If you’ve been scrolling on TikTok in any capacity over the last three years, chances are you’ve come across Jax, a talented pop singer-songwriter who also became a social media sensation overnight.
This past Friday, R&B/pop singer-songwriter, Alicia Creti released her first standalone single, “Strange”. Born in Montreal, Canada, Creti has recently been signed to Atlantic Records and since then has been on a roll of releasing powerful music.
Sarah Kambe Holland, 25-year-old Gen Z filmmaker, discusses the first feature film to be crowdfunded on TikTok, EGGHEAD & TWINKIE, a coming-of-age story about an Asian-American teenager who comes out to her parents and goes on a road trip to meet her online crush with her nerdy best friend.
Carter Kench was a delight to interview as we discussed moving and celebrating the holidays in the West as fellow Southerners, his TikTok presence and inspirations, and his partnership with International Delight this season.
Image of Ben Jeffries (left) & Sam Kimmel by Laurie Heifetz.
It was standing room only at the “Why Marketers are Winning Big on TikTok” talk at Advertising Week New York last month. The annual event was held at the sparkling, new Lower East Side venue, The Market Line. Ben Jeffries, the CEO of Influencer.com, and Sam Kimmel, of Strategic Global Creator Partnerships at TikTok, participated in the “fireside chat.”
Remember the “As Seen on TV” product tag? Ben mentioned that “As Seen on TikTok” is very prevalent now. Sam said that 83% of the TikTok audience misses shopping in person. She described going to the mall with your mom, sister and best friend — “the community aspect of shopping — that went away during Covid.”
“TikTok became somewhat of a digital mall. You had the ability to discover random products. It almost felt like window shopping in the mall,'” she observed. She also said that the community aspect included commenting and sending videos to friends and family. “The joy and engagement around shopping were recreated,” she stated.
Ben said that e-commerce was happening, but live shopping was the most prevalent. Sam offered that creators have been such a critical piece in driving shopping behavior on TikTok. One of three users have bought something because a creator recommended it, she told the audience. “A lot of that comes back to core principles of TikTok, that authenticity, because we’re not that filtered, polished aspirational content. People trust creators and don’t feel they’re being hard-sold to.”
“Creators, or influencers, were often thought of as a media tactic, and it was the last step of your campaign,” she continued. “Now the brands develop products with the creators.” A striking example is Addison Rae, who went on to have her own top-selling line at Sephora.
And what does the future hold? Sam stated, “Research shows that the creator economy is going to be valued at over $100 billion next year.”
Advertising Week Iconic Brand Mascot:
Image by Laurie Heifetz
Advertising Week Logo: Image by Laurie Heifetz
If you’ve been on Tiktok at all lately, you’ve definitely heard Omar Apollo’s voice. He’s the singer of “Evergreen,” a track that has gone viral on TikTok and listeners truly can’t get enough of the beautiful mellow beat and stunningly written lyrics. The track’s widespread popularity has helped boost the song to enter the Spotify and Apple Music charts and eventually debut on Billboard Hot 100 at number 62 for the week ending of October 1st, earning Omar his first-ever entry on the chart. In response to the rising success, the song was chosen as the album’s next single and was later sent to contemporary hit radio on October 4th, making it his first-ever radio single. It’s been an incredible year for him, as in addition to his solo tours, Omar has also performed at Coachella, Something In The Water and All Points East festivals.
Omar has partnered with Buchanan’s Scotch Whisky for their upcoming Buchanan’s 200% Futuro campaign, celebrating those who are embodying 200% spirit – proudly living a 100% Hispanic and 100% American, and shaping today’s future. As one of music’s most exciting new artists, the Indiana-raised first generation Mexican-American artists’ 200% spirit shines in his unique musical style that bends genres and blends languages.
Hear more about Buchanan here!
We sat down with Omar to talk all about his music and what it all means to him. Check it out!
The Knockturnal: First of all, congratulations! I’ve been hearing the song all over tiktok, that’s so exciting. This is your first time charting on the billboard 100 with your recent chart breaking song evergreen, how does that feel?
Omar Apollo: I mean it feels really great because I feel that evergreen wasn’t me trying to make a song that was going to go on billboard. It came from a real place, and I really love soul music, so it’s really cool to get to make soul music.
The Knockturnal: You have a lot of really exciting things coming up, the deluxe edition of your album and your solo tour coming up, tell me a little about that.
Omar Apollo: In the summer I released the deluxe edition and now I’m getting ready to go on tour. I’ve been working on it for awhile, I’ve been working on stage design. It’s called the prototype tour, and I leave in like a week or something like that. Yeah, I’m excited.
