From YouTube to Hollywood: Celebrities who launched their careers online

It seems like in order to get initial fame, YouTube might be the one platform that can help you get a breakthrough.

Many famous celebrities, particularly musicians and comedians, started their illustrious careers by posting videos on YouTube before gaining mainstream recognition.

Below is the list of Hollywood A-listers you didn't know started on YouTube:

Ariana Grande

The Dangerous Woman hitmaker had already received widespread fame after portraying the iconic character Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon show Victorious, but it was actually her YouTube videos that made people realise the kind of talent she has.

It is worth mentioning that one of Ariana’s friends sent Republic Records CEO Monte Lipman some of her YouTube covers, which helped launch her career.

Bo Burnham

The American comedian began posting satirical songs back in 2016 and has since paved his way into the world of entertainment.

Bo initially went viral on YouTube for his comedy song My Whole Family which he only posted so his brother at college could see it.

However, he didn't stop there — the Eighth Grade filmmaker continued to post his songs, while an agent’s assistant eventually discovered him on YouTube.

This led to him signing with an agent, recording an album, and performing stand-up.

Dua Lipa

The Levitating hitmaker began posting song covers on YouTube at the young age of 15.

Dua described the platform as a way to help her build visibility and her presence in order to be noticed.

However, despite starting out early, she didn't immediately get a record deal.

It took a few years before a label officially signed the No Lie songstress.

To note, before officially pursuing singing as a career, she also built exposure through modelling.

Alessia Cara

The Canadian singer-songwriter started posting covers on YouTube as a teenager and was discovered by a talent scout, who encouraged her to write some original songs.

Her debut single Here (2015) blew up overnight, setting the internet abuzz about her skills.

Alessia’s YouTube covers further showcased her promising potential, eventually earning her first career Grammy nominations at the 60th GRAMMY Awards, where she won Best New Artist in 2018.

Dylan O'Brien

The actor, who rose to stardom after starring in leading roles in The Maze Runner trilogy and CW series Teen Wolf, had not always yearned to become an actor.

Dylan was originally set on pursuing sports broadcasting when he started developing a web presence with original videos on YouTube.

However, a local director eventually discovered him and cast him in a web series during his senior year of high school, ultimately connecting Dylan with a manager.

Dylan then set aside his sportscasting dreams and paved his way into the entertainment industry.

Charlie Puth

Last but not least, the Attention hitmaker was a student at Berklee College of Music when he was discovered by Ellen DeGeneres’s team on YouTube for his cover of Someone Like You.

Charlie was then invited onto the comedian’s show and signed to her label.

He continued to upload songs on YouTube as he began to gain fame.

Since then, he has proven his musical talent time and again, collaborating with Selena Gomez on We Don't Talk Anymore and singing See You Again as a tribute to the late Paul Walker.