Fascinating Friday: Lilly Singh, or as we know her, Superwoman

Written by Merlyn Lennies, Editor at Hera.Co.

Edited by Lameena Chowdhury, the Editor Lead at Hera.Co.

What are the bi-weekly Fascinating Fridays blogs by hera.co?

Hera.co’s mission is to empower future female leaders to grow the ambition, bravery, confidence, and self-leadership to pursue their passion💫

In this blog series, we will post a blog every Friday which includes an inspiring story of women. This is not limited only the corporate success, but can also include women survivors’ stories. We hope this series inspires you.

“I know this won’t hurt forever, I know I will make it through this, and I know years from now this won’t matter as much as it does now.” Keep yourself busy in the most creative manner.

Lilly Singh, aka Superwoman, needs no introduction. Thanks to her unwavering dedication to her craft, we’ve seen her grow and reach new heights in the YouTube industry for more than a decade. That is why today we will talk about Lilly’s life story.

Lilly Singh was born and raised in Scarborough, Canada. Her parents were both born in India and immigrated to Canada before she was born: her father in 1972, followed by her mother nine years later.

Singh has been a self-professed “tomboy” since she was a child. She also had a crush on actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson when he was a pro wrestler. She dressed up as him for a school play, kept a life-size cardboard cut-out in her room, and woke up at 5 a.m. to watch fights.

In high school, Singh became interested in bhangra, a traditional Indian dance style. She studied psychology at New York University in 2006. Her parents disapproved of her public dancing, but they eventually let her do it “because I was going to do it anyway,” said Lilly. Lilly graduated from NYU in 2010 and returned to her parents’ home in Markham, a city in Ontario. She got a job at a collections agency, which she hated. “I didn’t have goals. I didn’t feel like eating,” said Lilly. “I told myself, ‘you have a choice: either continue feeling this way or do something to change your life.’”

Lilly soon discovered YouTube. She made her first video at age 22 under the pseudonym “Superwoman.” Lilly’s first popular video was the “Official Guide to Brown Girls,” a collection of humorous and satirical comedy skits about Indian culture. In a single day, it received over 10,000 views. She dedicated more time and money to taking YouTube seriously after that. Lilly came to gain popularity on YouTube for her comedic skits that featured over-the-top characters and alter egos parodying men, her parents, and family members.

“As a brown girl, I don’t think people expect me to say the things I say. And when I do, they’re like ‘oh my god, I feel that way, too, I’ve just never said it.’”

Lilly postponed graduate school and began earning small amounts of money from ad revenue on YouTube videos. In 2013, she had one million subscribers. She relocated from Toronto to Los Angeles in December 2015. “I’ve accomplished so much here,” spoke Lilly. “But I know that it’s going to require me to leave to progress in my career and follow my dreams.”

Singh’s stardom on YouTube skyrocketed from then on. She went on a world tour, signed a book deal, and starred in a movie on YouTube Red. She made thousands of dollars in brand endorsements and purchased a Hollywood condo in 2016.

In 2017, she earned $10.5 million and was ranked number 10 on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid YouTube celebrities. Lilly became the first queer person of color to host a late-night show on a major network and the only female late-night host on a major network. In September 2019, Lilly Singh released “A Little Late with Lilly Singh,” which featured a rap parody similar to her YouTube content.

Lilly holds the label of ‘Superwoman’ in high regard since she believes that being a superwoman is more of a way of life than a title. Lilly has experienced restless evenings and shared dark chambers of her childhood memories. Her path was not as smooth as a waterfall, but each step she took in overcoming her obstacles was like raindrops dropping one after another, filling the lake of success.

Thanks for reading till the end! Stay tuned to our journey ahead.

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