The Knockturnal: You talked a bit about Evergreen being soul music and how when you were writing it, you wanted to channel something a little more. Tell me a bit about what you think that song means.
Omar Apollo: I feel like a lot of my music in the past few years has been about longing, and these torch songs. It was, I feel like, influenced by the music that my parents played me growing up. They’re all these romantic love songs from the 50’s in mexico.
The Knockturnal: You’re supporting some businesses through the 200% Futuro campaign,why would you say that it’s important to fuel the futures of these businesses and nonprofits? What does it mean to you?
Omar Apollo: I usually only want to partner with brands that i feel are are aligned with what I want to represent, and Buchanan’s has been a part of, I’ve seen my uncles drinking it since forever, so it’s been cool to partner with The Plant Shop and Tacos Sublime, and The Futuro Fund which is a fund that Buchanan started that basically donates one million dollars over the course of five years to these latino owned businesses and supporting these creatives, which I think is really sick.
The Knockturnal: What would you say it means to you to be a 200%er through your lens, being 100% Mexican and 100% Midwest?
Omar Apollo: I think it just means that in the land of cultures, I was fully born in Indiana but I had the influence of my parents and my cousins. The culture was still very much alive and brought to Indiana,and it still is and is surfaced in many different ways. Like the restaurants, the stores, the events, all those things are a new culture. We have spanglish, I go to Mexico and they probably won’t know some of the things I say, it’s a new thing I hear.
The Knockturnal: How would you say that you embrace your culture through your music/fashion/style?
Omar Apollo: For sure. My mom, she’s known that I’ve loved dressing myself for as long as I can remember. When I was younger I did a lot of Baile folklórico, mexican folk ballet, and since then I’ve been able to bring that kind of thing to stage, as well as the mariachi clothes and things like that.
The Knockturnal: What’s it like to be on tour? What are the emotions associated with that?
Omar Apollo: Being on tour, you definitely have to build a new tolerance for things. You have to go in knowing it’s going to be a stressful environment. This will definitely be a better experience because I have two tour buses now, before everyone was cramped in one. You have to be kind if you build this tolerance of preparing yourself mentaly. As long as you do that it’s very fun and rewarding for sure.
The Knockturnal: You’re absolutely blowing up lately. What do you want new listeners to know about you?
Omar Apollo: The way that things are represented, I think would be nice to have when I wanted to be in the music industry, I wish there were more latinos. So I hope that in that way I could inspire or push something and make somebody want to wake up and do something. I know that sounds corny but we all gotta do something, everyones gotta make money you know?
The Knockturnal: What are you most excited for in the coming weeks?
Omar Apollo: I have a Jimmy Kimmel performance that I’m rehearsing for today and then touring. I think all of my energy has been going into it, all of the specific styling and stuff. I think that’s what I’m most excited for?
What started as a social media TikTok group to inspire Asian American youth, is now transforming into the hottest new boy band. North Star Boys, or NSB, is a seven member group consisting of Oliver Moy, Sebastian Moy, Justin Phan, Ryan Nguyen, Kane Bray, Darren Liang, and Regie Macalino. Debuting on August 28th, 2021, North Star Boys was created by brothers Oliver and Sebastian Moy who brought together some of their best friends to take a leap of faith and pursue their dreams in their emerging social media careers. Now the boys are gearing up to once again take a chance on themselves with the recent drop of their newest song ‘Sunshine‘ following their debut single ‘You Are My Star‘. Since its release, the music video has already surpassed 740,000 views on YouTube and 275,000 listens on Spotify. Creating content is easier said than done, but with over 5.3 million followers on TikTok alone clearly these boys are doing something right. Now these international sensations are in the process of completing a tour having just performed in The Philippines, Florida, and currently performing in Texas.
When we spoke to the boys about their careers, we asked them if music was always the end goal when they started their rise to fame. Oliver responded by saying, “We came together to create content and that was something we were all already dabbling into. Music is just something that we all discovered that we all have a passion for.” Through this shared passion an idea was sparked to try their own hand at making music that feels authentic to themselves and communicates their love for their fans, their ‘Stars’. Oliver added that, “Through North Star Boys, we’re noticing that there’s a lot of opportunities for us to be able to turn that spark of passion into a burning flame.” Now these boys are diving in head first into the music world and we can’t wait to see how they do.
Check out our interview with the boys to hear them talk about how important Asian representation is, what tour has been like, and what songs are on their playlist right now.
