What makes Musical.ly so popular among the youth, you ask? The answer is simple: It is easy to use and extremely clever videos can be made and shared online in no time at all. Musical.ly is so entertaining that in a very short span of time it has turned into an addiction among many. Something as simple as lip-syncing to songs and even dialogues can be taken to an entirely new level with this application. 

Musical.ly users or ‘musers’ as they are called can get to the top of the charts or even get ‘featured’ to be visible internationally based on their popularity. This gives them an incentive to produce creative video and come up with innovative content every single time. Even in Nepal, this mobile application has been able to build some dedicated ‘musers’ whose fan base on social media platforms is steadily rising.

So this week we tried to explore the lives of these Musical.ly stars beyond their social media feed. Here is sneak peek into how they started and what they aspire to do through this vibrant platform.

 A passionate actor (@Reshma Ghimire)
She is fun, entertaining, and definitely has some strong acting credentials. If you are on musical.ly, you may already be following Reshma Ghimire from Biratnagar. According to Ghimire, acting is her hobby and she wants to pursue it whenever she has the time. She says Musical.ly is an amazing platform to display her talent and that is how she is making her acting dreams come true. Not just that, Ghimire is also a talented singer and a guitarist. 

“I sing and play the guitar whenever I get time,” says Ghimire who is currently in the final year of her Bachelors in Nursing. She aspires to work for child care organizations in the future. She says working for the welfare of children has always been her dream. She also wants to open orphanages in the future. But her determination to do something for the welfare of children isn’t going to stop her from pursuing acting as a side project whenever she can. 

Ghimire does not exactly remember the moment when she got introduced to Musical.ly but she assumes to have downloaded the application about a year ago. According to her, it feels great to be known all over the country just because of one mobile application. She didn’t have to do much either. It was minimal effort, she says. 

“I also understand that I can now use this platform to spread important messages all over the country and I’m working towards doing that,” says Ghimire who now also has a YouTube channel.   

She feels that social media is an opportunity that should be acknowledged and utilized. People are making money through YouTube and utilizing it to spread awareness. “It all depends on how you use this platform. It’s not all about wasting your time as many view it to be,” says Ghimire talking about the pros and cons of social media. She feels you have to find ways to do productive things on social media and not let it take over your life. 

Addressing issues of cyber bullying, Ghimire says that social media can also impact young people negatively. Even she had a hard time coping with negative comments on Musical.ly when she first started out. “I actively try to ignore mean comments these days. It does affect me sometimes but mostly it does not,” says Ghimire who also advises young users to not let the virtual world take over their real one. 

The outstanding dancer  (@nepstepper)
Mukesh Dhakal claims that he is an extremely shy person. He cannot express his views verbally in public or even in front of a small crowd. “But thankfully there is dance,” says Dhakal for whom dance is an important means of expression. He uses this form of art to show his happiness, his anger, aggression, and even sadness. At times, he finds solace and peace in dance while other times it gives him hope and energy. 

Even in Musical.ly, Dhakal is known for his outstanding dance moves that are unique and fun to watch. Many people have left comments praising him for perfectly syncing modern dance moves with traditional Nepali songs. Dhakal is a street style dancer and is especially interested in popping and animation dance forms. 

About three years ago, Dhakal got to know about Musical.ly from some dance artists he used to follow on Instagram. Then, he used to make Musical.ly videos but would never upload them (because he was shy, of course). He eventually started a YouTube channel and gained recognition for his dance there. 

He is currently pursuing BSc. in Computer Honors and aims to build a career in it. “But dance will always be my passion and I will continue dancing,” says Dhakal . 

Dhakal is a self-taught dancer who has never taken a single dance class. According to Dhakal , there is no professional in Nepal who can teach this street style dance form. “This style is growing very slowly in Nepal,” he says. So he takes the help of YouTube and various other websites in order to learn more about this dance form and hone his skills. In the future, he wants to attend dance workshops abroad and get better at dancing. 

Dhakal also likes participating in dance battles that take place in Kathmandu. He also does not miss the opportunity to perform on any public platform that he gets to know about through social media. For him, social media is all about learning and creating new opportunities. “You can share your talents, thoughts, and visions on social media,” says Dhakal who believes that these online portals come with a fair share of risks that you have to learn to navigate as you use them.

Remarkable twins (@deepadamanta)
Deepa Shrestha and Damanta Shrestha, twins who live in Kathmandu, are now taking over Musical.ly. Their perfection and aptly synchronized videos are what makes them so popular. Musical.ly users love them for their perfectly lip-synced quirky film dialogues and simple yet fun dance moves. 

They claim that exploring new technology has always been their hobby and Musical.ly gave them an easier platform to edit videos and make some entertaining clips. “Surprisingly, Musical.ly has also helped us a lot in developing our personality and confidence,” says Deepa adding that after getting recognition and appreciation on Musical.ly, they have started feeling that building a career doing something they love might not be that difficult. 

Damanta believes that Musical.ly has also helped them in improving their acting skills. “If I look at my first few videos and if I look at myself now I see a huge difference in my acting abilities,” she says. She’s also optimistic about social media helping them find a career in acting. “You cannot underestimate the power of social media these days,” adds Damanta. 

The twins are currently studying in grade 12. They believe that Musical.ly has given them a remarkable opportunity to pursue their dreams and hobbies while continuing with their studies. But they also understand that this application has the power to take up a lot of their time. So now they are making conscious efforts to not let Musical.ly rule their lives. They intend to use this technology in such a way that it benefits them to the fullest and does not end up making them unproductive. But, at the same time, they also have every intention of coming up with better performances in the future and are willing to devote time and effort for it. 

 
• musical.ly