(April 3, 2025) Clad in a black embroidered bandh gala sherwani from Falguni Shane Peacock—proudly keeping up with her Indian roots—paired with traditional heirloom jewelry and chunky boot-styled shoes, Lilly Singh made a striking entrance at the launch of HYPHEN8 in Toronto. It was here that she introduced the first-ever media network dedicated to South Asian YouTube creators. In her signature straightforward style, Singh declared, “Advice is great, but you know what’s even better? It’s me being able to say, ‘I’m going to bring you business.’” With these words, she set the tone for a new era of support and opportunity for underrepresented voices online.
Lilly’s journey to this milestone is as dynamic as her look that day — a journey that began in the dual worlds of her childhood in Canada. Growing up in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto, she was immersed in the sights and sounds of Punjab: giddha music at family gatherings, the aroma of Punjabi spices, and the Sikh values her immigrant parents instilled in her. Outside her home, she was a typical Canadian kid, riding her bike on suburban streets and enjoying Saturday morning cartoons. “Although I’m Canadian, I was raised by Indian parents who immigrated and thus my upbringing consisted of two worlds colliding,” Singh has said. This dual identity — Punjabi and Canadian — became the source of her humour and stories, guiding her creative vision as she balanced her South Asian identity with life in the West.
Finding Her Voice Online
In 2010, armed with a freshly minted psychology degree from York University in Toronto and an unshakeable feeling that something was missing, 21-year-old Lilly Singh faced a crossroads. While her parents encouraged her to pursue grad school, she was dealing with depression and searching for a creative outlet. In what she calls a “unicorn moment,” she turned to YouTube. Adopting the name “Superwoman” – a childhood nickname that represented strength – she began filming comedy skits in her bedroom. Her early videos reflected her life as a first-generation Indian-Canadian: sometimes mimicking her strict Punjabi mother, other times using the casual slang of a Canadian teen. The videos were simple and homemade, but they were authentic. Singh’s bold personality and unique blend of cultures resonated with viewers who rarely saw themselves represented online.
Back in 2010, a few South Asian faces were visible in online entertainment, and resources for creators of colour were scarce. “When I began posting on YouTube in 2010, there weren’t many resources to create content, especially for someone that looks like me,” she recalls. Back then, mentors were hard to come by, and making money off YouTube felt impossible for a young brown woman in Canada. Undeterred, Singh taught herself editing and leaned into her unique perspective.
Her first viral video, “Official Guide to Brown Girls,” quickly brought her nearly 15 million subscribers on YouTube. Soon, Singh gained popularity for content that ranged from funny family impersonations and rants to skits and even occasional activism. “As a creator of something, I’ve really had to stand strong and say this is my authentic journey. Especially being a minority woman, I feel like if I’m saying, as an Indian woman, this part of my story is important, I’m gonna really, really fight for that because there’s not many of us and I want to make sure how I’m being portrayed is authentic,” she said in an interview.
Rise of a YouTube Superstar
Her leap of faith soon paid off. By 2013, her YouTube channel had crossed 100,000 subscribers. Her comedy sketches – like exaggerated parodies of Indian parents or raps about cultural quirks – went viral globally. Young South Asian diaspora fans, especially girls, saw themselves in her humor and empowered attitude. Lilly wasn’t just racking up views; she was building a community. Suddenly, this kid from Scarborough had become a role model for a generation that hungered for representation.
In 2015, she relocated to the US with Los Angeles as her new residence. That was the beginning of a new innings as her entrepreneurial hustle expanded. She collaborated with mainstream celebrities (from Bollywood actors to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on comedy bits), released a hit book – How To Be a Bawse – in 2017, and was ranked among the world’s highest-earning YouTubers. The once-lonely content creator now ran a one-woman empire out of her bedroom studio, proving that a Punjabi Sikh woman could thrive at the top of the digital entertainment world.
Breaking into the Mainstream
Having conquered the online realm, Singh set her sights on a new frontier in 2019 – traditional television. That year, NBC tapped her to host a late-night talk show, A Little Late with Lilly Singh, making her the first person of Indian descent to helm an American late-night show. . For the Canadian YouTuber who grew up without any South Asian role models on North American TV, it was a groundbreaking moment. She brought much-needed diversity to the 12:30 a.m. slot – not just as a South Asian woman, but also as an openly bisexual woman, after coming out in 2019. Her presence sent a message that late-night could look different from the white, male status quo.
A Lil Late With Lilly Singh
After appearing on television night after night for two years, she bid the stint a goodbye, and moved onto new adventures. She launched Unicorn Island Productions, a company dedicated to telling underrepresented stories, and a related Unicorn Island Fund for girls’ education in South Asia. In 2022, she authored her second book – Be A Triangle.
Embracing Authenticity in a Changing Landscape
By 2023, when she returned to YouTube in full swing, both the platform and Singh had changed. The race to go viral at all costs was over. Instead of chasing fleeting hits, Lilly shifted her focus toward forming deeper connections. “It can’t be about how many eyeballs you get anymore; it has to be about how many minds you can change,” she adds. This change in strategy marked a new phase of creative growth for her. In place of scripted skits, her channel now features candid vlogs and heartfelt interviews. She’s unafraid to discuss her own struggles with mental health, identity, and burnout.
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Empowering a New Generation with HYPHEN8
Having completed her personal journey from uncertainty to self-assurance, Singh is now helping others launch adventures of their own. Her latest initiative, fittingly, brings her story full circle. In March 2025, Lilly Singh co-founded HYPHEN8, the first-ever media network for South Asian YouTube creators. This venture is designed to give budding creators the boost Singh wishes she had starting out. In short, Singh has become the mentor and champion to others that she herself lacked in 2010.
HYPHEN8 was born from Singh’s recognition that the landscape has changed dramatically since she first clicked “upload.” She built her career in a time when brands showed little interest in targeting South Asian audiences and few executives looked like her. For Singh, HYPHEN8 is a way to fix those inequities for the next generation. Today, with a growing South Asian diaspora and a thriving digital media scene, there’s a big opportunity to link creators with audiences and advertisers that once seemed unreachable. “There are so many South Asians on this planet,” Singh explains. “When you have a South Asian creator, they know how to connect with that audience,” creating an authentic bond that advertisers find hard to match.
Lilly Singh’s journey is a powerful reminder that success is not just about personal achievements but about lifting others as you climb. Her evolution from a YouTuber juggling two cultures to a mainstream media host and digital entrepreneur underscores the impact one individual can have when they dare to be different. Through HYPHEN8, she is not just celebrating her own success; she is creating a pathway for other South Asian creators to shine. In a world where representation matters more than ever, Singh’s story inspires and encourages a new generation of content creators.
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