Loren Gray Shares The “Inspiring” Advice She Got From Taylor Swift

Loren Gray is exactly who you think she is. The 22-year-old Pennsylvania native has gained over 53.8 million followers on TikTok, 23.9 million followers on Instagram, and 3.67 million subscribers on YouTube by being true to herself, posting lip sync videos, OOTDs, and GRWMs.

If you asked Gray what her content niche is, she would say lifestyle. “It's always just been me and my life, and that's reflected in every avenue that I explore in the entertainment industry,” she tells Elite Daily at VidCon 2024, as a member of the convention’s creator lineup. “I've always done whatever felt real to me.”

Gray would rather follow her authenticity than a viral trend. “I'm not keeping up with anything,” she says. This has not only gotten her a massive following online but also the opportunity to appear in Taylor Swift’s “The Man” music video and star in the upcoming high school comedy film Incoming on Netflix as the cool girl at school. Gray may have started her career posting lip sync videos to Musical.ly when she was 13, but now she’s a multi-hyphenate creator, actor, and singer.

Her debut album Guilty dropped last year, and as an independent artist, she didn’t have a huge label to help promote it. Luckily, she had her enormous social media presence, which she says can be good and bad: “You feel like you're shoving something down people's throats.”

But at the same time, Gray says there’s something special about fans getting to “hear the story of the song coming from the artist.” And if you’re following her, you may just hear a few stories soon. “I'm working on new music. I have a lot to talk about,” she says.

Below, she continues to share her thoughts on the future of TikTok, how life as an influencer has changed, and the best advice she got from Taylor Swift.

Elite Daily: What's your secret to maintaining and growing an audience?

Loren Gray: I've never had to keep up with any trends because my content has just been me and my life. That’s included oversharing at times and talking about my mistakes, my wins, and everything in between.

Outside of that, consistency is the biggest thing. People put content out and forget that it can go viral at any time. It's the same with music. You're building that catalog for people to go back to and fall in love with. The more you put out, the more there is for people to sink their teeth into.

When you don't have that passion for the community, you're getting away from the whole point of social media.

You also have to be in it because you love it. People start social media out of a place of wanting to create a business. And while that's successful sometimes, it's very easy to lose sight of the audience.

When I started, I was 13, in my room, and creating a community I fell in love with. When you don't have that passion for the community, you're getting away from the whole point of social media.

ED: As a TikTok OG, how do you feel about the app potentially getting banned?

LG: I don't have any backup plan. TikTok is something that I just enjoy doing. It would be really sad if it went away, but there are always ways to move forward.

ED: What do you think a ban would mean for other influencers?

LG: If you want something and you've built that relationship with your audience, they'll follow you. There are so many platforms, which is the great thing about social media. Obviously, TikTok is a wonderful place and a lot of people would be really sad, including myself, but it's just about taking your audience wherever you can.

The point of being an influencer is you want to be someone people want to watch. Your life has to be interesting, and life just isn't interesting all the time.

ED: You’ve been in the spotlight for almost a decade. What's something you wish fans knew more about the influencer life?

LG: It can be really boring sometimes. It can feel mundane and repetitive. The point of being an influencer is you want to be someone people want to watch. Your life has to be interesting, and life just isn't interesting all the time. That can be a difficult thing to manage.

It's also difficult to cultivate an audience, and people think the minute you hit 100,000 followers or whatever, you're making millions of dollars. That is just not the case. It’s a job. It's the coolest job, but some things are difficult to handle.

ED: What has changed for the better about being a creator since you started?

LG: People are a lot more accepting of seeing the real you online. People like it when you’re vulnerable and unfiltered, which wasn't as much of a thing when I was younger. The industry is way more transparent. Followers are much more open to hearing about how things go wrong and what things are really like. They want to know the truth.

I don't feel that immense pressure to be like a perfect Barbie doll all the time.

That facade of social media, where it seems like everything is perfect, has crumbled, and it's made my job a lot easier. I don't feel that immense pressure to be like a perfect Barbie doll all the time.

ED: What's something that's become more difficult?

LG: Since there’s this pressure to be so vulnerable, it's hard to create boundaries. If I'm crying and upset, I feel like people want to know.

The comments are also way meaner than they used to be because people are smarter. It's not just, “Oh, you're ugly.” It's a paragraph that's going to hurt your feelings.

ED: What's something you've discovered about using social media to promote your music?

LG: Social media is difficult to navigate as an artist because there's that usual template of someone saying, “Did I just make the song of the summer?” That doesn't work for me and my audience. I had to find other ways that were more natural and organic.

ED: You've gotten to meet different artists over the years, like Taylor Swift on “The Man” music video. Did you get any good advice from her?

LG: We talked for a while about the music industry, and staying true to your art and what it is you have to say. I really appreciated that.

Seeing the way that [Taylor Swift] presents herself and that you can have that level of success and still be a good person was inspiring.

Just seeing and hearing from someone who is so successful but so humble and is willing to give advice and lift upcoming artists is really, really great. What she said about the music industry made me feel less alone, but also just seeing the way that she presents herself and that you can have that level of success and still be a good person was inspiring.

ED: Are you working on any music right now?

LG: Yes. I’m excited to have songs that reflect where I'm at in my life now, because so much has happened and I've changed so much.

ED: Who would you want to work with?

LG: My favorite person in the world is Eminem. He doesn't even have to work with me. I just want to look at him in person. That's literally it.

ED: You’ve posted a few TikToks recently using Sabrina Carpenter's music. Is she someone you’d like to work with?

LG: Yes, I love her. Her most recent song, “Please, Please, Please,” came out at the perfect time for me. She's killing it and makes really great music.

ED: What’s next for you?

LG: Incoming is coming out in August on Netflix. That's my first movie role. I've been super selective with what I audition for, and I was excited about this role. It's different than what people would expect from me and a little surprising, so I can’t wait to see how people react.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.