TORONTO — Canadian YouTube star Lilly Singh has a laundry list of recent accomplishments.
This year alone, she's made Forbes' "30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment" list; had cameos in "Bad Moms" and "Ice Age: Collision Course"; announced a book deal; and is heading to the Rio Olympics with Coca-Cola to capture content.
One of the biggest accomplishments for the 27-year-old Toronto native, whose YouTube handle is IISuperwomanII?
"I've done a lot of really cool stuff but at the top of my accomplishment list is definitely collaborating with the Rock or just becoming friends with him," she said, referring to actor Dwayne Johnson, during an interview before Saturday's YouTube FanFest in Toronto.
"He's kind of like my mentor in certain situations."
Johnson recently appeared in a segment with Singh on her YouTube channel, which has over 9.5 million subscribers.
"I think his career should be a case study, to be honest," she said. "He has just maintained relevancy, he's such a hard worker and he's a really nice guy.
"I think that's what takes me aback most about him, is that to be so hard-working and never really tired and to be that nice — anyone you ask about him always says the same thing, he's the nicest guy to work with."
Singh was at YouTube FanFest to perform material from her new rap video "Voices," which runs nearly 11 minutes long.
She said the video is about the evolution of herself, as a person.
"It was difficult to open that part of myself, because I'm so used to being one side of myself, on camera — the goofy, silly side of Lilly that's, like, dressing up as boys and doing silly things," she said.
"It was difficult for me to be like, 'OK, now I need to actually tune into my cocky side that we all undeniably have, tune into that side that's scared and just really be honest and raw."
The video blogger and comedian — who now lives in Los Angeles and wants to do more acting — is also opening up in her upcoming book, "How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life," due out next March.
"I definitely am able to communicate things in a way I don't do in my videos, a different comedic tone," she said of the writing process. "It's kind of more sophisticated in some ways and it's more in-your-face."
While Singh's message of empowerment and female support is an inspiration to her fans, the person who has done that for her all her life has been her mom.
"My mom is the strongest person I know," she said. "She's funnier than me but she's such an inspiration to me."
In the entertainment industry, Singh said her inspirations include Johnson, of course, and Selena Gomez, whom she's also collaborated with.
"I think I'm really inspired by people who have maintained a certain level of values," said Singh.
"A lot of people are talented, a lot of people work hard, but continuously when I've talked about Dwayne or Selena — with anyone in the industry and when I met them myself — they have such an energy to them and such a groundedness to them that is most inspiring to me.
"Because you can be that rich and famous and busy and still be a fabulous person, and that's inspiring to me."
Speaking of rich, Singh came in at No. 8 on the Forbes list with earnings of $2.5 million. It's not something she dwells on.
"I have a really weird relationship with money, and I'm not just saying it for the sake of saying it," she said.
"When you have a following like I do, a really young demographic and you see them in real time and you get to impact so many people, your priorities kind of switch. I would be lying if I didn't say growing up, yeah, money was on my first vision board. Now, like, three vision boards later, it's not.
"I just have seen and learned what really matters, and I'm fortunate enough to be in the position to be comfortable enough to say that. It's cool, but is it cooler than going on a tour and meeting all my fans? No. Is it cooler than girl love? No. It's cool, though."
