Welcome to Metro.co.uk’s All I want for Christmas is… series where we’re exploring our beloved famous faces’ deepest desires ahead of December 25.
Taking TikTok by storm, the one and only Grace Keeling – better known as GK Barry – had audiences giggling their way through lockdown at her hilarious and oh-so-relatable antics.
The social media star, 23, rose to fame when we were all stuck in our bedrooms and has amassed a whopping 2.9million followers on the app that’s since become synonymous with the pandemic.
From garnering close to 15m views on videos to working on massive brand campaigns and launching her own podcast show Saving Grace, the influencer sky-rocketed to popularity in just a couple of years.
Now, she’s revealing where she goes from here and how she could possibly top her colossal achievements thus far in the wonderfully wacky world that we love to call social media.
Grace, do you have any idea what you were doing on this day last year?
Oh, that’s a good question – do you know what, I wasn’t really doing much to be honest with you. I was doing some ads on TikTok but I wasn’t really working with very big people.
I’d just gone on my first podcast, the Fellas podcast – the first one that I’d ever gone on which is how I got my podcast – but career-wise, I was still wondering what on earth I’m going to do apart from TikTok.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck881MII60B/
It’s amazing to see the growth you’ve had in one year then! So, since this day last year how has your life changed?
Oh my god it’s been mental! So obviously I started my podcast which originally I didn’t really know if that was a good career move for me because at the time, no one on TikTok really had a podcast. I was a bit like “Is anyone even going to listen to this?”
But yes, I started that and since then, it literally blew up. I remember the first week it went to number one and everyone was talking to me about it.
I feel like that opened up a lot of opportunities for me presenting-wise, because people could see that I can interview someone and it be quite natural.
Aside from the podcast, what do you feel has been the highlight of your year as a social media creator?
That’s such a good question. I feel like this is a bit of a random one, but I went on Footasylum Locked In and that was so out of my comfort zone.
I’m like a bit of a recluse, I hate leaving the house or doing anything so for me to put myself in a situation I was so uncomfortable in was actually quite a big thing for me.
I don’t know if career-wise that was the biggest thing but just in general because after that when I came out, I was like “okay, fine, I feel like I can do other stuff”.
What made you sign up for something like that?
Well, originally I wanted to do Big Brother so I was like “right, if I can do this then I can do Big Brother” but thank god I did it because two weeks was enough for me. I was actually like “oh, my God, I’m going to lose my mind”.
#fyp #vlogmas a quiet day for Barry
Ah okay, so has the experience now squashed your Big Brother dreams for life?
I mean if the money’s enough I’ll do whatever but I think it was good to have that insight before because if I was put in that situation just without any – not practice but you know what I mean – I think I would have really struggled because it’s like a mental thing.
Do you have anything that you feel was maybe your biggest mistake of last year or something that you would want to do differently?
I think one thing I’ve probably learnt is you don’t have to speak on everything or have an opinion on everything.
I have now learned that some things you just shouldn’t address or like be sensible with what you’re putting out there, especially with social media because it’s always out there.
So I definitely now pick and choose what I speak on and if it’s a sensitive subject, I’ve got to be careful how to word it. Before I was just like “yeah this is funny to say so I’ll just say it” but now I feel like I’m a lot more thoughtful about people’s feelings and what I’m saying.
That must be a hard balance to strike between being authentic but also acutely aware of the impact of your words and responsibility that comes with a platform?
Yeah, obviously I still talk about things that are happening but I think with more sensitive subjects, I just have to think a lot more about how I say it but I wouldn’t say I’m changing my content.
If anything it’s good the way I do it because with recent events, sometimes it’s a bit controversial what I say and I’ve actually lost friends over it because they have different opinions but then I just think it kind of comes with it.
In day-to-day life we’re not really filtered, when you’re talking to your friends you’re not sat there going, “oh I probably shouldn’t say that because that’s not correct” you’re just saying it. So I know realistically someone else is probably going to have that opinion, it just may not be the most popular one. But yeah, just try not to get cancelled – that’s my only thing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl8o8WhojYP/
What’s one thing about the social media industry that really surprised you?
Maybe the weirdest thing is… obviously, I’d grown up watching a lot of these people on YouTube. So when I’d actually go to events and meet them, it was just really weird seeing that they were normal people and I know that sounds really stupid.
I feel like that was the weirdest thing for me to adjust to because obviously, you’re fangirling a bit!
Also sometimes how different people are in real life. I think that was a bit of a sad one to get used to because some people really are very different on their social medias compared to how they are in real life.
Source: Read Full Article