New year, new you, right? Sure, whatever….
A super easy way to make 2018 feel fresh AF is to simply update your feeds with some killer new follows.
Here for your following pleasure are 12 Aussie teens who are absolutely crushing the game and deserve your undivided attention as picked by peeps who would know, as they’re already killing it themselves.
Lupa J (Picked by Matt Okine)
Lupa J will be red hot in 2018! She was a triple j unearthed finalist two years in a row, and now at 19 years old has just dropped her debut album. When I was 19 I was deleting people’s fines at the video store I worked at in exhange for bagged wine… Go figure.
She’s supported some big names in the past twelve months and I swear it’s only a matter of time until she’s headlining in her own right.
– Matt Okine, comedian & ex-triple j breakfast host. Touring Australia with a new comedy show in 2018.
Tyler Hanley (Pickled by Jake Bley)
This has to be @tylerhanley as he’s very inspirational and a bundle of energy. His zest for life is contagious, and adventurous spirit makes him a very great candidate for this opportunity.
Not only is he an incredibly talented content creator, but does his best to foster and give back to the community.
– Jake Bley – An Australian LGBTQI+ community member & influencer.
Georgie Stone (Picked by Alex Bruce-Smith)
Georgie Stone, 17, puts most grown adults to shame. The teenager and trans advocate made history when, age 10, she became the youngest person in Australia to be granted permission by the courts to take hormone blockers, and has been fighting for trans rights in Australia ever since.
In a country where LGBTQI people still face so much discrimination and abuse, Georgie shows incredible bravery for being so willing to tell her story and fight for equality.
– Alex Bruce-Smith, Senior Editor, Pedestrian.TV
Sprinkled Pages (Picked by Maria Lewis)
Spend five minutes on book Twitter and it’s easy to drown in a sea of book bloggers: there are legit SO many out there. When one rises to the surface it’s for a reason (herein concludes this weird ocean metaphor). At just 16, Anisha – better known by her moniker Sprinkled Pages – is one of the Aussie booktube creators on the come up.
Largely focussing on the Young Adult genre as well as books by women and diverse creators, she has amassed a following across the various social media platforms for her insights, occasional baking, tough but fair reviews and dreamy bookspreads on Insta. With the #LoveOzYA community growing everyday, she’s definitely someone to keep an eye on and subscribe to.
Quick shout out to the burgeoning Aussie teenage bookstagram community too, namely Contagious Books, Tomebound, BooksKay, Jenny Zeng and The Booktube Girl (on YouTube)!
– Maria Lewis, best-selling author of the Who’s Afraid? series. Her latest book It Came From The Deep is available now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJBbxIY7Grk&feature=youtu.be
Andrew McGrath (Picked by Cam Tyeson)
The sweet boy Andrew McGrath.
19 years old. Born in Canada. Moved to Australia aged 5. National under-age athletics champion. First pick in the 2016 AFL Draft. 2017 Rising Star winner. Moving to a more prominent midfield role this year at Essendon.
Big year comin’ for young Pidgey.
– Cam Tyeson, Senior Editor, Pedestrian.TV.
Aubri Ibrag (Picked by AJ Clementine)
The first teen that comes to mind is @AubriBrag.
She’s a Melbourne based influencer/Instagrammer who is #goals when it comes to creating fresh, cool and entertaining content within the fashion/beauty community.
Being only 17, my high school self would be inspired by what she has done thus far.
– AJ Clementine – Transgender model and vocal advocate for diversity.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbZOAs8gCle/?hl=en&taken-by=aubribrag
Ella Victoria (Picked by Courtney Fry)
I only recently discovered local YouTuber Ella as my cousin is obsessed with her and a quick look at her YouTube channel and it’s easy to see why.
Ella’s tutorials and life hack vids on beauty and lifestyle stuff just WORKS as it’s an actual teen talking to teens, which makes it feel incredibly real and without the usual talking-down BS.
Her numbers look to be ever-growing so 2018 looks to be another big year for the young beauty!
