A true overnight success story, Charli D'Amelio went from your average teen to one of the
most popular stars on TikTok, in 2019.
And when it comes to just how big her fame will grow, it looks like this girl's dance
chops may have no limit.
Here's the truth about Charli D'Amelio.
Charli loves dance, of course, but she also loves coffee ... like, a lot.
Especially the Dunkin' Donuts variety.
The TikTok star has fully stanned for the brand through loads of TikTok vids, and then
Twitter posts like,
"Can I ... someone marry the Dunkin Donuts corporation?
Asking for a friend."
"Good morning y'all we are going to Dunkin Donuts"
And in February 2020, she even tweeted a pic of herself drinking Dunkin' Donuts, and joked
about stepping out on her then-rumored flame, Chase Hudson, with the caption:
"My true valentine sorry [Lil Huddy]."
That same month, Dunkin' Donuts caught wind of Charli's obsession and reached out to thank
her with some sweet swag, including branded candles, a onesie, fanny pack, and a massive
cold brew tap.
Y'know ... because Charli once posted about her life being complete if she had a Dunkin'
cold brew tap in her room.
And now she does.
Among the many perks of rapidly becoming a social media star are the invites to exclusive
events.
And few things are cooler than an invite-only fashion show in Italy.
Luxury design house Prada invited Charli to Milan Fashion Week in February 2020, where
she was treated to all the perks.
And according to The Cut,
"[Charli] sat front row next to Derek Blasberg, and made a TikTok with some of the models."
If you're wondering whether it was it the most fun runway show ever, Charli revealed
her favorite highlights from the trip, telling Teen Vogue,
"One of my favorite moments was meeting Mrs. Prada, Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, and so many
more incredible people.
I was also able to meet lots of fans, which was crazy to me because I did not expect to
have so many in Milan."
"The Prada show just finished, it was actually pretty amazing.
I've never seen a real fashion show like that."
As if all of that wasn't enough, Charli also even picked up a few styling tips from the
experts.
She revealed,
"I'm comfortable with the style I have now, but I'm using what I've learned about fashion,
especially from the Prada team and my friends, to help step-up my style and try new things."
So, is your entire family on social media?
While Charli was the first in her immediate family to gain worldwide exposure, the rest
of the crew stays active, as well.
The Face reported,
"The D'Amelios ... mother Heidi, father Marc, and daughters Charli and Dixie ... are all
on TikTok.
They are the app's Flintstones: the modern algorithm-busting family.
Each boosts the popularity of the other, and they frequently appear in videos together."
Older sister Dixie has amassed quite the following herself ... with over 18.5 million, as of
Spring 2020.
And she has a theory about the fascination with her younger sister, Charli, telling the
outlet,
​"There's been a long phase going on of people [wearing] a lot of makeup, a lot of
skin showing, and all that.
And [Charli] brought natural beauty into [the conversation], which I think refreshed a lot
of people."
Handling fame can put a lot of strain on family dynamics, but luckily, the D'Amelios seem
to have things under control.
In 2019, when YouTube Reporter Tyler Boronski asked how they were coping with the business
side of TikTok fame, Charli responded:
"I feel like we're doing pretty well with the whole thing.
It's very new to all of us, but we're doing our best to figure it out as best we can."
Quick to recognize the massive influence of social media, big time talent agencies have
started signing TikTok personalities.
According to The Face,
"[Charli] set off a bidding war between rival agencies WME and UTA, and the latter won out.
Their blanket deal with UTA handles tours, contracts, and other fame-bringing activities."
In fact, the entire D'Amelio family have all signed with UTA.
And that deal may have helped Charli land her first primetime appearance.
During the 2020 Super Bowl, she appeared in a Sabra Hummus ad, with the line:
"OK, Boomer."
Ever since Charli began hitting up the interview circuit, a common theme has popped up ... her
pure adoration for all things Jennifer Lopez.
In a Q&A for Famous Birthdays, the starlet described her favorite concert experience,
saying,
"J. Lo is [a] very, very big inspiration in my life.
And I would say going to her concert was one of the best ones I've ever been to."
And during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Charli confessed,
"A couple years ago, I decided that my dream is to dance with J. Lo., and she was on top
of my vision board.
I've talked about her in almost every interview I've done whenever they've asked what my biggest
dreams are."
Charli finally got to dance with Jenny from the block herself during Super Bowl weekend
in 2020.
And she couldn't help but get emotional as she came face-to-face with her idol for the
first time.
She said,
"It kind of set in and tears just started rolling down my eyes because this was all
I ever really, really wanted to experience and it happened and it was really, really
crazy."
Ever dream of living in a mansion with your best friends?
Such is the reality for 19 social media celebs, who live and work at the "Hype House" in L.A.,
according to The New York Times.
Founded by Thomas Petrou and Chase Hudson, the Hype House rules are relatively simple:
no parties, replace any broken items within 15 days, and quote "churn out content daily."
Petrou told the outlet,
"This whole house is designed for productivity.
