Launched as a lip syncing app in China in 2011, Musical.ly (or musically) has gathered more than 200 million registered users. While for some it is just a hobby to fill up extra time, for others it is a gateway to a new career. Beginning with just lip sync movements for popular international songs, the app started having many upgrades such as increase in a video’s time duration, duet and more.
The users of the app called as musers created their own regional communities and started exploring dances, comedy skits, movement stories, etc. The Tamil musers who met recently on their first ‘Meet and Greet’ had a lot more to share about their lives.
Snapshot of the app.
“I honestly started just to spend my free time on it and now it’s my worst and best addiction,” begins Pragathi Joy. Popular for her Vadivelu dialogue actions, the youngster is still in her 12th grade, but has about 80,000 followers. Taking the less travelled road of comedy as the means to climb up the ladder, the muser has created a huge fan base. “I love Vadivelu a lot. His comedies are more natural and relatable to our life and situations too, unlike the other types of comedy where they tease others. When he told that he watches my videos, when I met him in person; that was the happiest moment ever. If I had done the regular style of videos like other female musers, I wouldn’t have become so popular.”
Rahul Mohan who goes by the Musical.ly name Rahulyoungtobe is a dream boy for many young girls. His charm has grabbed the attention of many musers and instagrammers. After his recent Jimikki Kammal video, his popularity in the social media scene has skyrocketed. “My father used to have a small Sony handi cam, where we both used to make videos of each other acting or singing. When I started using Musical.ly in 2015, the video quality and the ease of creating musical videos and lip syncing attracted me. I did a few videos with my friends, but didn’t expect such a huge response.”
When asked about the secret behind her successful videos, Pragathi responds, “It has to do with a lot of practice like any other art form. The more you keep practicing, the better you get at it.”
Rahul Mohan adds, “I do not have a successful formula to make a video super hit. Whenever I make a video, I always think about coming up with a different and creative theme. I try my best to bring in more ideas. Depending on the video, the number of takes can go from one take to maybe 20 at the maximum. A good muser, according to me, is one who has immense patience and passion to do a video.”
Aiding in getting into big projects like ads, films and short films, the app has opened a door of opportunities. “Although my graduation is of a primary importance to me, I will enter into films after a few years. I have gotten offers from a few good directors in Kollywood,” says Pragathi.
Rahul on the other hand is in talks for movie discussions. “I have not confirmed anything yet. But soon, if everything works out well, you might see me on the big screen. I also plan to collaborate with social causes.” Madhavi, another popular muser from the city, excitedly shares, “I have got many music videos and short film offers already in just four months after joining!”
Expounding that the main objective of the meet was to make popular musers interact and form a community like other countries, the organiser Vithun shares, “This first ‘Meet and greet’ was to introduce popular stars to each other. The next meet would be a meaningful one with some social cause in it. Other countries are using the potential of the musers well. ”
He adds, “In the beginning, I thought without marketing one can’t do anything. The musers were not just concentrating on that but had goals to be an actor or stand-up comedian or anything. Many top celebrities retweeted our videos and also shared on Facebook. It gave us a lot of hope.”
Breaking any gender stereotypes, the app is for both men and women. Elaborating on that, Rahul Varma, another muser, shares, “It’s all about one’s interest and skill and gender has no role in it. Rahul Mohan, Vishnu Unnikrishnan, Mohan and I are popular because we have our own style. In the beginning it was seen as a platform for females, but it is just a platform to exhibit your acting skills, dance and expressions and for me, it takes me one step closer to my dream of becoming an actor.”
Adding that he will be doing motivational videos soon, Rahul Varma says, “I have a good fan base and I want to use it for some good. Youngsters need a lot of motivation to keep going and I plan to collaborate with social causes as well.”
Advising the upcoming musers that they needn’t bother much about negative comments and spams, Madhavi concludes, “In the beginning, one will receive negative comments and funny remarks. It is best to ignore and keep going. Since it is just music and movements, it can get boring after a period if you don’t innovate. Some even use tripods for dance videos. Creative clips keep you popular and the app is a great door to enter films.”
