Respect for successful YouTube stars, says Singh, has increased since those early days, meaning the business deals she has struck have also changed. I started because I was sad and lost and wanted a creative outlet to express my feelings, so I turned to YouTube.” “I never thought I’d make a career out of it – I never thought that was possible,” says Singh. Singh began making her YouTube videos in 2010, newly graduated from York University with a psychology degree and struggling with an unexpected bout of depression. But I’ve definitely evolved since those early days.” “And with the book too, it’s been different and exhausting and wonderful. “Look, all that has been great,” says Singh. Last year, she was named the highest-paid woman on YouTube, earning $7.5 million.

In 2015, Forbes named her one of the top 10 most highly-paid YouTube stars, making an estimated US$2.5 million a year (Dh9.1 million) from her insanely popular videos. She has dabbled in singing, dancing, writing and acting. Her Punjabi, Sikh parents moved to Canada from India, and Singh grew up in Toronto. She’s a multifaceted comedian and entertainer who relies heavily on her ethnic background when creating skits and stand-up routines. She is self-deprecating, quick-witted, talks a mile a minute and is smooth with her humour. It’s kind of like my vlog but a little more orchestrated and not all over the place – not as much of a hot mess as I usually am.” It’s a show where I interact with the audience and where I get the audience to interact with each other. “It’s meant to make you laugh, inspire you. “Think of it as a comedic motivational TED talk,” says Singh, who also goes by her YouTube nickname, Superwoman. She wants her audience to laugh and to be entertained, but also to leave with something to think about. Her first book, How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life, was published in March, and she is in the middle of an international promotional tour, during which she shares what she has learnt about achieving success and happiness. That message, says the YouTube star, is meant to be uplifting. Parents have no idea what to expect, and then get totally blown away by the message I’m sharing.” “I love when parents come to my show and go back to their kids with my stories of how this journey has taught me to always pick myself up, to never let anything stand in my way, and that hard work is the real secret behind making dreams come true. “I want parents to come,” says the 28-year-old Canadian. Social-media comedy star Lilly Singh is hoping that when she faces an audience in Dubai on Wednesday, there are plenty of grown-ups in the crowd alongside her younger fans.

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