10 Artists You Didn’t Know Were Discovered on YouTube

YouTube has birthed more professional music careers than you might have imagined.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Not every successful musician gets their big break due to sheer luck or nepotism. For many talented artists, making it in the industry involves lots of hard work, dedication, and shameless self-promotion. In the early 2000s it was all about MySpace—the popular social media site that enabled musicians to promote their own music. But once a little video-sharing site called YouTube was born, dozens of aspiring artists flocked to upload videos of their latest covers or original tunes.

In the nine years since its creation, YouTube can be credited with spawning the careers of a wide range of artists. Besides the musicians that are well known for their humble YouTube beginnings, there are dozens of others who many of us may have forgotten launched their careers online. Here are 10 Artists You Didn’t Know Were Discovered on YouTube.

Cody Simpson

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The Weeknd

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Austin Mahone

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Carly Rae Jepsen

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Greyson Chance

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5 Seconds of Summer

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Karmin

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Charice Pempengco

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Arnel Pineda

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PSY

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