Vikram Singh Barn (born 2 August 1995), better known as Vikkstar123 or simply Vikkstar, is an English internet personality and record producer. He is a member of the YouTube group the Sidemen. He is the co-owner of XIX Vodka, Sidemen Clothing, restaurant chain Sides, and cereal brand Best Breakfasts.
Vikkstar123 | ||||||||||
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.jpg) Barn in 2022 | ||||||||||
| Born | Vikram Singh Barn 2 August 1995 Guildford, Surrey, England | |||||||||
| Education | Silverdale School | |||||||||
| Occupations |
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YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Also known as | Vikkstar | |||||||||
| Channel | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2010–present | |||||||||
| Genres | ||||||||||
| Subscribers | 12.1 million (combined)[1][2] | |||||||||
| Total views | 3.8 billion (combined)[1][2] | |||||||||
| Associated acts | Sidemen | |||||||||
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Last updated: 5 April 2023 | ||||||||||
| Musical career | ||||||||||
| Genres | Electronic music[3] | |||||||||
| Years active | 2023–present | |||||||||
Early life and education
Barn is of Indian descent[4] and was born on 2 August 1995[5] in Guildford, Surrey, England,[6] where he lived until eight years of age.[7] He moved to Sheffield where he attended Silverdale School.[8] Barn was offered a place to study natural sciences at University College London, but he ended up declining the offer in order to pursue his YouTube career full-time.[9] He is the youngest of three children.[10]
Online career
Barn joined YouTube in 2010; having played games with his friends, he got into watching YouTubers and making videos of their own. Eventually, he decided to launch his own channel, stating:[11]
I got involved thinking I might be able to do a little bit better than they were doing, and get involved and have some fun with it. I started recording myself playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. I started making tutorial videos that people could watch – some of them were for knives and how you could throw them across the map. I made videos showing places where you could throw a knife or tomahawk and get a kill. I thought it would be cool to show off these ridiculous kills.
As his popularity increased, he began to take it more seriously, branching out into Minecraft.[11]
In 2013, he joined the Sidemen, which caused his popularity to rise further.[12] He would later move in with three other members, sharing a house with them from 2014 to 2018, when he announced he was moving out of the Sidemen House.[13][14] He was also part of the Dream SMP server.[15]
In January 2021, he announced on his channel that he was quitting playing Call of Duty: Warzone due to a proliferation of cheating,[16] saying hackers would be "the death of the game" if it went unfixed.[17] Along with criticism from several other high-profile streamers, the resulting uproar caused Activision to update the game's anti-cheat software.[18]
Music career
On 5 December 2022, Barn, KSI, and TBJZL released a Christmas-themed single titled "Christmas Drillings" under the Sidemen banner featuring British rapper Jme, which charted at number 3 in the UK.[19][20]
In 2023, Barn started releasing music as a DJ and music producer.[3] On 28 September 2023, Barn released a single with Alan Walker and Dash Berlin titled "Better Off (Alone, Pt. III)" on digital platforms.[21]
His second single, "Humans", featuring Shaun Farrugia, was released on 1 December 2023.[3]
Other ventures
Investment
In January 2021, it was revealed that Barn had invested in the London Royal Ravens, a Call of Duty esports team, speaking of his desire to 'build a blueprint' for the wider popularisation of the sport.[22]
In July 2023, Barn invested in notwoways, an East London sneaker brand owned by fellow YouTuber and friend Callum "Callux" McGinley.[23][24]
CIRCULR
On 3 August 2023, it was announced that Barn would be joining as the new co-founder of British eyewear brand CIRCULR.[25][26][27]
Personal life
In December 2021, Barn announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend.[28] They got married in 2023.[29]
In a Sidemen video released in March 2024, Barn revealed he suffers from Crohn's disease.[30]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | KSI: In Real Life | Himself | Documentary; Cameo | |
| 2024 | The Sidemen Story | Documentary | [31] |
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Sidemen Experience | Himself | Comedy Central UK | Main role; 5 episodes | [32] |
| 2016–2017 | YouTube Rewind | YouTube | Episode: "The Ultimate 2016 Challenge" Episode: "The Shape of 2017" | [33][34] | |
| 2018 | The Sidemen Show | YouTube Premium | Main role; 7 episodes | [35] | |
| 2020 | How To Be Behzinga | YouTube | 1 episode | [36] | |
| 2024 | The Chase: Sidemen Edition | The Chaser | Special Spin-Off Episode | [37] | |
| Inside | Host | Reality Show created by the Sidemen | [38] |
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Wheel | Himself / Celebrity expert (Gaming) | BBC One | Series 1, episode 6 | [39] |
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Manchild" | Randolph | Himself | [40] |
| 2022 | "Don't Lie" | A1 x J1 featuring Nemzzz | Himself | [41] |
Discography
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUN [42] | MLT [43] | NOR [44] | ||||||
| "Better Off (Alone, Pt. III)"[45] (with Alan Walker and Dash Berlin) | 2023 | 1 | — | 30 | Walkerworld[a] | |||
| "Humans"[47] (with Shaun Farrugia) | — | 1 | — | Non-album singles | ||||
| "Know Me Better"[48] (with Masked Wolf featuring Jme) | 2024 | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes single that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||
Charity singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [49] | UK Ind. [50] | IRE [51] | NZ Hot [52] | |||
| "Christmas Drillings"[53] (as part of Sidemen featuring Jme) | 2022 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 7 | |
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| As lead artist | |||
| "Better Off (Alone, Pt. III)" (with Alan Walker and Dash Berlin) | 2023 | Mads Neset | [55] |
| "Humans" (with Shaun Farrugia) | Troy Roscoe | [56] | |
| "Know Me Better" (with Masked Wolf featuring Jme) | 2024 | Guy Davies | [57] |
| As featured artist | |||
| "Christmas Drillings (as part of Sidemen featuring Jme) | 2022 | Konstantin | [58] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | NME Awards | Vlogger of the Year | Himself | Nominated | [59] |
| 2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Gamer | Himself | Nominated | [60] |
| 2017 | British Book Awards | Non-Fiction: Lifestyle Book of the Year | "Sidemen: The Book" (shared with the Sidemen) | Nominated | [61] |
| 2019 | Shorty Awards | Best YouTube Ensemble | Himself (shared with the Sidemen) | Nominated | [62] |
Notes
References
External links
