Lilly Singh
Canadian YouTuber (born 1988) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lilly Saini Singh[6] (born September 26, 1988)[7][8] is a Canadian YouTuber, television host, comedian and author. She began making YouTube videos in 2010. She originally appeared under the pseudonym Superwoman (stylized IISuperwomanII), her YouTube username until 2019.
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| Lilly Singh | |||||||||||||
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Singh in 2022 | |||||||||||||
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| Born | Lilly Saini Singh September 26, 1988 Scarborough, Ontario, Canada | ||||||||||||
| Education | York University (BA) | ||||||||||||
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| Website | lillysingh | ||||||||||||
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| Also known as | IISuperwomanII (2010–2019) | ||||||||||||
| Years active | 2010–present | ||||||||||||
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| Subscribers | 14.3 million[1] | ||||||||||||
| Views | 3.53 billion[1] | ||||||||||||
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Last updated: August 31, 2024 | |||||||||||||
Singh released her documentary A Trip to Unicorn Island (2016) and her first book How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life (2017), which was a New York Times Best Seller. From September 2019 to June 2021, Singh acted as executive producer and host of the NBC late-night talk show A Little Late with Lilly Singh.[9][10] She is the first person of Indian descent to host an American late-night talk show.[11][12][13]
Early life and education
Singh was born and raised in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her parents, Malvindar Kaur and Sukvindar Singh,[14] are Indian Punjabi immigrants from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India and raised her as a Sikh.[15] Lilly's older sister, Tina (born 1982), is also a YouTuber; she makes videos about her family life with her husband and their three sons, under the name 'The Tina Singh' (formerly 'MOM BOSS OF 3').[16] Singh had said she was a tomboy as a child.[17] She attended Mary Shadd Public School during her elementary years, and in 2006 she graduated from Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute in Malvern, Toronto.[18] She was a member of Girl Guides of Canada and participated in their youth programs.[19][non-primary source needed] In 2010, she graduated from York University in Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.[20][21]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
YouTube channel and breakthrough (2010–2014)
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In October 2010, Singh started a YouTube channel under the pseudonym "IISuperwomanII". Starting out, She had intended to go to graduate school as her parents had requested, but chose to make YouTube videos and decided that she would return to graduate school if her YouTube career did not progress.[citation needed] In December 2011, Lilly created a second channel called "SuperwomanVlogs", now titled "Lilly Singh Vlogs", where she chronicles her daily activities and includes behind the scenes footage from her videos.[citation needed] She used it as a second channel to upload videos until August 2014, when she began uploading vlogs.[citation needed] Singh appeared as a background dancer in the movies Speedy Singhs and Thank You in 2011.[22] When Singh acquired 100,000 subscribers in 2012, she applied to YouTube for monetization on her videos. When YouTube accepted, Lilly "became more career-minded" and bought her first camera for $699.[23]
In August 2013, Singh was featured alongside Jassi Sidhu in his Punjabi song Hipshaker. She rapped in the song Mauj Ki Malharein, which played in the Bollywood drama Gulaab Gang in August 2014.[24] In July of the same year, Lilly released a song titled #LEH in a collaboration with her friend, author and rapper Kanwer Singh, who is known by the pseudonym "Humble the Poet".[25] In 2014, Singh appeared in a small role in the Canadian production Dr. Cabbie. In the same year, she was nominated for a Shorty Award and a Streamy Award.
