Breaking Barriers to Reach Fans: These Musicians Used YouTube to Carve Their Own Career Paths

From original tracks to covers, YouTube has opened up a new avenue for artists to reach global audiences

YouTube, along with platforms such as Soundcloud has changed the game for the current generation of musicians, and some rising stars owe their careers to the platform where they were discovered. While prominent YouTube stars including Tori Kelly and James Bay are making waves, some of the biggest stars of this era also found their fame and opportunities through YouTube. Here’s a look at the top 10 musicians, who found fame through YouTube.

1. Justin Bieber

Arguably the most famous discovery of the 21st century, Justin Bieber found his footing on YouTube. His video of singing in a local Canadian talent competition led to his discovery by Scooter Braun and soon “Bieber Fever” was born with the collaboration between him, Scooter, and Usher in the mid-2000s with tracks like “Baby”, “Yummy” and more.  Since then, Bieber has emerged as one of the top global artists and a cultural icon for Gen Z with 26 Billboard Music Awards, and millions of records sold.

2. Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran’s backyard and bedroom covers on YouTube still serve as an inspiration for aspiring artists. Sheeran peered out from YouTube to launch his singing career, and his ever-increasing fanbase as well as praise from the media catapulted him to fame. Since then, Sheeran has consistently dropped chart-topping albums and hit songs such as “Shape of You” and “Thinking Out Loud," while collaborating with artists like Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, and more to create #1 hits like “Perfect.”

3. Charlie Puth

Charlie Puth's potential was spotted by famous talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres through a YouTube video, and after that there was no looking back. He was just a college kid, studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, when he found fame on YouTube. After playing on a spot for Ellen, he found global success by collaborating on the single “See You Again” with Wiz Khalifa. Other notable songs like “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” featuring Selena Gomez, and “Attention” soon followed, winning him several accolades including a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy nomination.

4. The Weeknd

Canadian musician, Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, popularly known as The Weeknd, had a rather unique approach to YouTube with his uploads. He started putting out his music anonymously with the account named “xoxxxoooxo". Further, his music did not feature his face, but just had some photos with his music playing in the background. However, his new wave, dream pop music soon gathered traction and pushed him to fame. He debuted in 2009, with notable singles that include “Earned It,” “I Feel It Coming,” and “Blinding Lights,” and went on to win awards including Grammy Awards, Latin Grammy Awards, and Juno Awards.

5. Lana Del Rey

Californian artist Lana Del Rey born Elizabeth Grant, first showcased her husky voice on YouTube. Despite having released a studio album in 2010, she found viral success after releasing her single “Video Games” on YouTube in 2012. She then went on to release notable singles including “Queen of Disaster” and “Summertime Sadness.” Her signature instrumentation and cinematic quality of music has also been featured in films like “The Great Gatsby” with “Young and Beautiful,” and Disney’s “Maleficent” which has her song “Once Upon a Dream.”

6. Shawn Mendes

At a very young age, Mendes started uploading videos of himself playing the guitar and singing on YouTube. He also made videos for video cover contests like the Coca Cola Much Music contest and garnered about 10,000 likes in just one day with one of his covers on Vine. Soon his videos started circulating all over the internet propelling him towards fame. He eventually joined the T-Swift tour squad on her 1989 tour. Further cashing in on his YouTube success, Mendes went on to become a chart-topping artist, with tracks like “Stitches.”  

7. James Bay

James Bay started out by playing small-time gigs at bars and open mic nights and uploaded his work on YouTube. His emotion and passion did not go unnoticed and eventually, the musician gained a massive enough following on Twitter and YouTube to bag a record deal. He started releasing music to reach a bigger audience and his debut album, “Chaos and Calm”, peaked at #1 with one of his best singles being, “Hold Back the River.”

8. Tori Kelly

Tori Kelly first tried her hand at television to become famous by auditioning for American Idol, but was unfortunately rejected by the judges. That did not affect her morale as she went on to upload videos on YouTube, and also learned to play the guitar, while she wrote her own original songs. Her talent was soon recognized by audiences and her internet fame skyrocketed. Since then, she has released four albums, performed with stars like Ed Sheeran, and at events like the Grammys.

9. 5 Seconds of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer gained their following organically on Facebook and Twitter, but they shot to fame with YouTube. Their music was loved and promoted by none other than One Direction member, Louis Tomlinson, who shared a tweet about them, saying that he has been a fan. Due to One Direction’s immense popularity, the music of 5 Seconds of Summer was all over the internet in no time. The young Australians stole the hearts of listeners with their hairstyles and accents.

10. Pentatonix

The music group Pentatonix capitalized on the resurgence of Acapella music in the 2010s. Following the popularity of the movie “Pitch Perfect” which gave rise to the trend, the group debuted as a five-part acapella singing group on YouTube. The group covered pop hits like “Dancing on My Own” and Christmas carols like “Mary Did You Know?” while incorporating beatboxing into their medleys and covers, along with their tight, layered harmonies. They have won two Grammy Awards and produced several hit singles.