Interview with Instagram star Emi @ayeisemi

Emi, also known by her handle @ayeisemi, is a social media influencer, Instagram star, YouTuber and broadcaster.

Through her YouTube videos and YouNow broadcasts, Emi has gained a legion of supporters thanks to her bubbly personality. However, she has also stolen the hearts of many because of her positive and inspiring attitude, with her motivational video on YouTube channel gaining particular attention.

We recently spoke to Emi about her positive and negative experiences with social media, YouTube, her travel bucket list, future goals and more.

How did you get your start as a social media influencer?

This is a very good question. I really never fit in, in high school, because I’ve always been different from everybody else and always wanted to do something different and stand out from the crowd. And, actually it all started when I was obsessed with watching America’s Next Top Model. I saw everything the models in the show did and what Tyra Banks created, it amazed me so much, that I told myself: “Emi if you want to be like Tyra Banks and do what she does? Well, you got to do something about it.” So I told my sister to start taking photos of me and we’d go to different places and have photoshoots. I started posting those photos on Instagram and immediately I started getting contacted by photographers, other models and brands. That, changed my life. 

What are your favorite things about social media?

Social media has completely changed my life and I’m forever grateful for it. It is a great way of meeting people that like to do the same things as you. Social media opens up an opportunity for you to be yourself and show the world who you are. My favorite part about it is that you get the chance to influence people in a good way and be a role model for them.

Social media obviously comes with its negatives too such as trolling. Can you tell us about any the negatives that you’ve experienced?

When people see you succeeding they always want to bring you down. When I first started YouTube, people didn’t want to see me succeed so they started writing really mean comments that weren’t even true, and that really hurt me but all the negativity pushes you to work harder and prove everyone wrong. Also, people have catfished as me on dating sites, pretending to be me and giving out my personal information, it even got to the point that my parents wanted to file a police report. I just took all of that as an experience to grow as a person. 

You’ve posted YouTube videos in the past and one of our favourites of yours is the motivational video ‘When you fall down stand up and try again and again’. What inspired you to create that video?

What inspired me to make the “when you fall down, stand up and try again and again” video was seeing a couple of my close friends going through depression and giving up on life. I wanted to send a message to all people telling them that it’s okay to feel that way sometimes but when you go through tough times, they always get better, because pain is temporary. I just wanted to let them know that they’re not alone and there’s always someone out there that cares for them. 

Can we expect more videos from you soon? We really love your content so far!

Yes, indeed. I’ll be posting more videos in the future. I’ve been working on some projects and traveling a lot, and i’ve taken that time to really know what I want with YouTube. And that is to inspire people, I want my channel to be focused on inspirational videos. I’m going to start grinding hard on YouTube again. 

You’re an Instagram lover, and that app in particular is changing all the time, for example algorithms (the order in which posts are shown on your timeline) and new features like Instagram stories. Have these changes affected the way you post and use social media?

Instagram is my favorite app because you get to inspire people through a photo. This app is always changing, there’s always a new feature and the algorithm changes all the time but as an instagrammer you got to learn the new features, learn the new algorithm and beat them, and find new strategies that will help you grow on Instagram as an influencer.

Who do you look up to in the social media world?

My role model is Tyra Banks. I love everything she’s created with social media, she’s been an inspiration to me and the reason why I started doing what I do. She has influenced so many people and that’s what inspired me to become a social media influencer.

If you could collaborate with any person and/or brand, who would it be and why?

I’d love to collaborate with Forever 21. It’s my favorite brand, all of my clothes are from Forever 21 and I would love to model for them sometime.

You often broadcast on YouNow. What do you enjoy most about the platform?

I love broadcasting. It is one of my favorite things to do, you get to be yourself, entertain people, meet new people and the most important thing, you get to inspire them to do something positive. A lot of people come in my streams because they need someone to talk to, and I’m always there for someone that needs me. 

We can see from your Instagram that you like to travel. Where’s next on your travel bucket list?

Traveling is one of my favorite things. Becoming a social media influencer has opened up this opportunity for me, letting me go to new places and meet new people. I am actually in Vegas right now, working on some collaborations and I’m traveling to California to collaborate with a couple brands. 

How has your life changed since becoming an influencer?

My life has completely changed. It’s always been a dream of mine to influence people and make a positive impact in the world. Who would have thought that I’d be doing meet and greets and signing autographs? I have little kids looking up to me and that just makes me want to be the best version of me all the time.

What would you like to achieve next?

I am writing a book and I want this book to be something epic. I am planning on finishing this book in the next couple months. I hope to change people’s lives with this book.

Finally, do you have a message for your loyal supporters?

I just want to take this opportunity to thank you, and each one of you for always sticking with me through thick and thing and being the best supporters out there. Don’t ever give up on your dreams, keep dreaming because everything is possible. Be patient and take it one step at a time. Love you all and thanks for everything! 

Thank you to Emi for her time. Make sure you keep up to date with her via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Fan of Emi @ayeisemi? Let us know on Twitter @CelebMix

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