In 2015, Lilly Singh ranked 8th on Forbes' list of World's Top-Earning YouTube Stars.[26] In 2016, she was included in Forbes list of world's highest paid YouTubers ranking third and earning a reported $7.5 million.[27] In 2018, she was once again ranked on the Forbes list of the world's highest-paid YouTube stars, in tenth place, earning a reported $10.5 million. As of February 2022 she has 14.7 million subscribers and over three billion video views.[28][29][30][31]
Career expansion (2015–2018)
Singh recorded and released another music video in February 2015 titled The Clean Up Anthem in collaboration with Canadian artist Sickick.[32] In March 2015, Singh began a world tour called "A Trip to Unicorn Island", adapting her YouTube content and including singing, dancing, music performances, comedy, and her parent characters.[33] Her tour covered India, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and the United States. She documented the tour in her first feature movie, A Trip to Unicorn Island, which also describes how YouTube fame is affecting her life. The movie was released on February 10, 2016, on YouTube Red (now called YouTube Premium).[34] Lilly describes the film as being very "raw and genuine".[35]
In April 2015, Singh released a song about her hometown Toronto in collaboration with Humble the Poet titled #IVIVI (roman numerals for 416, Toronto's area code).[36] Lilly received her first MTV Fandom Award, was nominated for two Teen Choice Awards, and won her first Streamy Award later that year. In December 2015, she moved to Los Angeles to further her career.[37] In July 2016, she won two Teen Choice Awards from her three nominations.[citation needed]
In 2016, Singh voiced miniature unicorns named Bubbles and Misty in the animated film Ice Age: Collision Course and played a cameo role in the film Bad Moms.[citation needed] In January 2017, she won a People's Choice Award for "Favorite YouTube Star". In September 2017, Singh won her fourth Streamy Award.[citation needed] Her first book, How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life, was released on March 28, 2017.[38] The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list.[39] Lilly won the award for Best Non-Fiction at the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards. Her 2017 world tour was centered around the book release and key concepts she discussed. A successor book, titled Be a Triangle, was released on April 5, 2022.[40] Singh was cast in HBO's film adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 after recording an audition outside an Internet café in Melbourne, Australia. She was in the region to promote her book and rushed the audition at her agent's urging around 2 a.m. in May 2017.[41] She plays the character of Raven, "a tabloid blogger who works with the fire department to spread the ministry's propaganda by broadcasting their book-burning raids to fans".[42]
In October 2017, Singh hosted SlutWalk, an initiative started by Amber Rose.[43] In November 2017, she was also chosen as an ambassador for Pantene shampoo[44] and partnered with Calvin Klein.[45] In 2018, Singh appeared in the music video for Maroon 5's "Girls Like You" featuring Cardi B.[46]
In 2018, Singh was to star in NBC pilot Bright Futures.[47] The show was later cancelled by NBC and the pilot episode was left unaired.[48] On April 13, 2018, Singh announced that she had launched her own production company Unicorn Island Productions. The company is based in Los Angeles, California.[49]
A Little Late and other ventures (2019–present)
In March 2019, NBC announced that Singh would host a new late night talk show, A Little Late with Lilly Singh, which succeeded Last Call with Carson Daly following its series finale later in the year.[50] She promoted the show during the season finale of America's Got Talent. The show premiered on September 16, 2019, to positive reviews by critics but low audience ratings.[51] On May 13, 2020, NBC renewed A Little Late with Lilly Singh for a second season.[52][53] It premiered on January 11, 2021.[54] On May 6, 2021, Singh and NBC announced that A Little Late with Lilly Singh will end after 2 seasons.
In August 2019, Singh dropped the name "Superwoman" in an Instagram post.[55][56] Singh was also nominated for "Audience Choice Creator of the Year" at the 9th Streamy Awards.
In 2020, Singh partnered with the video-sharing app TikTok to start creating videos on the app. As of July 2023, she has over 1.5 million followers and over 30 million total likes on the app.[57][non-primary source needed][58]
She was scheduled to host the 31st GLAAD Media Awards in March 2020 before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[59] On August 18, 2020, Singh announced on the Today Show that she would star, write, and produce, a sketch comedy show titled Sketchy Times with Lilly Singh. NBC ordered 2 episodes of the show and was shot and filmed in Singh's home.[60][61] The show was released on October 29, on Peacock.[62]
