How do you become famous today? There are many different ways. Jacob Whitesides does it like Charlie Puth and Justin Bieber: with the help of YouTube.
He is only 18 years old and already his own boss: Jacob Whitesides founded his own record company a year ago and has been able to call himself CEO of Double U Records ever since. This was important to him because it allowed him to determine his own creative path, he says on Twitter:
Jacob Whitesides made a name for himself with the YouTube channel he opened in 2011. Initially, he mainly published cover versions of well-known songs and was therefore mentioned in a tweet by One Direction member Liam Payne, among others.
Four years have passed since then, Whitesides has grown up and is now making his own music. Last year, he toured the USA with Fifth Harmony, was named the "next big thing" by Radio Disney and an "artist to watch" by Spotify.
His diligence is paying off: On social media, he can count on the support of the "Whitesiders", as his fans are known: 1.5 million people follow him on Instagram, 2.1 million on Twitter and 1.6 million like him on Facebook.
After three EPs, Whitesiders' debut album "Why?" was released on September 9, with which he will also be touring Switzerland.
The "Lovesick Tour" is named after the title track of the current album. Whitesides has already presented the track on the "Today Show". Here's a little taste of what you can expect in Zurich on February 26:
