If you are aged 25 or older you have probably never heard of Musical.ly. Yet it a major social media platform of choice for tweens and teens. It can claim than 200 million registered users. Its popularity is growing rapidly and there is a core of influencers developing on the platform. Musical.ly’s fans upload more than 13 million videos every day.
If your market is tweens or young teenagers, then you should contemplate working with influencers on Musical.ly to expand your brand awareness.
Musical.ly allows young performers to share short performance videos. The most popular of these are lip-sync videos, although members are now uploading more short videos of original content.
Musical.ly’s young fans are known as “musers”. If people like a muser’s performance they can pay them virtual tips with real money. 75% of the musers are female; 54% are aged between 13 and 24.
Musical.ly provides live-streaming capability in the form of Live.ly.
It has arrangements with all the major studios allowing performers to use their songs on the app. Musical.ly also has an arrangement with Apple Music. This allows their subscribers to play full songs from Apple's catalog on the platform.
Many of these Musical.ly influencers have also earned fame on other social media channels, such as Facebook, SnapChat, and Instagram.
The influencers near the top of this list can command fees of up to $300,000 per sponsored post.
Beauty Influencers
Loren Gray - @lorengray
@lorengray
22-year-old Loren Gray aka Loren Gray Beech is popular on various youth-focused social media channels, including Musical.ly (now TikTok). She enjoys more than 53.5 million TikTok followers as well as 23.7 million on Instagram. She has featured in Teen Vogue and Seventeen magazines.
She wears dramatic makeup to highlight her blonde hair and perfect skin. She is known for her lip-syncing videos combining “genuine facial expressions with knowing winks”. She is an actress, model, dancer, and musician.
Savannah LaBrant - @savv.labrant
@savv.labrant
Fashion blogger, photographer, and dancer, Savannah LaBrant, has made a strong impression on Musical.ly. At 24, she is older than the bulk of the Musical.ly stars here, but with over 30.2 million followers she is clearly popular. Indeed in May 2016, she was the top muser on Musical.ly.
She operates more of a family-oriented page where she also features her partner, Cole LaBrant, and daughter, Everleigh. To a large extent, her immense popularity is due to her including Everleigh in her short Musical.ly videos.
Savannah endorses several brands, including Taudrey. She particularly loves their “Mommy and Me” jewelry sets.
Fashion Influencers
Ariana Renee - @arii
@arii
Florida-based, Ariana Renee, whose father hails from Nicaragua, has embraced the internet. She has a solid following on Instagram as well as Musical.ly, where she now has over 8.8 million followers. Despite her youth, she already has her own record label, as well as clothing and nail polish lines. She is a close friend of Baby Ariel.
Mackenzie Ziegler - @mackenzieziegler
@mackenzieziegler
20-year-old Mackenzie Ziegler found fame as one of Abby Lee Miller’s proteges on Dance Moms. Her older sister, Maddie Ziegler, is an even better known dancer.
Mackenzie is no stranger to making influencers deals and is already worth an estimated $2 million. She released her first album in 2014, and since then has continued to grow her fanbase.
She has also worked with her sister to release a fashion line – the Maddie & Mackenzie Collection.
Music and Singing Influencers
Jacob Sartorius - @jacobsartorius
@jacobsartorius
Jacob Sartorius has just turned 22. He enjoys more than 23.6 million followers on TikTok. An article in Business Insider predicted he may follow Justin Bieber to become the next youth singing sensation.
He made his online debut on Vine in 2014 at age 11, with an anti-bullying video that went viral. Like many young musers, he gained further attention by posting lip-synching videos on Musical.ly. He has since graduated to releasing original music.
Jacob released his debut EP, The Last Text in January 2017, which entered a number of music charts worldwide, peaking at Number 4 in New Zealand’s Heatseekers Albums chart. A single from it, Sweatshirt, entered the iTunes Top 10, and the official music video has received 46 million views on YouTube.
He released a follow-up EP in October - Left Me Hangin'. He has an official music video on YouTube for the first single from the EP – “Chapstick”.