On September 1, 2020, Singh and other celebrities partnered with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics organizing committee to create one of many emblems for the 2028 Summer Olympics. Lilly's "A" represents pride.[63]
On September 11, 2020, it was announced that Singh will voice Penny in Riverdance: The Animated Adventure, released in 2021. It was also announced in October that Singh would be voicing a Pickles in another film, titled Hitpig!, released in 2024.[64] In 2021, Singh signed onto a comedy project (produced by Kenya Barris) on Netflix.[65][66][67] She and her Unicorn Island Productions banner struck a deal with Universal Television Alternative Studio.[68]
Lilly appeared as Liv in the second season of the Hulu series Dollface, which premiered on February 11, 2022.[69] In October 2021, it was announced that Singh would be a judge on the second season of Canada's Got Talent, which premiered in March 2022.[70] She also starred in The Muppets Mayhem for Disney+, which was announced on March 7, 2022.[71] The show received mostly positive reviews.[72][73][74]
On April 6, 2022, Singh released her new book, Be a Triangle.[75][76][77] Following the signing of a first-look deal with Bell Media, it was announced that Singh would host CTV's new primetime quiz show titled Battle of the Generations,[78][79] which premiered on June 19, 2023. In March 2023, Singh co-hosted the 95th Academy Awards pre-show.[80]
In 2024, Singh starred in the film Doin' It, directed by Sara Zandieh and premiering at South by Southwest, receiving mixed reviews from critics.[81] She is set to produce an adaption of the novel Arzu under her Unicorn Island Productions banner.[82] In 2025, she launched a media network for social media content creators with South Asian descent, named Hyphen8.[83]
Public image
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Perspective
Punjabi culture is frequently portrayed in Lilly's videos, which contain satires on people's complaints and prominent issues.[84] Her most popular video is Three Girls, One Elevator (ft. Zendaya & Winnie Harlow) which also promotes her women's empowerment campaign GirlLove, and her most popular series features her fictional parents, Paramjeet and Manjeet, both played by Singh herself, reacting to trending and controversial videos.[84][85][86] She also frequently collaborates with celebrities on her videos.[87]
Singh has been accused of cultural appropriation of African-American culture by such publications as The Huffington Post, Bitch, ColorLines, and Vice.[88][89][90][91][92] Anna Silman of The Cut accused Singh of appropriating both Black and Indo-Caribbean culture on her channel because of her tendency to don a "blaccent", whilst making rap videos sporting chains and cornrows.[93] Tayo Bero of Teen Vogue wrote that "[Singh] falls into a category of non-black people of color in entertainment who have built massive followings often by mimicking black culture and leaning heavily into Black stereotypes."[94] Rachna Raj Kaur and Radheyan Simonpillai of Now similarly criticized Singh's appropriation of black culture due to her use of braids, hip-hop slang and Caribbean accents.[95][96] Singh has responded to the criticism by stating her mannerisms are due to her upbringing, adding "all my friends from Scarborough [Toronto] act exactly like me."[97]
Born to Sikh parents and raised Sikh herself, Lilly Singh nevertheless garnered controversy for her remarks on turbans.[98][99][100] During a visit to Jessica Alba's home, Singh met Alba's two young daughters who were both wearing twisted towels on their heads, to which she responded "They look like my Punjabi friends [...]"[101] On September 27, 2019, BBC reported that Singh had apologized for an on-air joke that compared turbans to bath towels, in which members of the Sikh religion, who wear turbans for spiritual reasons, were angered by her remarks on NBC,[102] with the BBC remarking that "[Singh] has used her platform to often call out public figures who she says deserve to be 'cancelled' for their offences."[102]
Singh expressed her support for the George Floyd protests, and attended one herself in Los Angeles.[103] She was featured in a campaign fundraiser for the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign.[104] Singh also expressed her support for the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest, in various social media posts.[105] In 2023, she expressed her outrage over the killing of Jaahnavi Kandula in Seattle, Washington, on social media.[106]
In 2017, Singh was announced as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, to advocate for children's rights. She has led a campaign called "GirlLove", promoting girls to end girl-on-girl bullying.[107] In July 2018, Lilly travelled to South Africa to meet the students of elementary schools who spoke against bullying and classroom violence.[108] Since 2022, Singh created the "Unicorn Island Fund", a non-profit charity that continues the work of "GirlLove".[109] In 2024, she was appointed as a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals advocate by Secretary-General António Guterres.[110]
