TikTok has rapidly become one of the most popular forms of social media for Gen Z, and many users have become stars on the platform.
The social media site has released its TikTok 100, a curated list of some of the unique creators, viral trends and defining moments of 2020 – including the most famous UK content creators on the platform.
Topping the list is Holly H, who boasts 16.6 million million followers on the platform and can command up to £60,000 from brands per sponsored post.
Other featured content creators include LGBT influencers Matthew and Ryan, from Southampton, animation artist Lulu and one of the UK’s only freestyle footballers, London-based Lia Lewis
Here, FEMAIL reveals the ten most famous TikTok stars with millions of followers, that most of us have probably never heard of…
Holly H
Holly Horne boasts 16.6 million followers on the platform . Her bite-sized 15-60 second videos can range from lip-synching to songs, taking part in viral trends and performing popular dances
Holly Horne, 23, who was born in Guernsey but moved her family to West Sussex last year, has had a dramatic rise to fame on the two-year old social media platform.
She first found fame on Vine in 2015 before transitioning to TikTok and her bite-sized videos can range from lip-synching to songs, taking part in viral trends and performing popular dances.
She boasts an incredible 16.6 million followers on the site, allowing her to bag huge deals with brands, attend the Brit Awards, and meet the likes of Charlie XCX and Raye.
Every morning Holly wakes up early to make sure content is uploaded, before speaking with her team and spending the afternoon making 15-60 second videos – some of which are produced over several months.
It was estimated earlier this year that Holly earns a six-figure salary, with one report suggesting she makes over £60,000 for each sponsored social media post.
Her social media fame has allowed her to bag deals with brands, attend the Brit Awards, meet the likes of Charlie XCX (right) and Raye (left)
Holly shares a management team with Ricky Gervais and Adele and has worked with the likes of R&B star Raye and pop band Maroon 5, promoting their songs.
Holly lives at home with her siblings, Megan, 19, and Phoenix, 12 but has moved the family from Guernsey to a four-bedroom home on a private estate in West Sussex so she can be closer to London to meet advertisers and agents.
When it comes to making money, Holly can be seen on her TikTok account promoting perfume for Italian luxury goods company Ferragamo and even has her own animated character for video game Slide Stars.
Neffati Brothers
Twin brothers Jamil Neffati and Jamel Neffati , 25, from Blackburn, Lancashire, came second on the list with 12.3M followers
Twins Jamil and Jamel Neffati, 25, from Blackburn, Lancashire, come a close second to Holly on the list.
The Polish-born twins have racked up 12.3M followers and 316.7M likes with their dancing and comedy sketches on the platform.
The tattooed twins share videos including a brief tour of their luxe home – which racked up nearly 65,000 views and often post clips dancing to viral tracks, which have garnered up to 50,000 views.
In their first two months on the site, the pair amassed a huge 2.5 million followers and the fashion-forward influencers have even started their own online shop selling branded merchandise.
In their first two months on the site, the pair amassed a huge 2.5 million followers and the fashion-forward influencers have even started their own online shop
Their products include white and black Neffati Brothers t-shirts for £25 and similar branded hoodies for £40.
Earlier this year the pair also teamed up with online retailer ASOS for their #AySauce branded hashtag challenge, to show off the brand’s clothes on the app to to target fashion-loving 20-something customers.
There was some controversy surrounding the twins after it emerged a number of influencers had been accused of exploiting fans by getting them to send money in exchange for their phone numbers.
The pair offered to follow back fans in exchange for a ‘drama queen’ gift, telling the BBC that they were following the lead of other creators on the platform and that most of the fans who sent gifts were about 30-years-old.
Shauni Kibby
Third on the list with 10.5 million followers was 20-year-old Shauni Kibby from Weston-Super-Mare
Third on the list with 10.5 million followers was 20-year-old Shauni Kibby, from Weston-Super-Mare.
The influencer began gaining a social media following at the age of 16 and has made a splash on the platform with vlogs, shopping hauls and viral challenges.
Shauni is also an active YouTuber and has a popular Instagram page, boasting 385k followers.
Shauni has also found love with a fellow TikTok star, 22-year-old Jake Sweet, known as know as ‘SurfaceLdn’ on the platform, who has 6.9M followers.
The pair live together in a house in ‘TikTok house’ in London together and are creating viral 15-second videos for their 15million additional fans.