Johnny Orlando - @johnnyorlando
@johnnyorlando
Canadian singer Johnny Orlando was only 14 when he has built a following across the full range of social media, with more than a million followers on each of Musical.ly ( 5 million plus), Instagram (4.3 million), YouTube, and Facebook. His initial videos were cover songs, but he has since branched out to performing original songs. He has begun touring now, having the opportunity to perform live in front of his adoring fans.
Mark Thomas - @markthomas
@markthomas
23-year-old Mark Thomas has gained fame as a social media personality across Musical.ly, Instagram and YouNow. He is best friends with fellow muser, Loren Gray. He currently has about 4.8 million fans on TikTok.
Mark recently released his first EP – Down for a While. He has also released two original singles, “Selfie” and “Mistletoe”.
Bart Baker - @bartbaker
@bartbaker
Bart Baker has built a huge following on YouTube thanks to his music video parodies. This has helped gather him a large following of more than 4.8 million on TikTok as well. At 31, he must be one of the oldest musers on the platform. He recently released his first album, Celebritease, along with two singles, “Drake” and “Kimye”.
In an unusual move, Bart put up a huge billboard in Times Square, New York, in 2016 announcing that he was running for the presidential election – wearing only American flag boxer-briefs.
Dance and Performance Influencers
Ariel Martin - @babyariel
@babyariel
South Florida based Ariel Martin, aka Baby Ariel, has built up over 36.8 million TikTok followers. She won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Muser in 2016. She has taken a stand on bullying, creating the #Arielmovement to curb bullying.
Ariel works with digital talent network and entertainment studio, Collab, to create her videos. These involve extensive choreography. She considers her musical collaborations so important that she left school to study online, giving her more time to devote to Musical.ly.
Ariel has stated that the secret to making a good Musical.ly video is making sure that you have good lighting.
Big brands have discovered Baby Ariel’s allure on Musical.ly, and she has been a feature of CocaCola’s #ShareACoke campaign.
Disney recently cast Ariel to join their show Bizaardvark.
Jojo Siwa - @itsjojosiwa
@itsjojosiwa
21-year-old JoJo Siwa is a young model, singer, dancer, and actress who is popular on Musical.ly, YouTube, and Instagram. JoJo appeared for two seasons in Dance Moms. She has also made appearances, as herself, on several television shows, including the View, Good Day L.A. and New York, and a few Nickelodeon programs.
She has released three singles to date: “Boomerang” in 2016, which won a Platinum certification, and “Kid in a Candy Store” and “Hold the Drama” in 2017.
Jojo won a Kid’s Choice Award in 2017 for Favorite Viral Music Artist.
Mackenzie Davis - @mackxdavis
@mackenziedaviz
Mackenzie is a young dancer who is building a following on Musical.ly (4.3 million followers to date), Instagram, YouNow, and YouTube. The 16-year-old American enjoys sharing her dance choreography tutorials.
She rose to fame on YouTube and YouNow with her channel, dancingwithmackenzie. She creates lip sync and dance videos for Musical.ly as RaddestRedHead. She even performed a duet with Andrew Hale. She makes a point of improving each new video she uploads across her social platforms.
Acting and Comedy Influencers
Cameron Dallas - @camerondallas
@camerondallas
Cameron Dallas is an internet sensation with Generation Z. We have already included him as one of our Top 25 Influencers Crushing it on Instagram. He covers his bases with the social networks that the Millenials most love.
Yet at age 23 Cameron is positively an old man in Musical.ly terms. He is better known for his comedy than his musical skills. He was awarded the Teen Choice Award for Vine’s Most Popular User in 2014.
Liza Koshy - @lizzza
@lizzza
American actress Liza Koshy is an American actress with a large following on Musical.ly, Instagram, and YouTube. She began her social media postings with comedy videos on Vine in 2013 and built her following there to 5 million before Vine closed.
Her largest support comes on Instagram with 13 million followers, and YouTube, where her main channel has over 11 million subscribers. A second channel adds an extra 5 million subscribers.
