Life of a YouTube Star

Baauer isn't the first viral video star.

PSY - PSY was already a Korean pop star, but when "Gangam Style" went viral here in the the U.S.—eventually becoming the most viewed YouTube video of all time—he became a global phenonenon. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

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PSY - PSY was already a Korean pop star, but when "Gangam Style" went viral here in the the U.S.—eventually becoming the most viewed YouTube video of all time—he became a global phenonenon. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Justin Bieber: March 1 - The pop star, 19, is shedding his squeaky clean image. (Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

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Justin Bieber - Now one of the biggest pop stars in the world, Justin Bieber was discovered by former So So Def music exec Scooter Braun, who stumbled across YouTube videos of him performing covers. (Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Chief Keef, @ChiefKeef - Tweet: "New Katy Perry Song Coming Soon"Keef's reaction before Perry's apology included a violent threat, a sexual offer and finally new music. After Perry's apology, he reportedly apologized as well — it's not on his timeline, but there is this: "I Get It Now Dont Worry" with a thumbs up and peace sign. Maybe the diss song will become a collab.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

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Chief Keef - Chief Keef signed a deal with Interscope Records after his viral videos for "Bang" and "I Don't Like" sparked a label bidding war. But his long-term prospects are extremely uncertain: His debut album, Finally Rich, sputtered, and he's dealing with mounting legal problems. (Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Rebecca Black - Dubbed “the worst song ever” by critics, Rebecca Black’s "Friday" is one of those songs that’s so annoying and bad that it’s catchy. Black’s mother paid $4,000 to have the song and music video created for her then-13-year-old teeny bopper. Her follow-up videos haven’t had much success, which means Black’s 15 minutes of fame are quickly coming to an end.(Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images)

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Rebecca Black - Rebecca Black's "Friday" was uploaded to YouTube in 2010 and went viral in 2011—mostly because it was so hilariously awful. Still, she's parlayed her fame into some big opportunities: hosting an online award show for MTV, appearing in a Katy Perry video and performing with her on tour, and recording her own forthcoming new album. (Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images)

Trinidad James - Trinidad James channeled the viral success of his eye-catching "All Gold Everything" clip into a reported $3 million deal with Def Jam. He's currently working on his debut album. (Photo: Gold Gang)

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Trinidad James - Trinidad James channeled the viral success of his eye-catching "All Gold Everything" clip into a reported $3 million deal with Def Jam. He's currently working on his debut album. (Photo: Gold Gang)

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Tay Zonday - The deep voice behind the “Chocolate Rain” video from 2007 is Tay Zonday. Now 29, Zoday went on to become a voice actor, which isn’t a surprise when you hear his impressive pipes. As of January 2012, “Chocolate Rain” had more than 80 million views on YouTube.(Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

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Tay Zonday - Unlikely baritone Tay Zonday got his 15 minutes of YouTube fame when his bizarre video for "Chocolate Rain" caught fire—it's currently at 88 million views. Though Zonday's fame was fleeting, he still has hundreds of thousands of YouTube subscribers, and his videos still stack up millions of clicks.   (Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

50 Tyson - You’ve likely laughed at 50 Tyson’s YouTube rap videos, but what you might not know about 18-year-old Antonio Henderson-Davis is he’s living out his dream as a rapper despite having autism. His series of YouTube videos helped Henderson-Davis land a record deal, as former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Troy Hudson signed him to his label.(Photo: Courtesy myspace.com)

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50 Tyson - Autistic rapper 50 Tyson landed a deal with retired NBA star Troy Hudson's record label after a video of him battling another rapper lit up YouTube. Last year, 50 collaborated with Doe Boy and Lex Luger and was involved with several autism charities.(Photo: 50 Tyson/Myspace)

Dondria - Dondria inked a deal with So So Def after Jermaine Dupri discovered her popular videos on YouTube. Though her debut, 2010's Dondria vs. Phatfffat, flopped, she's currently working on her sophomore effort for the label. (Photo: Paras Griffin)

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Dondria - Dondria inked a deal with So So Def after Jermaine Dupri discovered her popular videos on YouTube. Though her debut, 2010's Dondria vs. Phatfffat, flopped, she's currently working on her sophomore effort for the label. (Photo: Paras Griffin)

Lil B @LILBTHEBASEDGOD - Tweet: "@joeyBADASS_ thats right joey! - Lil B" Lil B responded to Joey's taunt with this tweet and a diss track, "I'm the BadA$."(Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

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Lil B - Lil B kept his career going after The Pack split up by promoting his music on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube—he has over 100,000 subscribers and almost 84 million views on the latter.(Photo: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

Antoine Dodson - Antoine Dodson may be the most unlikely YouTube star of all. He appeared in a local news clip as a witness to a crime, it went viral thanks to his flamboyant personality, and a musical parody that used his voice became a Billboard Hot 100 hit. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Webby Awards)

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Antoine Dodson - Antoine Dodson may be the most unlikely YouTube star of all. He appeared in a local news clip as a witness to a crime, it went viral thanks to his flamboyant personality, and a musical parody that used his voice became a Billboard Hot 100 hit. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Webby Awards)