The top breakout TikTok stars of each year since 2019 show how the app has evolved over time

TikTok
We used data from the information site Famous Birthdays to list the top TikTokers since 2019. Screen shot @AlixEarle/TikTok, @keith_lee125/TikTok, @bellapoarch/TikTok
  • When TikTok first gained popularity, it was known for lip syncing, dancing, and viral challenges.
  • But over the years, the app has become a place for creators of all categories to grow an audience.
  • We used data from Famous Birthdays to see the breakout TikTokers each year since 2019.
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When TikTok first gained popularity in 2019, its Gen-Z users shared videos of themselves lip syncing to popular songs, acting out dance trends, and starring in viral challenges.

Since then, TikTok has become one of the hottest social-media platforms, and the app has become a place for creators of all ages and content categories to grow an audience.

TikTok has changed — and so have its stars.

TikTok's first homegrown influencers, like Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae Easterling, grew in popularity with dancing and lip syncing videos filmed from their childhood bedrooms. Now, they are signed with Hollywood talent agencies and making waves in more traditional entertainment roles.

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In 2020, fueled by stay-at-home orders, TikTok continued to surge and so did the number of communities on the app. Influencer Hyram Yarbro shared skincare tips, Devon Rodriguez was drawing portraits on the subway, and Chriselle Lim was showing off her life as a "rich mom" in fashion.   

As the app matured, new content trends took over, from comedy and cooking to book reviews. Gone are the days when the platform's most recognizable creators break out into dance.

Take Khaby Lame, for instance, who silently reacts to videos. He has amassed 155 million followers on the app, surpassing D'Amelio as the most followed creator on TikTok.

To show how the platform has evolved, and which creators rose to fame each year, we used data from the creator information site Famous Birthdays, which acts as an IMDB for creators, influencers, and other notables. The platform is visited by up to 25 million monthly unique users, and the search engine on Famous Birthdays is searched up to 20 million times per month, according to the site's founder Evan Britton.

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From analyzing searches on its platform, Famous Birthdays is able to identify which creators are rising in real time. It identified Addison Rae Easterling, who now has 88 million TikTok followers, as a breakout creator when she first gained momentum on TikTok, contacting her when she had just 300,000 followers, she told the LA Times.

While the data shows that creators in many categories can now break out on TikTok, the classic lip syncing and dancing that the app was first known for can still propel new TikTokers to stardom.

Here were the rising stars on TikTok each year since 2019, according to data from Famous Birthdays:

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In 2019, TikTok was known for lip syncing, dancing, and viral challenges.

charli d'amelio tiktok
Charli D'Amelio. Charli D'Amelio/TikTok

Many creators initially grew a following on TikTok from short, 30-second lip syncing, dancing, and challenge videos.

Here were the rising stars on TikTok in 2o19, according to Famous Birthdays:

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In 2020, the platform shifted toward comedy and makeup.

bella poarch tiktok composite
Bella Poarch. @bellapoarch/TikTok

TikTok then skyrocketed in popularity in 2020, partially due to stay-at-home orders. 

The app's For You Page was no longer filled with Gen-Z  dancers. Instead, comedy videos, skincare, and book reviews took hold of users.

Here were the rising stars on TikTok in 2o20, according to Famous Birthdays:

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Throughout 2021, cooking videos and reactions topped the charts.

Emily Mariko
Emily Mariko. Screen shot of Emily Mariko/TikTok

In 2021, Emily Mariko posted a video to TikTok making a recipe with leftover salmon, which quickly became a viral food trend. 

That simple recipe helped her become one of the top creators that year.

Here were the rising stars on TikTok in 2o21, according to Famous Birthdays:

  • Khaby Lame has 155 million followers. Lame is a Senegalese-Italian creator who is based in Italy and does reaction videos. His following has grown rapidly over the years, leading him to become the most popular creator on TikTok. 
  • Emily Mariko has 12 million followers. She rocketed to stardom from her cooking videos, and gained over 7 million followers within just three months.
  • Kagiris Twins has 18 million followers. These twin sisters are known for choreographing dances and lip-syncing videos.
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In 2022, "get ready with me" content and food reviews were a leading category.

TikTok
Alix Earle and Keith Lee. Screen shot @AlixEarle/TikTok, @keith_lee125/TikTok, @bellapoarch/TikTok

Over the last few months, 22-year-old Alix Earle rose to fame and quickly became TikTok's newest "it girl."

Here were the rising stars on TikTok in 2o22, according to Famous Birthdays:

  • Whitney Wren has 1.8 million followers. She gained a following by posting dance videos and relatable videos with friends.
  • Skyy Jade has 5.4 million followers. He is known for his comedy videos, skits, and lip syncing.
  • Alix Earle has 4.7 million followers. She is a college student at the University of Miami who rose to fame by posting "get-ready-with-me" selfie videos almost every day.
  • Keith Lee has 10.9 million followers. Lee has quickly become a viral TikTok sensation, known for his comedy videos, food reviews, and storytimes. 
TikTok Influencers
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