The popularity of YouTube has exploded over the past few years, with seemingly everybody jumping onto the YT bandwagon and starting their own channels (especially after finding out that you can actually make a healthy living off of it!). And no, YouTubers don’t just come from America and the UK, there are plenty of our own homegrown content creators to binge-watch too!
Besides the big-name ones like JinnyboyTV or Dan Khoo Productions, there are so many YouTubers who might be less in the limelight but make content just as good, and are definitely worth your time. Here’s a list of Malaysian YouTubers that you should check out:
CartoonHooligans
CartoonHooligans isn’t as ‘underground’ as you might think. It’s the first ever Malaysian YouTube channel to reach one million subscribers! Even though most locals would never have heard of this channel before (I haven’t either), CartoonHooligans has garnered millions of views with their hand-drawn animation videos depicting popular superheroes and cartoon characters. Their most popular upload (Dragon Ball Z vs Marvel Superheroes) has almost 40 million views! Now that’s something for us Malaysians to be proud of.
Doghouse 73 Pictures
Dubbing themselves as an ‘independent cinema channel’, Doghouse 73 Pictures is a platform for indie filmmakers and movie houses to showcase their work, and a way for local short film enthusiasts to see what’s hot in the indie film scene and get some new favourites to watch. Their most recent uploads are a series of three short films adapted from the popular KL Noir books, with three different directors each to showcase different chapters from the book. With over 31,000 subscribers, this channel is a great way to gain exposure for these independent production houses!
Nur Amira Syahira
This is just one of those channels that you are so glad exists somewhere on the Internet. Nur Amira Syahira is a petite 13-year-old girl, can you guess what kind of videos she creates for her channel? No, not makeup tutorials. Or daily vlogs. Or dance videos. On the opposite end of the spectrum, she records metal drum covers for YouTube. And she’s pretty darn good at it too! Besides doing drum covers, she’s even performed live with the likes of local band Wings, she’s drummed on TV, she’s officially an associate with one of the biggest drum companies in the world, Zildjian, and her bright, bubbly personality shows through her videos to gain her more and more fans (75,000 and counting). Probably the coolest thing I’ve seen today.
Maxman.tv
If you’re into embarrassing prank videos, then Maxman.tv is the channel for you. They specialize in all kinds of pranks, social experiments, and videos that will either make you cringe or laugh. Their most watched video so far, ‘Fast & Furious Nerd Shocks Instructors’, shows a nerdy girl (who was actually a professional Malaysian motorsport athlete) shocking her driving instructors by performing crazy stunts and drifts during her driving test, and has over 41 million views and counting. Definitely check this channel out if you enjoy prank videos!
TheSaladShow
TheSaladShow is an up-and-coming YouTube channel that makes a range of different videos, from thought-provoking drama shorts to funny skits and sketches. Their artful use and knowledge of good cinematography, story writing, and casting makes their content well worth a watch, and definitely deserving of more than their current 8700 subscribers. One of their most watched videos, simply entitled ‘Hello’, tells the story of a guy getting over his breakup. It manages to evoke sadness, frustration, hope, and happiness all within its short 10 minutes, which has made me click the ‘subscribe’ button immediately. Maybe it will for you too!
BudgetHobby
If cutesy crafts, DIY, and art projects are your cup of tea, then BudgetHobby will be too! This channel films easy-to-follow tutorials on how to create all kinds of crafts, from plush toys to pillows to cupcakes to needle felted critters. And with the name BudgetHobby, they obviously use affordable materials to put all these creations together! They also film shopping hauls from popular Japanese store Daiso, toy unboxings, putting together finicky toys like Nanoblocks, and more. Basically, if you like anything tiny, cute, and cartoony (like the 210,000 other people who do!) check this channel out because I’m sure you’ll enjoy watching!
Sheryl Shazwanie
Sheryl Shazwanie is famous on the interwebs for her amazing covers of popular songs, and this 18-year-old’s sweet, lilting voice has made herself thousands of fans in the country. Besides having 70,000 subscribers on YouTube, she also has over 21,000 followers on SoundCloud and 33,000 on Instagram. Her most popular video yet is a Smule duet with Charlie Puth singing One Call Away, which has garnered 5.5 million views. Her voice sounds like a match made in heaven with the song and Charlie’s voice, and that’s what has gotten her so much attention thus far.
Dennis Caca
This channel features an adorable couple (Dennis and Caca, obviously) that makes relatable sketches and funny shorts, vlogs, gaming videos, challenges, and seemingly every kind of video under the sun on their channel. They mostly speak in Mandarin throughout their videos, but worry not if you can’t speak it. They have English subtitles in most of their videos so you can understand them with no problems. Their most popular uploads seem to be their relatable comedic ones, like the Spicy Korean Noodles challenge (over 1 million views), ‘当女友来月经 Girlfriend On Period’ (980,000 views), and ‘各种咖啡店顾客 Kopitiam Customers’ (900,000 views).
Joanna Soh
If you’re one of those people who settle for home workouts through YouTube instead of going to a gym, you’ve gotta watch Joanna Soh’s videos. Her channel can encourage anyone to take up a healthier lifestyle, not only through her workout videos but also her health food recipes, diet tutorials, meal planning, and more. She has videos targeting most areas of the body, so if you want to burn fat off your thighs, get rid of cellulite, obtain a flat and toned tummy, or just stay fit overall, chances are there’s already a video about it on Joanna’s channel. And don’t worry, she’s a certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, and fitness specialist so you can trust her advice and knowledge!
zWinnieYap
zWinnieYap uploads makeup tutorials. That’s pretty standard, right? Wrong! She doesn’t just do boring smoky eyes or contour tutorials. Most of her videos are short lessons on how to get the perfect anime eyes! She doesn’t only have one or two tutorials on this, but loads and loads! It might not be for everyone, but it’s incredibly helpful for cosplayers, and it’s just entertaining to watch in general! She chooses one popular anime character per video, and tries to imitate said character’s eyes through the use of theatrical makeup and contact lenses. I have to say, the results are impressive (and I’m sure her 268,000 subscribers would agree!).
See, there’s so much more to YouTube than cat videos, pranks, and vlogs. And to think that these amazing creators hail from our land of Malaysia is something to be proud of as Malaysians! Let us know of your favourite local YouTube channels, I’m sure there’s lots more that we missed!
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