Personal life
Singh is an Indo-Canadian who developed a strong connection with her Punjabi heritage during visits to India.[111] Although raised as a Sikh, she stated in an Instagram post that she does not follow any religion, but she strongly believes in God.[112] She struggled with depression and arachnophobia and began making YouTube videos as a way of dealing with her feelings.[113] As a young adult, Lilly lived with her parents in Markham, Ontario. In February 2019, Singh came out as bisexual via social media.[114] In 2022, she was diagnosed with ovarian cysts.[115]
In July 2020, Singh announced that she and other celebrities were bringing a National Women's Soccer League team to Los Angeles, called Angel City FC, which began playing in 2022.[116]
Filmography
| † | Denotes film or television shows that have not yet been released |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Thank You | Unknown | Uncredited cameo in climax scene |
| Speedy Singhs | Bhangra dancer | ||
| 2014 | Gulaab Gang | Herself | Playback singer and in song "Mauj Ki Malharein" |
| Dr. Cabbie | Lilly | Guest appearance | |
| 2016 | A Trip to Unicorn Island | Herself | Documentary; also executive producer |
| Ice Age: Collision Course | Misty / Bubbles (voice) | ||
| Bad Moms | Cathy | [117] | |
| 2017 | F the Prom | Miss Fallsburg | Cameo[118] |
| 2021 | Riverdance: The Animated Adventure | Penny (voice) | [119] |
| 2022 | The Bad Guys | Tiffany Fluffit (voice) | |
| 2024 | Doin' It | Maya | Also executive producer[120] |
| Hitpig! | Pickles (voice) | ||
| 2025 | The Bad Guys 2 † | Tiffany Fluffit[121] | Voice role; in production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Life in Pieces | Amanda[122] | Episode: "Window Vanity Dress Grace" |
| The Chica Show | Herself | [123] | |
| 2017 | Bizaardvark | Herself | Episode: "Paige's Birthday Is Gonna Be Great"[124] |
| Canada: The Story of Us | Herself | Episode: "Connected (1824–1890)"[125] | |
| 2018 | Fahrenheit 451 | Raven | HBO Television film |
| 2019 | The Substitute | Herself | Episode: "Lilly Singh" |
| 2019–2021 | A Little Late with Lilly Singh | Herself | Talk show |
| 2020 | Medical Police | Baroness Von Eaglesburg | Episode: "Real Heavy Hitter" |
| One World: Together at Home | Herself | Television special | |
| Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone | Herself | Television special | |
| The Simpsons | Kensey (voice) | Episode: "The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds" | |
| The Red Nose Day Special | Herself | Television special | |
| WE Celebrate: Class of 2020 | Herself/Host | Television special | |
| Sketchy Times with Lilly Singh | Herself/Various characters | Sketch comedy show | |
| 2021–2022 | Mira, Royal Detective | Cameo | |
| 2022–2024 | Canada's Got Talent | Judge/Herself | Seasons 2-4 |
| 2022 | Dollface | Liv | Recurring role, season 2 |
| Cardi Tries | Herself | Episode: "Cardi Tries Firefighting" | |
| 2023 | The Muppets Mayhem | Nora | Lead role[126] |
| Battle of the Generations | Herself | Host | |
| 95th Academy Awards pre-show | Herself | Co-host[127] | |
| 2024 | Billboard Women in Music red carpet | Herself | Host[128] |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Giving Back Glam | Herself/host | |
| YouTube Rewind 2014: Turn Down for 2014 | Herself | ||
| 2014–2015 | The Tube's Hautest | Herself/ Various Characters | |
| 2015 | Lana Steele: Makeup Spy | Lana Steele | |
| Terminator Genisys: The YouTube Chronicles | Lilly | Episode: "Part Three"[129] | |
| YouTube Rewind 2015: Now Watch Me 2015 | Herself | ||
| 2016 | Epic Rap Battles of History | Wonder Woman | Episode: "Wonder Woman vs Stevie Wonder" |
| YouTube Rewind 2016: The Ultimate 2016 Challenge | Herself | ||
| 2017 | YouTube Rewind 2017: The Shape of 2017 | Herself | |
| 2018 | YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind | Herself | |
| 2020 | Barkitecture | Herself | 1 episode |
| One Nation At Home | Herself | Virtual COVID-19 pandemic Relief Concert | |
| I For India | Herself | Virtual COVID-19 pandemic Relief Concert | |
| 2021 | Girl Talk | Herself | [130] |
| 2023 | Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island | Lilly | [74] |
| TBA | Lilly Singh's Proud Princess | Herself | [131] |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Hold My Heart" | Lindsey Stirling featuring Phelba | Herself (cameo) | |
| "H.A.I.R." | Humble the Poet | Herself (cameo) | ||
| 2018 | "Girls Like You" (Original, Volume 2 and Vertical Video versions) | Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B | Herself (cameo) | [132][133][134] |
Discography
Singles
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2013 | "Hipshaker" (featured by Jassi Sidhu) |
| 2014 | "#Leh" (with Humble the Poet) |
| "Mauj Ki Malharein" | |
| 2015 | "Clean Up Anthem" (featuring Sickick) |
| "#IVIVI" (with Humble the Poet) | |
| 2019 | "Drop Splash Banana" |
Bibliography
- How to be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life (2017)
- Be A Triangle: How I Went From Being Lost Into Getting My Life Into Shape (2022)
