Top 10 YouTube Celebrities and VIDEOS: Justin Bieber, PSY, Conor Maynard, and More
YouTube has helped create profitable careers, lovable memes, and celebrities fit for the internet age. Here is list of the Top 10 Celebrities of YouTube.
10. Keyboard Cat
The memory of Fatso the tabby cat lives on after his death in 1987 as he now has a place on YouTube under the name Keyboard Cat. Videos were posted of the cat wearing a blue shirt and playing a song on a keyboard with the unseen help of his owner and YouTube user Charlie Schmidt. The "Play him off, Keyboard Cat" video was developed by Brad O'Farrell with Schmidt's permission and has since created an internet meme of people being played off by the feline.
9. Rick Astley
While he might of rose to fame in the 1980's, Rick Astley became an internet celebrity with the meme "Rickrolling." Users that have experienced the meme were victims of a bait and switch where they click on a link that takes them not to what they originally planned on viewing. The links all lead to a YouTube clip of Astley singing his 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up.
8. Smosh
One of the Most-Subscribed channels on YouTube is Smosh, which is the creation of Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. The comedic duo started posting videos in 2005 that focus on anything humorous. They have a long list of different comedic sketches that helped launched the name Smosh into the public's eye.
7. Fred
American actor Lucas Cruikshank is responsible for the creation of the hyperactive high-pitched character known as Fred Figglehorn. The videos posted on YouTube feature the teenage actor playing a fictional 6-year-old boy who has a penchant for screaming. His popularity even jumped from YouTube to his own movie Fred: The Movie.
6. Conor Maynard
Conor Maynard gained quite a following last year after he won MTV's Brand New for 2012 award. His rise to fame came from his covers of song such as Beautiful Monster and Run. The videos gained the attention of American singer Ne-yo who saw potential and became a mentor to Maynard.
5. Ebony Day
Newcomer Ebony Day is starting to shake up the world of YouTube with over 18 million attributed to her channel. The 19-year-old singer from the U.K. joined the site on 2009 and is starting to really get noticed for her voice. Currently she is at the top of the list for this year's MTV poll of must watch acts that was previously won by Maynard, according to Dawn.
4. Rebecca Black
Rebecca Black's infamous video Friday came about after her mother paid $4000 for ARK Music Factory to produce a single for her daughter. The video quickly gained millions of views after it was initially uploaded, but the reception by the public was not so kind to the amateur singer. Although the feedback on her initial song was on the mean side, it did not stop her from continuing to post other videos that capitalized on her internet fame.
3. Soulja Boy
DeAndre Cortez Way, known by his stage name Soulja Boy, is an American rap star that started his rise to fame when he released the video of his single Crank That (Soulja Boy) on YouTube. The hit song mixed with the impressive dance skills launched the artist to fame. His single even reached number one the Billboard Top 100 chart. He is currently working on his fourth studio album, according to Vibe.
2. Justin Bieber
Canadian-born pop sensation Justin Bieber is one of the most well-known stars that have come about with help from Youtube. His fledgling career started after his mother posted a video of her son singing Ne-Yo's song So Sick. He started to gain popularity as more of his videos were posted online which caught the attention of manager Scooter Braun. Bieber continued to dominate YouTube with the video for his hit Baby, but lost the title of most watched video on YouTube to this list's number one spot.
1. PSY
South Korean rapper PSY, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, currently stands as the top YouTube personality with his viral hit Gangnam Style. The song was posted on the video streaming website last Julay and reached the historic achievement of 1 billion views on YouTube in December, according to MSN. He had already previously released five studio albums, but the horse-dancing hit made him a global sensation that spawned numerous video copies from fans.