For Indo-Canadian YouTube sensation, comedian, motivational speaker, rapper and actor Lilly Singh, who is popularly called Superwoman from her YouTube username, nothing gives her a greater rush than making people laugh. “At least once in their lives, people forget to laugh. I feel my videos can make the difference. I like to remind people how beautiful life can be. It doesn’t really matter how old you are or what you are going through, if you’ve forgotten to laugh, my hope is my videos remind you that life can be fun.”
She was sharing these gems at a show in MLR Convention Center, Whitefield, as part of her India leg of her debut world tour – A Trip to Unicorn Island, presented by Culture Machine.
What’s the one thing she wants her audience to take away when they watch her videos? Lilly says: “That life’s not so bad. I have a set type of comedy that is very light-hearted and never very intense. It is always uplifting and positive. So I just want people to feel lighter. Whether you’ve had a great day or a bad one, if you watch my video, you will realise life is pretty awesome and your problems aren’t so bad.”
Excited to be in Bengaluru for the very first time, Lilly says she found a very supportive audience here. “This is my second show and the first one was really good. I was actually very sick. But when I got on stage, the audience was so much fun and I forgot all about my sickness. Bangalore is also an amazing city. The weather is great and the people fun.”
What are her thoughts on her first world tour? “It’s the strangest thing. I’ve been planning it for so long. And now that it’s here I feel it’s too quick,” she laughs and adds: “It is just a real experience. It is obviously a lot of work, very tiring and exhausting. But I think I made the perfect decision to start in India. They are such a fun audience to perform in front of. My cast, crew and I – all have the energy now to finish the rest of the tour. It’s just inexplicable the amount of support I’ve got so far.” Her message to others who would like to aspire to walk the same path is simple. “I’m the type of person who doesn’t hope, dream or wish for things. I work and work and work. For anyone aspiring to be anything, I would like them to realise dreams require work. So work big time.”
At a time when women look up to her as an inspiration, Lilly says Superwoman would like to tell women the same thing she would tell men. “You are not any different. You can do anything you want. So many times, I’ve been asked what I think of women stand-ups. If you actually look around, there are so many female comedians starring in the biggest TV shows. I’d say don’t feel you are naturally less. Stop thinking like that and it will go away. Just treat yourself like how you treat everybody else.”
Looking ahead, Lilly says she would definitely maintain YouTube as much as she can. “But I would like to do TV, films and some higher production in music. I love the 10-minute videos I do on YouTube and still try other challenges.”
What’s the hardest thing for Superwoman? It is saying no, she affirms. “I don’t say no as much as I should. I’m an extreme workaholic. So I can be sick and I still say yes to anything. When you are the CEO of your own company, editor of your own videos, your own writer and you do every role yourself, you have a hard time saying no to opportunities.”
