Since getting her start posting lip-sync videos on the social network musical.ly, a digital community dedicated to connecting creative individuals through video, Florida-based Baby Ariel has garnered over 35 million followers between her social media platforms. The bubbly 17-year-old social media star, born Ariel Martin, has grown into a global phenomenon, supporting self-acceptance and outplaying the negativity that lives on the Internet. Ariel admits that when she started publishing videos on musical.ly at 14, she received a lot of negative backlash. “The Internet can be a dark and scary place. So, I made a video addressing the negative comments about how you should be nice to people,” she says. Ariel’s video evolved into the #ArielMovement, where she started offering positive messages to her online followers everyday. “I would tell my supporters that they’re beautiful and that they should love themselves no matter what. It’s something that was really hard for me in the beginning and still is because I’m a teenaged girl,” she says with a smile. Her self-confidence and charm is infectious across the globe, leading to her winning the 2017 Teen Choice Award for “Choice Muser.”
Baby Ariel
Photo by: Kacie Tomita
Ariel has recently started a new chapter of her career by releasing her debut single “Aww.” Her first original song offers a catchy pop sound coupled with loveable lyrics and a bit of a twist. “It’s about the honeymoon stage of being in a relationship, or even having a crush on someone” Ariel says of her song. “It’s about when everything is perfect and nothing can go wrong. When everything is rainbows and butterflies.” The innocence behind the song is admirable but the video is an unexpectedly cheeky take on your typical love song. “I wanted to do something different,” Ariel says of the video concept. “Instead of creating a typical relationship storyline, I thought of having a relationship with a pet, friends, food, whatever!”
Baby Ariel
Photo by: Kacie Tomita
The video for “Aww” is a dreamy visualization of everything Ariel considers happy and upbeat from dogs on skateboards to blowing out birthday candles. One of the most important aspects was to feature a roster of online influencers who double as Ariel’s best friends including Patrick Starr, Arii, Zach Clayton and Daniel Skye. “We had two days of shooting and it was just so much fun,” Ariel says. “There was pink, balloons, trampolines, hula hoops, cupcakes, spray paint and all of my best friends.”
Her quirky vision paid off as the video has racked up nearly eight million views on YouTube so far. While she’s not quite ready to ditch her social media fame yet, she’s looking to continue writing music and staying true to herself.
Watch the official video for “Aww” below.
