Meet the next-gen social media stars

Gone are the days when only grown-ups went viral on social media for their content. Kid influencers are giving adults a run for their money.

. From Instagram to Facebook to YouTube, they are everywhere, cooking, singing and breaking new grounds in entertainment. Open Sesame spoke to these online stars.

. Rocking voice

. Megan Rakesh, all of 10 years, is an Instagram sensation. Listening to music with her mother influenced her deeply, she says. “I always had a keen ear for music. My father, who played with bands, is also an inspiration,” she says.

. Her father Rakesh and mother Anne used to post Megan’s content online through their respective social media profiles earlier. She started her Instagram page ‘Meg and the Miracles’ during the pandemic.

. Megan, a fourth-grader at Carmel Teresa School, Whitefield, Bengaluru, is easily able to manage school and create videos. “I mostly make 60-second reels now, compared to full covers of songs. The video is shot on a phone, mostly in a single take,” she says.

. The best part of a song is selected for the reel. “Since I’m studying online, I am able to balance it all well,” she says.

. Her reels include collaborations, covers and more. Megan’s favourite musicians include Queen, Alicia Keys, Shontelle Layne, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Michael Jackson, to name a few.

. Budding entertainer

. Anantya Anand always loved being in front of the camera. She began posting videos on hairstyles and lookbooks when she was four. She switched to posting comedy and entertaining videos as a six-year-old.

. Her YouTube channel ‘MyMissAnand’ has 12.9 million followers. “I love acting so I am focusing on entertainment now. My mother looks for ideas. Sometimes, I have an idea and we develop it together,” says the 12-year-old. These videos are shot only during weekends. “On weekdays, I concentrate on my classes, study, and play downstairs,” she says.

. Anantya, a student of Vishwa Bharati Public School, Noida, has been shooting in advance as she needs to prepare for her exams. “I don’t feel any pressure when working on the videos as my mother and my team take care of everything,” she explains.

. She likes watching videos by American YouTubers James Charles, Mr Beast, and video creators Norris Nuts.

. Little chef

. Nihal Raj aka Kicha, hailing from Kochi, started cooking when he was four years old. “My father recorded me cooking and posted them on Facebook. Soon enough, we decided to start my own YouTube channel, KichaTube HD,” he says.

. The youngster, who was featured on Ellen DeGeneres’s talk show in 2016, has quarantined special recipes, unboxing videos, and commercials, on his channel. “One of the most interesting recipes I tried during the pandemic was the Dalgona coffee. I gave it my own spin,” he says. Some recipes are harder but it’s always been exciting, says Nihal.

. He started shooting on the dining table. Today, he has a small studio setup at home. Nihal says, “I practice cooking whenever I am free. However, I don’t practice every recipe before I shoot,” he says. Nihal mostly records on weekends. “This doesn’t affect my school schedule.”

. A sixth-grade student of The Choice School, Tripunithura, Kerala, Nihal creates his own recipes at times. He draws inspiration from chef Vikas Khanna — not only for his culinary skills but also for his philanthropy initiatives.

. His favourite channels include Kyrascope Toy Reviews on YouTube and Akshat Singh on Instagram.

. Watch the latest DH Videos here:

Meet the next-gen social media stars

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