If you want to party, there's hundreds of houses that throw parties in L.A. every weekend."
"It's a content house.
It'd be like living in a movie set.
It never stops"
While high schoolers Charli and her sister, Dixie, don't live full-time at Hype House
... and the girls often make the trek from their parents' place in Connecticut, to L.A.
Charli told the Times,
"The internet can be a little harsh.
[But] everyone [at the house] is ready to bring positivity and kindness.
[…] I'm trying things outside my comfort zone that I might not have done if I was alone
in my room."
One of the toughest things to deal with as a celeb is hate on the internet.
And for teenage stars, this can be even more damaging.
Charli, unfortunately, faces haters on a regular basis.
She tweeted in March 2020:
"I will never understand adults that will yell at me over the internet or in real life
it's pathetic."
"Getting hundreds of thousands of hate comments per week is a lot to handle."
To speak out against negative comments, Charli and Dixie starred in a UNICEF campaign against
online bullying.
Explaining that trolls constantly body shame her, which hits her hard.
Charli revealed,
"I struggled a lot with body image, body dysmorphia, bad eating habits.
No one really knows that I'm still a 15 year old teenager."
Older sis Dixie said that despite the influx of online attacks, she was grateful Charli
didn't quit doing what she loved.
Since its launch in 2010, VidCon has brought famous YouTube stars together every year for
fans and hopeful content creators alike.
Yet, almost a decade in, the tide seemed to be changing.
In 2019, The Atlantic reported,
"This year, the platform everyone is talking about isn't YouTube ... it's TikTok."
Organizers took note and invited a huge amount of TikTok stars to the 2020 iteration of VidCon.
And of course, Charli was tapped to be a featured guest.
Speaking about the opportunity, she told Elite Daily,
"I'm still very new to the whole social media creator thing, so it's really cool getting
to kind of jump in and get all these amazing opportunities, like being a featured creator
at VidCon.
[…] A lot of people that have been creators for a lot longer than I have […] talk about
how much fun it is, and how cool it is to meet all of these people.
So, I'm just excited for that."
Even early on in Charli's rise to fame, she used her popularity for good causes.
The Connecticut teen started off as a dancer, so it made sense to call-back to her roots.
In 2019, the Norwalk Daily Voice reported,
"D'Amelio and her family hosted a meet and greet at the teen's hometown dance studio,
charging $100 per ticket for the 'VIP' experience."
"She's so nice.
Compared to all the other TikTok-ers, I feel like she's not as fake as them, she's like
a real person."
But this wasn't just a self-promotional stunt.
Charli herself said in a video:
"I'm honored to donate the money raised from ticket sales for the meet and greet to advancing
abilities for people with special needs and a fellow dancer at my home studio, whose father
has recently been diagnosed with ALS."
This also marked the TikTok star's first-ever YouTube video ... and she used it to recap
her experience, saying,
"I didn't know how people were gonna be.
This is so cool!"
At her VIP event Q&A, Charli described her least favorite TikTok dance, claiming,
"First, I hated Renegade, because it took me like such a long time.
It was like over a span of like three days, I would like learn a little bit of it, then
I was like, 'OK, can't do it,' and then, now I got it, and it's my favorite one."
While it was 14-year-old dancer Jalaiah Harmon who originally created the Renegade dance,
The New York Times reports,
"Charli D'Amelio had posted a video of herself doing it, as did many other TikTok influencers.
None gave Jalaiah credit."
At first, Harmon was understandably upset that her original dance got so popular through
other people, while not receiving due recognition.
But, the outlet noted, the Atlanta dancer doesn't hold a grudge and hoped she could
collab with Charli someday.
For her part, once Charli discovered the origin of the dance, she said,
"I know it's so associated with me but I'm so happy to give Jalaiah credit and I'd love
to collaborate with her."
The stars finally aligned in February 2020, when Harmon posted a video of herself, Charli,
and Addison Rae performing Renegade together.
First and foremost, Charli is a dancer.
In a Q&A for Famous Birthdays, she revealed she started taking dance classes when she
was only three years old, and began competing by age five.
Ten years later, her dance moves would reach audiences everywhere through TikTok.
Her dad Marc told NBC News,
"We knew that she was a special dancer, so we knew at some point we'd see her on stage.
We knew that she would do great things at some point in her life, it's just come a lot
earlier."
Though her moves on the social media platform can hardly be classified as competitive dancing,
that's not necessarily the point.
Charli told Mel Magazine,
"I know all my years of training aren't helping with TikTok dancing, but I know that TikTok
dancing is fun."
Not to mention, these dance moves helped earn Charli a spot on stage with a famous pop star
in late 2019 ... no big deal.
Charli recounted how singer Bebe Rexha had hit up her DM and said,
"I'm gonna have you go on stage with me and dance.
That was… that was honestly insane."
Despite her nerves, Charli made the most of the opportunity, saying,
"I've been on stage dancing my whole life, but that was the biggest thing I've ever done."
And we imagine it's only the beginning.
"Renegade, Renegade, hey, hey, hey, hey."
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