Be sure to follow North Star Boys on their Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook accounts. Don’t forget to also check out our TikTok @theknockturnal.com and follow us on Instagram @theknockturnal for clips and interviews of your favorite celebrities and exclusive events.
The Knockturnal: Please tell us a little about yourself.
Sam Paige: “I am a content creator who blew up on TikTok during the COVID-19 quarantine. I have 3 million followers, I am 27 years old, and grew up in Connecticut but currently reside in South Florida.”
The Knockturnal: If your life was a theme song what would it be and why?
Sam Paige: “Juice” by Lizzo would be my theme song. “I resonate with so many aspects of Juice. Lizzo sings, “If I’m shining, everybody gonna shine.” If I am shining I want all my friends and family to shine. Also, on the internet, I want everyone to feel like they are so beautiful and the best version of themselves… literally shining. A Lizzo “Juice” line states, “I was born like this, don’t even gotta try.” I was born like this, I was born thick and fat. It is what it is and I am rockin’ with it. Another line I resonate with is, “I’m like Chardonnay, get better over time.” I, like many others, was not one of those girls that peeked in High School. I am out here growing and becoming my better self each and every day. Lizzo: “Heard you say I’m not the baddest bitch, you lie.” I have faced hate comments online and IRL. Despite the negativity, I don’t care what you say, I am the baddest bitch.”
The Knockturnal: Tell us about your TikTok journey. What made you want to start a TikTok?
Sam Paige: “I got into TikTok, like most of us, during quarantine. My friend wanted to learn a dance and realized how great of a dancer and how quickly I could catch on to the moves. After this, I rediscovered my love for dance after not being in the studio for about 6 years. It started with dancing in bikinis (what I continue to do) and sharing my love for body positivity. I genuinely didn’t think anyone would care to see a plus-sized girl dancing in swimwear but is happy the internet proved her differently because it is now my career.” 
The Knockturnal: Tell us more about Dance.
Sam Paige: “I started dancing when I was five, I told my mom that I wanted to be on Broadway. She believed in me and my dream and placed me in dance, choir, and theater. I really love dancing, I stuck with it for 15 years! I even danced for one year on my college’s pom team. Honestly, the experience was shitty… I couldn’t jump as high due to me being a big girl and was told to sit out of dances multiple times because of that… But now the jokes are on them because I am the only one dancing for a living. I think dance is a great way to express myself and I find these TikTok dances extremely fun and enjoyable to learn.”
Fun fact: Sam learns TikTok dances in about 10-15 minutes depending on the difficulty and only needs to do them 3-4 times to get the perfect one.
The Knockturnal: Has TikTok led you into any other creative passions?
Sam Paige: “Since joining TikTok I have discovered a love for modeling. I feel when people model via Instagram they are always considered “Instagram models.” All because of TikTok and my followers I have been able to walk in the past two Miami Swim Weeks. Last year (2021) I walked for boohoo – this is when I really discovered my passion for modeling in a more serious light. The boohoo show was at the Versace Mansion in Miami which was a magical experience.. After, I made my way to NYC for New York Fashion Week (2021) where I walked for two different clothing designers. Just recently I walked in Miami’s 2022 Swim Week, where I walked in three different shows and represented four different designers. I have also done some modeling gigs for e-commerce brands in South Florida. I really enjoys the modeling experience and being a part of the evolution in body positivity within the modeling community.”
Email Sam to inquire about her modeling services.
The Knockturnal: What are some struggles you face as a plus-sized content creator?
Sam Paige: “Some struggles that are faced are; people are really shocked that a fat girl could have a following. I see this struggle when collaborating with different brands. I feel that many brands and businesses are shocked and are in disbelief that a curvy girl can help represent them. I also have noticed that the bots on social media are always flagging my posts for nudity or inappropriate content because I have physically more skin on my body, even though I am showing the same or even less skin than others on the same social channels.”
The Knockturnal: What does diversity and inclusion in the modeling and content-creating world mean to you?
Sam Paige: “Diversity and inclusion mean the world to me… I wouldn’t be where I am if I was just a stick figure little girl dancing on TikTok… There are a million billion girls of that nature.” What has really gotten me far in my career is the fact that I am different. I am curvy and plus-sized. My goal is to include more plus-sized people as content creators or models. I really want people to see that just because they are bigger they should not be limited from being a content creator or model as a career. I am so pleased that significantly more companies are giving curvy girls these opportunities. I have gotten to work with brands that I thought would never give a plus-sized creator or model the time of day. Some brands I have worked with are Lucky Brand, Aeropostale, and boohoo. Even some plus-sized companies, like Torrid, see the value in a plus-sized girl representing them online and modeling. I owe everything to people who want to have inclusion. I can’t wait to have more diversity!”
