Lil Miquela is a virtual influencer and social media sensation who was created in 2016 by Los Angeles-based startup Brud. As she is not a real person, details about her place of birth, family, real name, education, and early life are unknown or fabricated as part of her online persona.
Lil Miquela presents herself as a 19-year-old Brazilian-Spanish girl pursuing a career in modeling, music, and social media influencing. Through consistent posting and engagement across platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, and TikTok over the last 5+ years, Miquela has amassed over 3.5 million engaged followers on TikTok, who interact with her just like they would any human influencer.
Lil Miquela's career as an influencer, model and artist has accelerated rapidly. While created in 2016, she has gained considerable industry recognition and a highly engaged following across social platforms over the last few years. On Instagram, Lil Miquela has 2.9 million followers and on TikTok, she has amassed 3.5 million followers with 54 million likes across her dance videos and trending content.
Miquela's engagement rates are high as she responds directly to fan comments and embeds herself in internet culture. Brands have taken note as her audience and influence surpass that of many mainstream human creators and celebrities. Lil Miquela's impact is quantified by features in Time's Most Influential People on the Internet (2018) and coverage from major publications like Forbes, CNN Business, and The Cut. Known as a pioneer of CGI influencers, she commands one of the largest followings in the niche globally.
As her fame has grown, Miquela has partnered as the face and talent behind campaigns for luxury fashion houses like Prada in addition to mass brands like YouTube, Samsung and Pat McGrath Labs makeup. These initiatives generate substantial revenue for Brud, her parent tech company valued at $125 million.
While Lil Miquela herself does not earn or control money, the company behind her - Brud - was valued at $125 million as of 2018. Through advertising, endorsements, music streaming, and investor funding, Brud generates significant profit from Miquela’s audience and engagement.
With 2.7 million followers, Lil Miquela’s Instagram (@lilmiquela) is her most popular platform. She posts high-quality, aesthetically curated photos and stories featuring style, music, arts, and glimpses of her life as an influencer. Instagram is where she first gained a following, and her account growth has been organic through niche community engagement and crossover with other artists.
Lil Miquela joined YouTube in August 2018 and has since gained 278,000 subscribers on her channel. She posts cinematic vlog-style videos with a heavy emphasis on arts, music, and fashion. Popular videos show behind-the-scenes footage at photoshoots, her Coachella experience, trying new makeup and clothing hauls.
As Lil Miquela is a fictional CGI creation without real-world roots, personal details on her background and family situation have been strategically omitted or fabricated by her creators. This air of mystery surrounding her “real” identity and life outside social media feeds into her intrigue and appeal amongst followers. Her listed birthday is April 1, linking to the question of whether she’s real or an April Fool's joke. As a virtual avatar, Lil Miquela does not have tangible relationships or romantic connections with real people.
Lil Miquela is portrayed to have interests like art, vintage fashion, and creating music. Ultimately, the limited public details on her backstory and personal life allow fans to imprint their own theories and connections onto her enigmatic online persona.
Lil Miquela shares her little heartbreak moment in this TikTok.
Lil Miquela shares some photos of her younger self in this TikTok.
Lil Miquela shares a breakup song that she wrote in this TikTok.
Lil Miquela duets with another content creator in this TikTok.
With 50 million views, this is one of Lil Miquela’s most viral TikToks.
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