How Malaysian YouTube star Alyssa Dezek became the country’s youngest top 10 YouTube performer aged 12, and her plans for the future
- Alyssa started playing the ukulele when she was four, and today has more than 2.5 million YouTube subscribers
- Taylor Swift is an inspiration and her ambition is to become a Guinness World record holder
Twelve-year-old singer Alyssa Dezek is the youngest social media star to enter Malaysia’s YouTube top 10, having notched up more than 2.5 million subscribers.
“I’m so excited that I get to be [on the same list as] other great YouTubers, like Upin and Ipin,” Alyssa says, referring to the iconic Malaysian animated show that’s No 1 on the country’s YouTube top 10.
Alyssa’s YouTube journey started when she saw a ukulele in a shopping centre and begged her parents to buy it for her. Only four years old at the time, she started watching ukulele tutorials on YouTube videos – and the rest is history. In the years since she has also picked up the guitar and keyboard, and is now learning to play the violin.
When it comes to singing, Alyssa credits her mother, Suzanne, as her main inspiration. “My mum used to be a singer, and she guided me and taught me how to sing. To this day, she is still my biggest supporter.”
Covering mostly Malaysian and Indonesian songs, Alyssa says Malaysian singer Siti Nurhaliza is her favourite artist. “She has always been famous in Malaysia and her voice is so good. Everyone likes her,” Alyssa says, adding that American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is another source of inspiration.