Rising to social stardom with Andie Case
This interview is a part of #KanvasLive, an interactive, cross-platform content series brought to life on the Kanvas app and AOL.com. See more coverage here.
Growing up as the middle child with seven siblings Andie Case struggled to figure out her place. Turning to music as a sense of comfort she started small -- singing around the house and in her room. After reactions to her performance at a school talent show, she realized she truly had a talent worth pursing at a higher level. Andie's YouTube channel has skyrocketed her singing career in one short year -- so much so she just quit her job as a barista.
In the midst of it all, AOL.com editors caught up with her at this year's VidCon in Anaheim, California. An event loaded with social creators who get together to celebrate the power of online video. She discussed her upcoming projects, her love for social media and her supportive fans.
What brings you to VidCon?
This is my first time at VidCon. The awesome thing that brought me here this year is we're preforming Saturday, so that'll be fun. It's super exciting to be here. But super overwhelming -- there are so many people!
Will you be preforming any new songs?
We are! We're doing a couple of new songs. Some of them are from my EP — that's not coming out until later in the year. We are doing my new song called "Coming Around" — which was just released in April. It's gonna be an acoustic -- chill set. The whole band will be going to Hong Kong next month so I'm really excited about that. But I'm not looking forward to the 20 hour plane ride.
What was the moment you realized social media would be a big part of the platform you choose to preform on?
Well, I grew up in a very small town and I was a very sheltered kid. I wasn't totally popular in school, didn't have a lot of friends. The first time people started recognizing me for my music was when I was able to start working with my bandmates. We put out a little acoustic EP and from there I realized how many people could hear it. That was the first little taste of it. It was the first upload we had to YouTube. It was the first video we had subscribers for. It reached around 40 thousand views in a month which was a big deal. The more we would upload the more it would build.
Covers are never better than the original — some people maybe like the style better. But the original is the original. I like doing covers because its my own rendition and I love the song. The thing that really took social media off was our first car cover. That's the thing that really blew everything up. Those covers are basically why I'm at VidCon because it took everything to the next level. It took my artist page on Facebook from five thousand to two million. It's insane. It's all happened over the last year.
See the car cover that took Andie's career to the next level:
Do you have a favorite video you've ever worked on?
That's tough. We just did our first outdoor video with the band. We set up a drone kit out in AJ's backyard. We did the cover of "Send my Love" by Adele that was super fun. It was my favorite as far as fun and energy. It was awesome. A couple weeks ago we released "Stone Cold" by Demi Lovato that was really sad to sing because it pulled the heart strings but that was really fun. Those two sound stupid because they are my most recent — but they are my favorite so far. One made me wanna go rage and the other cry — two really important feelings.
What's your favorite thing about your fans?
How involved they are. How I can talk to them about anything. My name for them is "Fandies" -- they are so cute and sweet. When I'm feeling low or having a bad day all I have to do is look at one of their posts. They have fan pages and they are always on it when I'm released a video. I love that they'll come to me for advice. I love talking to them and helping them out. Even if I'm not and I just think I am — it makes me feel good. They are such a good support system and I am so blessed to have them.
Check out the scene at VidCon!
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What is your favorite thing about YouTube?
The diversity — I love that there are so many different things on YouTube that can reach so many audiences for different reasons. Whether its a song, style, makeup, comedy. It's insane how many people you can reach and there are no boundaries. I love that, I hate boundaries. There are no rules on YouTube I love it. It gives a good opportunity for people working out of their house. It's taken entertainment to a different place. Before when you were a band you would write songs and reach out to labels. Now you take this back way so you don't have to go to all of these big people. You can do it yourself organically without having to necessarily ask for help from anybody. You can hustle yourself. It makes people accountable for their dreams. There are so many opportunities that if you aren't doing what you want it's your fault.
Check out more photos from VidCon in the gallery below:
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