Launched in April, The Bytehouse – based in London – has been masterminded by Fanbytes, a talent and production agency. Pictured: Sweet, known as SurfaceLDN on TikTok, is in a relationship with Ms Kibby (Shauni)
Launched in April this year, The Bytehouse – based in London – has been masterminded by Fanbytes, a talent and production agency.
Mansions where content creators live together gained popularity thanks to the The Hype House, a collective of TikTok personalities based in Los Angeles, California.
In March it was announced she would be part of a planned live show at the London Palladium called For You Stage.
The show, which would have run till May but was cancelled amid the Covid-19 pandemic, included theatrical performance with a live band, games, challenges, comedy sketches and viral dances, presented on a stage made to look like a mobile phone.
Arshdeep Soni
Arshdeep Soni, 24, west London, is not only a popular Tik Tok star, but a talented magician and boasts 7.5 million followers on the platform
Arshdeep Soni, 24, from London, is not only a popular TikTok star, but a talented magician.
With 7.5 million followers on the platform, he is a member of London’s prestigious Magic Circle, a select group limited to 300 members which is dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic and often host shows and events in the city.
Arshdeep studied computer science at the Royal Holloway University of London and rose to fame sharing a myriad of sleight of hand tricks on the app.
The street magician often shares clips of him performing tricks to unaware members of the public including performing card tricks and seemingly turning a bubble into a solid object.
The street magician often shares clips of him performing tricks to unaware members of the public including performing card tricks and seemingly turning a bubble into a solid object
In his regular job the magician performs at a variety of different events, including weddings, corporate functions and Christmas parties.
His Instagram page boasts 142,000 followers, but he says that most of his fans usually recognise him from his TikTok.
Speaking to The Guardian, he said he often stays up to the early hours of the morning in his Shepherd’s Bush home planning his tricks.
He explained: ‘There’s a lot of work that goes into it. Planning ideas, rehearsing the right tricks for the right moment, then editing the video.
‘Then I have to figure out the best time for me to post. There’s lots of tactics.’
Lulu ‘tootymcnooty’
Lulu, known as tootymcnooty, is a 22-year-old animation expert and artist who shares her own cartoons on the platform and has racked up 5.3M followers
Lulu, known as tootymcnooty on the platform, is a 22-year-old animation expert and artist who shares her own cartoons on the platform and has racked up 5.3M followers.
The British influencer, who started using the platform in 2018, shares original comedic animations often centered around memes.
Lulu has capitalised on her popular cartoons by bringing out her own line of merchandise featuring a character she calls a ‘Phroggie’.
Lulu has capitalised on her popular cartoons by bringing out her own line of merchandise featuring a character she calls a ‘Phroggie’
Her online store sells cuddly toys of her well-loved character as well as phone cases, notepads, hoodies and t-shirts.
She also works with artists to promote their music on the platform, collaborating with musicians who wish to gain popularity for their songs by using it as a sound on one of her videos.
Speaking on the Verified Views podcast, she told: ‘As you know TikTok is very music based.
‘So what artists have found through TikTok is it’s a really good way of promoting music.
‘So they’ll come to me and say ‘Hey we want to promote music, do you think you can do an animation for this song”.
Jeremy Lynch
Football freestyler Jeremy Lynch has racked up nearly five million followers and belongs to YouTube channel F2Freestylers
Football freestyler Jeremy Lynch has racked up nearly five million followers to date on TikTok with a mix of tricks and comedy videos.
The London-born sports star made it to the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2008 with his impressive soccer skills.
He has since become part of the F2Freestylers, also known as The F2, are a British freestyle football duo comprising former semi-professional footballers Billy Wingrove and Jeremy.
They are best known for their YouTube channel which has over 12 million subscribers and over 50.73million followers across all social media platforms.
Wingrove and Lynch were both rejected from the academies of professional football clubs in their youth before finding fame on YouTube
Wingrove and Lynch were both rejected from the academies of professional football clubs in their youth before finding fame on YouTube.
Together, the duo have been invited to perform at a number of high-profile footballing events, including Soccer Aid in 2018.
In 2017, the pair led a team of YouTubers and ex-professional footballers competing under the name Tekkers Town in the Wembley Cup against Hashtag United.
James Lewis
Painter James Lewis, 25, has 3.4 million followers on the platform, and shares videos creating graphic art with calligraphy and painting. Pictured, one of his pictures
Painter James Lewis, 25, has 3.4 million followers on the platform, and shares videos creating graphic art with calligraphy and painting.
