If you haven't heard of the mega-popular app TikTok [1] (formerly known as Musical.ly), then you're probably not familiar with one of its biggest stars, Baby Ariel. The 18-year-old singer, actress, and social media personality [2] began contributing to the short-form video sharing app back in 2015, lip-syncing to popular artists like Nicki Minaj, and now she has 29.3 million followers [3] (or "fans," as they're called on the app). That fame has allowed her to transition into releasing her own music and acting — she starred in a YouTube series called Baby Doll Records, as well as a Nickelodeon movie called Bixler High Private Eye. While we're still getting to know this young star, here are a interesting tidbits we've gathered about her!
She's Inspired by Noah Cyrus, Julia Michaels, and Selena Gomez
When it comes to musical influences, Baby Ariel looks to pop artists she admires for being "different and kind of quirky," though her style may not be exactly like theirs [5]. "My inspirations when it comes to music are Noah Cyrus, Julia Michaels, and Selena Gomez [6]," she named as her favourites. "First off, they're all girls, awesome. They're truly themselves. And I love that Julia Michaels writes all of her music, which I think is super inspiring, and you know, it comes from the heart."
Her Parents Were High School Sweethearts
Baby Ariel's parents, Jose and Sharone (who are often featured in her Meet the Martins [7] YouTube series), met as teenagers in high school and attended prom together [8]. They've been a couple for nearly 30 years [9] and both of them are incredibly supportive of Ariel and her fellow social media-famous-brother, who's better known as King Jacob [10].
Her Dad, Jose Martin, Is Also a Musician
Baby Ariel's Panamanian father is a musician himself, and he was one of the first people to instill a love of music [11] in his daughter. "My dad is a musician and songwriter," she told BELLO Mag. "He'd play all kinds of great things growing up like The Beatles, Prince, and David Bowie."
She First Realised She Was Famous in a Walmart
One of the first times that Baby Ariel understood the reach of her fame was while shopping in a Walmart in her pajamas [12]. "This girl took a photo of me and I didn't realise it," she explained to Cosmopolitan. "I went home and I got on my phone and I saw this picture of me in my pajamas, and I was like, 'Oh my god, they actually took a picture of me because they knew who I was,' which is crazy."
She Started Taking Singing Lessons When She Was 7
It may seem like Baby Ariel took a big leap from lip-syncing to singing, but she actually received formal training as a child [13]. "I started singing lessons when I was, like, seven, piano lessons when I was, like, seven, eight . . . so, it's always just kind of been a part of my life," she explained in an interview with Popstar!
She Also Plays the Guitar
Though she took piano lessons as a kid (and often entertained her family with "fake guitar" performances [14] growing up), the instrument she's working on mastering now is the guitar [15]. "I'm learning guitar now and I'm enjoying songwriting more than ever," she revealed to Soundigest. "I can literally sit in my room for like six hours working on a song and it'll feel like 10 minutes. But it's such a great way for me to get my feelings out."
She Wrote Her First Song in Preschool About Having a Stomachache
When Billboard asked her about the first song she ever wrote, she recalled a song she wrote as a toddler about having a stomachache [16]. "It was in preschool," she said. "I was about four years old, and it was like, 'My stomach hurts so much, I need to go home from school,' It was really bad."
Her First Date Was Also in Preschool
While in preschool, Baby Ariel went on her first movie date with a boy from her class named Sam, and of course — since they were, you know, preschoolers — Sam's dad accompanied them on the date and sat between them. "I didn't even sit next to the kid," she says in a video telling the story [17]. "It was the weirdest experience of my entire life, but I'll never forget it, because that was my first date."
Her First Time Using a Tampon Was Probably More Embarrassing Than Yours
Baby Ariel is always open with her fans, which is why she blessed us with the story [18] of accidentally broadcasting an instructional video about inserting tampons while on tour with a bunch of guys. When the YouTuber went into the bathroom, she forgot that her phone was still hooked up to the Bluetooth and, well . . . the boys got a lesson as well [19].
She Is Obsessed With Criminal Minds
She loves the TV show Criminal Minds [20] so much that she actually named the mannequin boyfriend from her "Perf" music video Derek Morgan [21] as a tribute to Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore. She often tweets about the show [22] as well, once saying, "Guys if social media doesn't work, catch me being an agent at the BAU I SWEAR TO GOD." (BAU is a reference to the Behavioural Analysis Unit.)
