82 million subscribers).
Her posts about real-time workouts and challenges bring a staggering four million subscribers to her YouTube channel.
But it took hard work: Lilly spent five years posting online content and offering face-to-face classes with low attendance.
When the world shut down, her channel saw success, going from 30,000 subscribers before Covid to 3.5 million in just 12 months.
In addition to workout videos, she also posts step-by-step guides and lessons on how the body works
“During the lockdown, I think people were looking for real-time, follow-up workouts where people had personality,” Lilly told Metro.
‘People just wanted a connection and when they discovered me it wasn’t just the one workout, all my hard work finally paid off and I was able to give people everything they needed in terms of being healthy, both physically and spiritual.
‘I started uploading twice a day and doing lives at night and I felt like I was on a hamster wheel, but I had an opportunity to help people and when I kept being told, “You saved me,” did it just mean a lot.’
As well as workout videos, the licensed physical therapist and an APPI Pilates instructor post step-by-step guides and lessons on how the body works.
She also likes to tell her viewers about the science behind workouts, sharing her knowledge of muscles, bones and movements with her loyal followers.
Her dog Teddy also likes to make frequent cameo appearances.
She also launched her Lean With Lilly app in June 2021, which already had up to 80,000 users signed up to it within 24 hours of going live.
Jack Edwards
1.2M YouTube subscribers, books and lifestyle
Billed as YouTube’s ‘resident librarian’, Jack Edwards loves his book vlogs
The 24-year-old content creator has grown to become one of the top book influencers and is considered YouTube’s ‘resident librarian’, with some of his most popular videos reaching over 300,000 views.
Whether it’s talking about a particular book trend or showing his followers the best coffee shops to read in New York, where he recently moved, Jack is dedicated to turning his loyal followers into avid readers.
His series in which he reads the books with which celebrities have been photographed – from Harry Styles to Bella and Gigi Hadid – was an instant hit.
The internet sensation started his YouTube channel to document the ups and downs of college, assuring others that if he can find his feet, so can they.
Since graduating from Durham University with a degree in English Literature, Jack has gone from book vlogger to best seller with his ‘ultimate university survival guide’ The Uni-Verse.
He focuses his content on making literature accessible to everyone and now also collaborates in the publishing industry by posting videos about his current readings.
Matthew and Ryan
874K YouTube subscribers, LGBT community and relationships
Matthew and Ryan are a couple from Southampton, whose YouTube channel focused on equality and the empowerment of those in the LGBT community
Matthew and Ryan are a couple from Southampton, whose YouTube channel focused on equality and empowering those in the LGBT community brings in viewers from around the world.
Their ‘love is love’ message is a hit with fans, with the pair sharing all aspects of their lives on their channel.
Their content focuses on normalizing same-sex relationships and encouraging conversations about LGBTQ+ issues, as well as focusing on lifestyle, fashion, comedy sketches and travel adventures in their van.
As their social media following continues to grow, with almost one million followers on YouTube alone, the couple are mobbed by admirers while out shopping or on a trip to the theater, but said: ‘We’re used to it.
The Southampton-based couple have amassed more than 874,000 YouTube subscribers
‘Where it happened gradually, it wasn’t a problem for us. We enjoy meeting people.’
The pair met on the popular dating app Tinder in 2016 and decided to start their eponymous YouTube channel ‘Matthew & Ryan’ together.
The content is always family friendly and is particularly popular with the LGBT community with the gay couple offering advice and help on coming out and sexual orientation.
Since their rise to fame, the couple have appeared on a TV commercial, hosted award ceremonies and even launched ‘Pots with Pride, a small pottery business.
Matthew’s dedicated pottery channels have amassed over 750,000 followers through both video and live streaming content.
Chewz
2.61M YouTube Subscribers Comedy Sketch
Chewkz, real name Jesse Chuku is a 34-year-old YouTuber based in London
Chewkz, real name Jesse Chuku is a 34-year-old London-based YouTuber known for his comedy videos comparing American and British terms and accents.
One of his most viewed YouTube videos is about ‘when British people say water in the US’, with over five million views – its popularity has even seen Chewkz sell merchandise with the catchphrase ‘BO’OH’O ‘WHERE’ .
Before starting his channel in 2019, Chewkz moved to the US to pursue his dream as a professional basketball player and graduated with a psychology degree from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
His Instagram now showcases his glamorous lifestyle, including modeling shoots, movie premieres and hosting a slot for BBC Radio 1’s Christmas Takeover.
One of his most viewed YouTube videos is about ‘when British people in the US say water’, with over five million views
Shxts’n’Gigs Podcast
577,000 YouTube subscribers, conversations and ‘icks’
James and Fuhad’s Shxts’n’Gigs podcast has received rave reviews since launching in 2019
James and Fuhad’s Shxts’n’Gigs podcast has received rave reviews and even charted at number three on Spotify since the pair of best friends from Northampton launched it in 2019.
Popularized for their viral ‘icks’ and ‘Twitter Hall Of Fame’ segments, Shxts’n’Gigs talk to Gen Zers who can’t get enough of their full and unfiltered opinions on anything that comes to mind.
Their hilarious feature exploring the horrifying world of ‘icks’ (one small thing someone does is an instant turn off) has gone viral, with them now being dubbed ‘the ick guys’ across social media.
Their viral ‘icks’ segments have seen their following skyrocket across all social media platforms, with tens of thousands on YouTube alone
It can be anything from someone chewing hard to overusing a joke. The hosts respond to examples sent in by viewers and roast themselves in the process.
Their topics of conversation include current celebrity gossip, binge-worthy TV shows and the aforementioned ‘icks’, which have seen their following skyrocket across all social media platforms, with tens of thousands on YouTube alone.
Kaiser Coby
585K YouTube subscribers, beauty and fashion
Ultra-glamorous Kaiser Coby is a YouTube beauty guru
The uber-glamorous Kaiser Coby is a YouTube beauty guru who shows her loyal followers how to achieve her flawless makeup and skincare routines, some of which have garnered millions of views.
The success of her channel has brought her into contact with top beauty brands, with whom she now collaborates, including The Body Shop, Max Factor, Avon, Nivea, Byoma and more.
She’s also documented having acne to help others struggling with the skin condition, as well as share her tried-and-true advice for those with blemish-prone skin.
Last year, the natural beauty launched her own makeup collection in partnership with vegan brand Nudestix, which includes liner, blush, highlighter and gloss.