James, who lives in Cardiff, has a degree in graphic design from the University of South Wales and started working a freelancer in between his studies.
Now, James makes a living sharing clips recreating pictures of cult characters like SpongeBob, The Simpsons and Rick and Morty on the social media platform.
James has said that creating just one TikTok video takes him around a day and a half, and that he works regular office hours from 9am-6pm.
Now, James makes a living sharing clips recreating pictures of cult characters like SpongeBob, The Simpsons and Rick and Morty (pictured) on the social media platform
He has exhibited art and taught lettering workshops all over the world and while most of his original artworks are currently out of stock on his online store, those that are available will set you back around £300.
Earlier this year, James was named one of the recipients of the the £54m TikTok creator fund which will gives users around Europe the chance to turn their creativity into a career.
Grandad Joe
Granddad Joe Allington, 87, Lichfield, Staffordshire has become a hit on TikTok with 3M followers
Joe Allington, 87, Lichfield, Staffordshire has become a hit on TikTok with 3M followers.
The grandfather often shares videos with his three grandchildren, Brad 26 , Sasha 22 and Brooke, 16, and his top videos include Joe sharing everything he eats in a day, which racked up 1.2 million views.
Speaking to FEMAIL earlier this year, Joe told that he joined the platform because his daughter Wendy thought it could be something fun the two of them could do together.
He said: ‘My first TikTok was in January of this year and I really had no idea what it was all about!
The grandfather often shares videos with his three grandchildren, Brad 26 , Sasha 22 and Brooke, 16
‘It soon became apparent that I was quite popular as my followers grew very quickly, we were amazed and had no idea this would happen.
‘We have so much fun making our TikToks, it has now become part of our daily routine and has given me a new lease of life.’
He continued: ‘My family and friends all think it’s great, most of my family members have been featured on my TikToks, especially my granddaughters Brooke and Sasha. I really can’t imagine life without it’.
Joe’s very first ever video was what put him on the map, where the elder generation were struggling with the empty shelves in the supermarket. This video gained an incredible 42 million views.
Matthew and Ryan
Southampton based content creators Matthew and Ryan boast 2.6 million followers on the platform
Southampton based content creators Matthew and Ryan boast 2.6 million followers on the platform.
The couple have a host of loyal fans and share clips pranking each other, sharing make-up transformations and giving advice for LGBT fans.
Ryan started his original YouTube five years ago, and re-launched another account together after the pair started dating. They have even launched their own cosmetics range ‘Out Cosmetics’.
Speaking to Takumi about what inspired them to start their channel Ryan said: ‘I think we realised there was a lot of hardship in the LGBT community.
The couple have also made the most of their fame by collaborating with influencer marketing agency Takumi, promoting brands such as Lucozade and Britney Spears’ perfume range
‘So we first wanted to spread positive awareness of that and make it very normalised. We also just wanted to have fun, as life is about enjoying yourself!’
The pair focus on interacting with their their followers, and often engage by replying to comments and also through their live streams.
The couple have also made the most of their fame by collaborating with influencer marketing agency Takumi, promoting brands such as Lucozade and Britney Spears’ perfume range.
Lia Lewis
London-based Lia Lewis, 23, has 1.5 million fans on the platform and is one of only two female freestylers in the UK
Lia Lewis is not only one of the brightest emerging creators on TikTok, but one of only two female freestyle footballers in the UK.
London-based Lia, 23, has 1.5 million fans on the platform, and shares videos doing various impressive tricks including flips, jumps and walk-overs.
But Lia didn’t have much experience before joining the platform, and used her years of dance experience to become a talented freestyle footballer.
Speaking to TikTok, she explained: ‘I didn’t have much experience when I started, and have really learnt as I’ve grown on the platform.
But Lia didn’t have much experience before joining the platform, and used her years of dance experience to become a talented freestyle footballer
‘It’s nice to think some of my original fans have been there and seen my journey and how I’ve got more confident and improved my skills over time.’
A typical day for Lia involves going to work at 7:30am, finishing at 6:30pm and freestyling in the gym until 10pm, which she alternates with dance classes.
Her signature freestyle trick is the is the L-wheel, a one handed cartwheel with the ball.
The rising star in the football world already has 100’s of shows under her belt, she is available to book for freestyle shows nationwide and throughout Europe.