She often makes short videos for Musical.ly which she then promotes on her YouTube channels, often in compilations.
Liza can claim 45 million followers across her entire array of social network accounts.
Casey Simpson - @caseysimpson
@caseysimpson
Young actor, Casey Simpson, is a Kids Choice Award winner. He has a following of more than 10.1 million fans on TikTok. He also posts compilations of his Musical.ly clips on YouTube.
13-year-old Casey was better known to many kids, however, as Ricky Harper from the Nickelodeon series, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn. He has been acting since 2011 and provided voices for Despicable Me 2.
Kira Koasarin - @kirakosarin
@kirakosarin
American actress and singer, Kira Kosarin, has built up a solid Musical.ly fanbase. She is probably best known for her role as Phoebe Thunderman in the Nickelodeon show, The Thundermans. She was nominated for a Kid’s Choice Award (for her acting) in 2015, 2016, and 2017. She regularly makes short videos for Musical.ly and then posts compilations of them to YouTube.
Lifestyle Influencers
Tyler Brown - @tylerbrown
@tylerbrownwho
20-year-old Tyler Brown is a SnapChat, Instagram and Musical.ly personality. With over 4.5 million Musical.ly fans, he has built up a fanbase who love his style. His fans refer to themselves as Tyler’s Brownies.
He is probably more academic than most of Musical.ly’s young stars, being a straight-A student, averaging a 3.9 GPA in high school.
Conclusion
Musical.ly, now TikTok, has evolved into a dynamic platform where creativity, performance, and influence collide. As the go-to social media app for Gen Z, it has created a thriving space for influencers across various niches—beauty, fashion, music, and comedy. With over 200 million users during its prime, the app proved its ability to amplify young talent, turning ordinary creators into global sensations. These influencers, many of whom began as teens, have used Musical.ly to build multimillion-dollar brands and engage massive audiences across platforms.
For brands targeting younger demographics, partnering with influencers from Musical.ly’s legacy offers immense potential. Their ability to create relatable, engaging content continues to drive trends, foster loyalty, and deliver measurable results. As influencer marketing grows, studying platforms like Musical.ly provides valuable insights into how creative innovation can shape digital strategies and brand success.
Frequently Asked Questions
What made Musical.ly so popular among teens and tweens?
Musical.ly’s appeal stemmed from its unique format that combined lip-syncing, short performance videos, and creative tools. With an easy-to-use interface, vibrant music library, and social sharing features, it quickly became a hub for young creators. Its emphasis on creativity and community, especially through features like Live.ly and Apple Music integration, resonated strongly with its youthful audience.
How did Musical.ly transition into TikTok?
In 2018, Musical.ly was acquired by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, and merged into the TikTok platform. This transition retained Musical.ly’s core features but expanded its capabilities, introducing a broader content range, enhanced video editing tools, and a global audience. TikTok continues to carry the legacy of Musical.ly while evolving into a more versatile platform for creators.
Who are the top influencers that started on Musical.ly?
Some of the biggest names that emerged from Musical.ly include Loren Gray, Baby Ariel, and JoJo Siwa. These creators initially gained fame through lip-sync and performance videos but have since expanded into music, acting, and brand collaborations. Their cross-platform success highlights Musical.ly’s role as a launchpad for influential talent.
What types of brands benefit most from Musical.ly and TikTok influencers?
Brands targeting younger audiences, especially those in fashion, beauty, entertainment, and technology, benefit significantly from Musical.ly and TikTok influencers. These creators excel at producing authentic, engaging content that aligns with Gen Z preferences, making them ideal for promoting products, driving brand awareness, and increasing sales in youth-centric markets.
How much do Musical.ly influencers typically charge for promotions?
Musical.ly influencers with substantial followings, especially those who transitioned to TikTok, can charge anywhere from $500 to $300,000 per sponsored post, depending on their audience size, engagement rate, and niche. High-profile creators like Loren Gray and Baby Ariel often command top-tier fees due to their expansive reach and proven track record in influencer marketing.
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