The Knockturnal: Although the fashion industry has progressed a lot in the past few years, what are some challenges that you believe still need to be addressed or faced?
Sam Paige: I believe although the fashion industry still has a long road of progression ahead of them they have been trending in the right direction. It has really helped my confidence to wear outfits that make me feel good in my own skin… I have seen a lot of changes in fast fashion. I find fast fashion is a lot easier to shop while being plus-sized whereas luxury brands still have a long way to go. It’s great that Gucci offers a 3XL now but it’s still not enough for the masses. I love shopping at Shien but think they could be more size-inclusive as well, their biggest size is only one size bigger than mine. I would really love to see extending in size so all people could experience the clothing they want to wear to express themselves. I am extremely sick of oversized clothing being available to straight-sized girls and making the clothing fit plus-sized girls but not offering it their size… It makes no sense.”
The Knockturnal: What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into content creating or modeling?
Sam Paige: “I have only experienced the modeling world as an influencer and it has definitely helped in my case. I want to say I am not trained as a model so everything I have learned has been from my own experience, photographers, and fashion designers that have guided me. I suggest that you sign up with an agency that you trust and go from there. Content creation comes down to consistency. It is also very important to find your niche and work your niche to its full capacity. Even now it’s hard for me to post things that don’t consist of me dancing due to my following. Post three times a day on TikTok if you have to. Whatever you decide your niche is stick with it!!!!”
The Knockturnal: Give us all the Miami Swim Week 2022 tea!
Sam Paige: “This past Swim Week I participated in three different walks. I walked in “Splashing Lights” for FLKD, the next show was for “The Society” created by designer Krissy King, and the last show was for “Miami Swim Week – The Shows” which was hosted at the SLS. In the next show the designer, Diva Kurves, had only curvy girls which were really inspiring to walk with plus-sized girls. I also walked for another brand called “Porshia” where I walked in a swimsuit cover-up. I enjoyed all the walks and found each one to be very different. I also got invited to an influencer event and got to go to the “Good American” event at the 1 Hotel South Beach Miami.”
The Knockturnal: What has been the best vacation you have been on?
Sam Paige: “I graduated from Johnson and Wales with a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Traveling Tourism with a concentration in cruise line management. I always had an interest in traveling but decided I didn’t want to work on a cruise ship after working on one for a little. Travel has now become something I am even more passionate about because I have experienced some crazy things. Last year, my best friend Morgan, AKA @bald_baddie on IG, and I went on a 20-day Europe trip. It was probably the best trip of my life.
The Knockturnal: Any new and exciting news you can share with us?
Sam Paige: “I will be walking in New York Fashion Week in September of 2022, I will also be going to Playlist Live in Orlando (The Ultimate Creator Event) in September (right after my birthday).” Playlist Live will be my first content creator event, and I am super excited! I also am slowly working on a swimsuit line with a company hopefully coming out in April.”
Keep up with Sam on TikTok and Instagram to follow her journey.
It was only a matter of time before TikTok’s influence expanded—from the music we listen to, to the places we visit, to the weird trends we try and now that influence and creativity is coming to a home near you with a special collaboration with Shutterfly that officially launches today!
The collective is a first of its kind, limited-edition capsule collection designed and inspired by a diverse roster of four digital icons. Spanning from comedians, to entertainers and more, the roster includes influencer and viral social media sensation, Brittany Broski, entrepreneur and dating expert Serena Kerrigan, comedian and author Elsa Majimbo, and actor and digital creator Chris Olsen. The creators are paired with four Spoonflower Independent Artists, who helped bring each of their personalities and four product categories to life.
Shutterfly’s focus on expanding its custom design space will allow the brand to pivot into new spaces while tapping into current industry trends and evolving the way consumers shop. The Collective celebrates the addition of 4,000 thousand new artist-sourced designs available in home decor and gifting items on the Shutterfly platform.
The Shutterfly Collective will be available for purchase beginning today through August 23, 2022 on www.Shutterfly.com and will feature exclusive, one-of-a-kind designs on coffee mugs, blankets, journals and pillows ranging in retail price between $16.99 and $79.98.
Since the release of her mega viral hit: “Indian Summer” dropped back in July of 2021, which now has over four millions views on YouTube and counting, Indian-American songstress Shuba has elevated her career to higher heights with zero signs of slowing down anytime soon.