Emma Chamberlain is YouTube’s rising star

What makes Emma Chamberlain so different?

Emma could be considered the face of ‘lo-fi’, a trend that has grown in popularity in both music and video in the last few years. She’s deliberately imperfect and – for the most part – shuns the industry standard of an overcalculated, stylised public image. Sure, her Instagram occasionally features candid images of posed beach shots, but she’s also unafraid to show herself living a real life, tired and stressed in her bedroom.

Her personality and humour is what drives her content. She talks to her audience on an equal level and doesn’t shove a bunch of buzz words and merch plugs in their faces every minute. We feel like we’re actually her friend and we relate to her struggles, rather than being entertained by a cartoonish, exaggerated persona.

This is what YouTube originally was all about. The idea behind vlogging was to give audiences a closer connection to the people they watch. Emma may be sponsored by brands and get plenty of commercial opportunities, but it never feels like the end goal of her work. We’re here for her and not the crazy stunts that may be surrounding her.

WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS SWEARING

What is ‘lo-fi’?

Lo-fi content is deliberately amateurish in its aesthetic and its design. Production levels are never meant to appear high. The aim is to create a homely, unprofessional feel that acts almost like comfort food. Lo-fi music usually comes in the form of scratchy, fuzzy hip hop beats, and rough-around-the-edges raps that aren’t overproduced. Lo-fi videos have basic designs, understated thumbnails, and simple titles that you’d send to a friend. They’re uniquely anti-corporate.

Jake Paul, Morgz, and all the other top prank channels are the opposite of this trend. They feature flashy thumbnails, bright colours, hyperbolic language, and insane public stunts. Their brand is heavily pushed on the viewer and every opportunity to monetise content is taken. There’s a reason why Jake Paul calls his viewers ‘Jake Paulers’ – it’s all to sell merch and advertisement space.

Emma is noticeably distant from this approach and while she does have merchandise, it’s presented as a quick and easy plug at the very beginning and end of her videos, rather than peppered throughout. She places herself and her life at the forefront, with business appearing to be in the background. It feels real and genuine, which is a markable different to the biggest names we’ve had on the trending pages the last few years.

Who else is adopting this approach?

Emma isn’t the only person taking on YouTube with this old-school approach. Other Gen Zers are raking in the views with similarly styled videos, including Hannah Meloche, Ava Jules, and Kayla Kosuga.

If you’re into the music scene too, I recommend giving Jimothy Lacoste a try, as well as Doja Cat and Clairo, all of which draw on lo-fi styles and quirky, comedic videos to bring in viewers. And they have genuine jams which always helps.

Emma is leading the way for Gen Z in viral video content, bringing back a little humour and personality onto a platform that’s been lacking it for a while, at least in the mainstream. Here’s to more creatives being original, and offering great content that doesn’t feel like a cynical cash grab. The future of video content looks bright.