Their channel may be light and fluffy, but it’s no joke.
Niki and Gabi DeMartino are 21-year-old YouTube sensations who have almost five million subscribers
and over 418 million views.
What started as a place to share their parodies and music favorites has since become a beauty
vlog success.Today, the DeMartino sisters continue to reach new heights and expand their
brand — while still keeping a semblance of a normal 20-something life at the same
time.
Let's take a look at some facts you may not know about these beauty gurus.
How it all started
Niki and Gabi had a love for creating video content even before YouTube hit big.They told
Cambio how it all started back in 2008.
They would carry a webcam around the house making remakes, parodies,and cover band music
videos.
They loaded them up to YouTube,in what would eventually become a beauty channel sensation.
They explained to Teen Vogue that their original channel was called 00RemakeGirls, filled with
just parody content.
They noticed, however, the comments they were receiving overwhelmingly beauty-related.
How did they do their hair?
How did they do their makeup?
Niki and Gabi saw this as an opportunity, and created a separate channel called NikiGabiBeauty,
which was eventually changed to its current title of Niki and Gabi.
Today when you look at their YouTube page, they've combined everything they love from
their different channels — from music videos, to tutorials, to DIY projects.
After all, why should they have to choose one?
A rocky start
The DeMartino twins continue to grow their fan base into the multi-millions.
But when the duo started their videos, YouTube wasn't the sensation it is now.
Speaking with YSBnow, the twins shared their experiences when first starting to create
their video content.
"Back when we started, nobody did it, so everybody kind of put us into this separate category
and thought we were weird."
And who seemed to struggle the most with understanding their interest in posting content?
Niki and Gabi's parents.
As soon as the two high schoolers stopped being social, their parents knew something
was up.
They’d lock themselves in their rooms and film for hours.
"They would ask us, 'What are you doing?'
They thought we were wasting away our high school and not making memories, but here we
had something in our head and we were working at it."
Though their parents were worried about their lack of concentration on their studies, it
all worked out in the end.
Both girls are studying in college, while at the same time creating their content and
expanding their well-known brand.
Bad breakup leads to good music
After creating musical parodies for years, the DeMartino twins were ready to become original
singers.
The song "First" was released on January 1, 2017, and during an interview with AOL, the
girls opened up about the song's origins.
Gabi explained that she worked on the song with a friend over the summer, trying to make
it relatable to their age group.
But after her sister suffered a bad breakup, she thought it might help.
Turns out it did:
"She calls me, like, I just listened to this five times, know all the words, this is my
new favorite song.
Let's make this a single, let's do this.
And I was, like, oh my god, I didn't even think of it like that."
It was a positive song that helped in a personal, negative situation.
Niki elaborated on the song's power:
"I think every girl should have this song."
"Every girl needs it."
"Every girl needs it.
It's a 'feel good, be sassy, not sad' song."
And all their fans seemed to agree.
Just a few weeks after the twins unveiled the song and music video on YouTube, the content
had almost four million views.
You go, girls!
How they balance their busy lives
Running a YouTube channel, being college students, having fun, keeping up relationships...the
DeMartino twins are busy.
Speaking with Glitter Magazine, the girls explain that they handle their busy schedule
by planning ahead and creating an agenda.
They schedule time for boyfriends, downtime, school studies, and of course, video creation.
Gabi emphasizes that school is a top priority for them.
Though they're both majoring in communications,Niki's minoring in journalism, and Gabi has a special
love for costume history.
There's no question they'll one day bring their studies to their work and continue to
create even more amazing projects.
A day off?
What they would do
Being so busy with school, boyfriends, family and their business ventures, it makes you
wonder when the DeMartino sisters have any free time to just have fun.
Glitter Magazine asked just this question — what would Niki and Gabi's perfect day
off look like?
Niki said, "Not having anything to do!
I'd get to sleep in until mid-afternoon, and just lay around watching movies or TV shows,
being cozy in my bed, and just having a complete relaxing day."
And as for Gabi, she doesn't mind leaving her bed — at least for part of the day.
She told the magazine her perfect day off included,
"Definitely going shopping with my friends, baking, or just lying in my bed watching old
films — specifically (my favorite) Breakfast at Tiffany's."
Their tips for YouTubers
So what do these YouTube pros suggest to those who want to take the same path and find success
with their content?
Gabi told AOL,
"Stay raw to who you are.
Don't try to be any other YouTuber but yourself, and upload constantly."
Niki added her own two cents as well, focusing on the idea that the content you post should
be important to you.
"Being like passionate about what you're making and putting it up there and being proud of
it and being yourself 100 percent is what's going to really be successful because you
have to be true to you!"
And even if you don't want to be a YouTube sensation, Niki and Gabi give advice along
those same lines to teens in general.
They told Glitter Magazine, they understand how harsh kids can be in high school or middle
school.
But ultimately you’ll realize that their opinions don’t matter.
They said,
"Just to be you, and not care what anyone else thinks.
If you do you, you'll be happiest.”
At such a young age, Niki and Gabi have found their calling and stay true to themselves
through it all.
Can't wait to see what happens for them next!
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