– Courtney Fry, multimedia editor, Pedestrian.TV
Samsaruh (Picked by KLP)
She’s 19 but Samsaruh’s voice just melts over you like a fine aged wine. You can hear her tracks all over the airwaves on triple j, plus catch her at a bunch of shows as she often jumps up on stage with Slumberjack, Just A Gent and handles the support duties for the likes of Dean Lewis & LANKS.
– KLP – musician, producer, host of triple j’s House Party. On tour throughout Jan.
Fletcher Davies (Picked by Alex Hayes)
I’m really excited about teaming up with @fletcherdavies who like me, loves surfing and making the most of every moment. We’ve both had friends and people close to us who’ve been impacted by depression, so together we’re doing the Molokai Race which consists of paddle boarding between two islands in Hawaii to raise awareness of this issue and youth suicide amongst teens.
– Alex Hayes – Sydney based surfer and content creator.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcZNBQoB6Ka/?taken-by=fletcherdavies
Poppy Starr (Picked by Chris Wirasinha)
A young Aussie competing internationally in skateboarding, much more than just an extremely talented athlete, Poppy is also a young gun entrepreneur.
Utilising her talents in art and design and some savvy marketing skills behind her, Poppy sells her own greeting cards and jewellery online, pretty much ensuring she has the dollars to achieve all her travelling goals.
I don’t really see anywhere for Poppy to go but up, so she is definitely one to watch in 2018.
– Chris Wirasinha, co-founder Pedestrian.TV
Izzac Carrol & Chloe Young (Picked by Beau Neilson)
In the space of just a few years, Izzac Carroll has gone from living in a rural Northern NSW town with a population of 1,120 to being a Sydney Dance Company dancer. Izzac was selected for Sydney Dance Company’s prestigious Pre Professional Year program in 2016, and in that same year was awarded a trainee contract with Sydney Dance Company where he made his premiere in the critically acclaimed double-bill Untamed.
In 2017, Izzac was part of Nude Live, Sydney Dance Company’s collaboration with the Art Gallery of NSW, which earned him a slew of glowing reviews and ensured his place as a Company dancer. He also performed in Rafael Bonachela’s works 2 One Another and Ocho, the annual choreographer showcase, New Breed and toured with the Company to Shanghai and the USA.
In 2018, Izzac will tour to South America and Europe followed by Sydney Dance Company’s 2018 Season in Australia.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcog3dwDeKr/?taken-by=izzac.carroll
Hailing from the small QLD town of Burpengary, Chloe Young was selected to be part of Sydney Dance Company’s Pre Professional Year program in 2017. In 2018 Chloe has been awarded the trainer contract with Sydney Dance Company.
Throughout summer, while most people have been on holidays, Chloe has been in studio learning the repertoire for Sydney Dance Company’s South American tour, which is commences on 19 January.
– Beau Neilson – Non-executive Director of the Sydney Dance Company.
Kaysia Younes (Picked by Alison Green)
Kaysia is a switched on Australian booktuber, who spends her time exciting other teens about the young adult stories that will change their lives.
With a skyrocketing fan based, Kaysia is THE resource for book recommendations in 2018.
– Alison Green, CEO Pantera Press .
Genesis Owusu (Picked by Sean Satha)
Genesis Owusu is a super talented hip-hop artist and an amazing performer. He’s performed at Groovin’ The Moo, Spilt Milk and Laneway Festival, in addition to his own tour.
He’s also a top bloke.
– Sean Satha, Founder of Local Supply.
Isabella Clarke (Picked by Jared Richards)
Isabella Clarke brought home the bronze from last year’s Junior Eurovision with her fire performance of ‘Speak Up’, a song about speaking up about things – which, yes, is vague, but who cares when it’s such a bloody bop?
While the 13 y.o. Melbournian only has the one song out, we’re desperate for more. Based off her high-drama performance and strong selfie game on Insta, I have decided she is a gay icon and is simply homophobic to suggest otherwise.
– Jared Richards, Careers Writer, Pedestrian.TV
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbeJ6WWglRm/?hl=en&taken-by=isabellaclarkeofficial
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