Accolades
Summarize
Perspective
In 2014, Lilly's channel ranked at #39 on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels.[135] In September 2015, People magazine included Singh on their annual "Ones to Watch" list.[136] She was also featured in Fast Company Magazine as the 100 Most Creative People in Business.[137] Variety magazine recognized her as one of their 10 Comics to Watch for 2016, and she was honored at the Just For Laughs Film Festival in Montreal. Forbes named her one of the 40 most powerful people in comedy in 2019.[138] On October 19, 2019, Singh was named one of Vogue India's Women of the Year.[139] She also was placed on the Time 100 Next list.[140] She has received an MTV Fandom Award, four Streamy Awards, two Teen Choice Awards and a People's Choice Award. In addition, Singh has received nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award and two Canadian Screen Awards.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award Show | Category | Nominee | Result | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Shorty Awards | YouTube Comedian | Herself | Nominated | [141] |
| Streamy Awards | Best Original Song | "#Leh" (with Humble the Poet) | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | MTV Fandom Awards | Social Superstar of the Year | Herself | Won | [142] |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Web Star: Comedy | Nominated | [143] | ||
| Choice YouTuber | |||||
| Shorty Awards | YouTube Comedian | Nominated | [144] | ||
| Streamy Awards | First Person | Won | [145][146] | ||
| 2016 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Web Star: Comedy | Won | [147][148] | |
| Choice Web Star: Female | |||||
| Choice YouTuber | Nominated | [149] | |||
| Shorty Awards | YouTuber of the Year | Nominated | [150] | ||
| Streamy Awards | Feature | A Trip to Unicorn Island | Won | [151][152] | |
| Audience Choice Entertainer of the Year | Herself | Nominated | |||
| Social Good Campaign | Girl Love Challenge | Won | |||
| 2017 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite YouTube Star | Herself | Won | [153] |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Web Star: Comedy | Nominated | [154] | ||
| Choice Comedian | Nominated | ||||
| Choice Web Star: Female | Nominated | ||||
| Choice YouTuber | Nominated | ||||
| Streamy Awards | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | [155] | ||
| First Person | Won | ||||
| Collaboration | The YouTube Factory (Dwayne Johnson ft. Lilly Singh, Markiplier, Grace Helbig, Roman Atwood, Gigi Gorgeous, Alex Wassabi, LaurDIY, King Bach, Flula Borg and Brittney Smith) | Nominated | |||
| Influencer Campaign | Power Rangers (with Dude Perfect) | Nominated | |||
| Purpose Awards Honoree, Creator | Herself | Won | [156] | ||
| Shorty Awards | YouTuber of the Year | Nominated | [157] | ||
| Goodreads Choice Awards | Best Non-Fiction | How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life | Won | [158][159] | |
| 2018 | Shorty Awards | Creator of the Decade | Herself | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Streamy Awards | Audience Choice Creator of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Social Star | Nominated | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Female Web Star | Nominated | [160] | ||
| Choice Comedian | Nominated | [160] | |||
| 2020 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Female Social Star | Nominated | ||
| Canadian Screen Awards | Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award | A Little Late with Lilly Singh (as host) | Nominated | ||
| GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode | Lilly is Struggling to Date Women (as host) | Nominated | [161][162] | |
| The Queerties | Closet Door Bustdown | Herself | Nominated | [163] | |
| Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program | Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 360 Live (as producer) | Nominated | [164] | |
| 2021 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode | Lilly Responds to Comments About Her Sexuality (as host) | Won | [165] |
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Talk/Topical Show | A Little Late with Lilly Singh (as host) | Nominated | [166] | |
| 2023 | Canadian Screen Awards | Host or presenter, factual or reality/competition | Howie Mandel, Lilly Singh, Kardinal Offishall, Trish Stratus and Lindsay Ell, Canada's Got Talent (as judge) | Nominated | [167] |
| Webby Awards | Corporate Social Responsibility | Johnnie Walker and Lilly Singh Join Forces for Gender Parity in Leadership | Nominated | [168] | |
| 2024 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Female TV Star – Kids Show | The Muppets Mayhem (as Nora Singh) | Nominated | |
| Canadian Screen Awards | Host or presenter, factual or reality/competition | Howie Mandel, Lilly Singh, Kardinal Offishall, Trish Stratus and Lindsay Ell, Canada's Got Talent (as judge) | Nominated |
See also
Notes
References
External links
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