Two Peas in a Podcast

FOR ALISHA MARIE AND REMI CRUZ, THEIR SUCCESS IS ANYTHING BUT #BASIC

ALISHA MARIE AND REMI CRUZ ARE A MATCH MADE IN YOUTUBE HEAVEN. BOTH HAVE FOUND RESOUNDING SUCCESS INDIVIDUALLY ON THE VIDEO PLATFORM, EACH HAVING AMASSED AN IMPRESSIVE LIBRARY OF COLOR-POP VIDEOS DEDICATED TO EVERYTHING FROM SUNNY “A DAY IN THE LIFE” TYPES OF SEGMENTS THAT DOCUMENT DAILY MEALS AND SHOPPING HAULS, TO SERIOUS INTERNAL REFLECTIONS AND SOUL-BARING DISCOVERIES. AFTER WATCHING JUST ONE VIDEO, IT’S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO FIND THEM CHARISMATIC AND ENDEARING.

Tuning into one video inevitably leads to another, until hours have passed, making it easy to understand why viewers emerge with the distinct feeling that they’ve just acquired a new best friend. Chock-full of goofy hijinx, rapid-fire editing, dizzyingly colorful graphics and electro-pop music intros, it is the stuff of pure Gen Z fantasy. Now doubling their efforts, the 24-and-25-year-old influencers have brought their bubbly personalities (and a combined fanbase of over 28 million social media followers) to the airwaves in the form of a podcast called “Pretty Basic.” Having already pulled in a whopping five million downloads since launching in October, these girls are taking 2019 by storm with a live, four-city minitour set to kick off in April, including a one-night stop at the San Diego Observatory.

Both natives of Orange County, Marie and Cruz had some pre-awareness of each other’s existence when they each started creating YouTube videos 10 years ago. They had some mutual friends in common, and once they both had developed an internet presence, each became a fan of the other.

“We always kind of knew we’d be best friends,” Marie explains, referring to the time before their mutual agent played influencer matchmaker and made the introduction. “In fact, someone just sent me a screenshot recently of a comment I posted on one of [Marie’s] old videos that was like, ‘Oh my God, I love your channel!’” Cruz says.

Adding to their list of commonalities is the shared fact that both girls found support from their families in putting college on the back burner to pursue YouTube as a full-time career. Cruz’s parents gave her one year to focus on growing her following, and the rest, as they say, is history. Carving a niche as a lifestyle vlogger, in an arguably oversaturated industry that’s still in the process of writing its rule book, is a task that many have tried and few have mastered.

“At the time when I started, 10 years ago, it was like you had to fit this kind of picture-perfect mold,” Marie explains. “Back then, the lifestyle genre was more about tutorials and these master gurus telling people how to do things, making it seem like you were an expert and your life was perfect. But I process things out loud, and now sometimes I’ll just have a question and make it a conversation [on the podcast] and we’ll talk things through, versus my videos where it’s just me talking to a camera.”

This notion of relatability, of breaking the fourth wall with viewers and showing their genuine personalities allow viewers a glimpse behind-the-scenes of an otherwise glossy exterior, which is the key component to both the girls’ individual popularity and of their subsequent podcast.

“Being able to open up and be vulnerable, which ‘Pretty Basic’ has helped me with a lot,” Cruz explains, “has really helped me grow my audience without even trying because they see that I’m not perfect.”

Marie agrees, adding, “I came into this realizing that I’m not…a supermodel. I’m not Kylie Jenner. I shouldn’t even try to play those parts because it’s not who I am. I try to be myself as much as I can, and I think a lot of people like that and relate to it because no one is glammed up 24/7.”

Cruz also understands the scrutiny that comes with physical appearance, having documented much of her inspiring 60-pound weight loss journey via her YouTube channel. “I think having someone always giving some kind of input on every aspect of your life [has been a challenge],” she says. “I cut my hair and people were freaking out about it. Something as small as that to something as big as my body transformation, it’s like everyone has an opinion about what I’m doing or not doing correctly. It’s crazy to not have any aspect of my life that someone isn’t judging.”

Alisha Marie Spills Four Secrets That Most Influencers Aren’t Talking About:

1 IT’S ISOLATING

While it may seem like most YouTubers are just taking silly, off-the-cuff videos with their friends, it can take hours to film and even days to edit a single video.

2 BRAND TRIPS AREN’T JUST FREE VACATIONS

While travel and lodging are typically paid for by the brand, influencers are expected (and usually contracted) to continuously post content, forgoing meals, sleep, and sometimes, the event they’re posting about to film and edit.

3 THE WORK/LIFE BALANCE CAN BE A STRUGGLE

When your life is your job, you’re working 24/7 and always brainstorming the next topic for content. There’s constant pressure to capture every moment, and it’s tough to find the “off” switch and find time to recharge.

4 IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO MAKE MONEY

While many vloggers’ lifestyles seem super-luxe, it takes a long time to grow a following, the equipment can be expensive and it takes a village of agents, publicists and managers to navigate the business aspect of monetization.

“My favorite thing about the podcast is when we get listeners who tell us that we helped them get through something.” —Alisha Marie

A lack of privacy and becoming the target of blatant uncensored opinions from the general anonymous public is one of the prices one must inevitably pay in exchange for internet fame. While most of the girls’ fanbase is accompanied by overwhelming support and lavishing loving comments on their video star “BFFs,” the callous negativity of internet trolls is shockingly abundant, as illustrated in one of Cruz’s videos entitled “Fat vs Skinny,” which was published in November of 2018 and has received close to two million views as of press time.

In this video, Cruz points out the hypocrisy in reactions from members of her following regarding the way she comports herself as a physically altered version of her former self. While she reiterates that her fun personality hasn’t changed along with her physical appearance, she receives an onslaught of backlash to her once-silly ways, now filed under the category of “slutty.”

The plot of the video sees her seek to re-create a staged photo originally posted by Alissa Violet, fellow YouTube star and model, who strikes a sultry pose in a bathing suit. Cruz notes that although Violet’s picture received a barrage of gushing support, after capturing herself in the same pose and posting the photo to Instagram, Cruz’s post received quite the opposite. Seated at a kitchen counter in a hooded onesie, Cruz reads and shares screenshots of the alarmingly hurtful array of insults she receives in the comments—everything from shaming terms like “slut” and “hoe” to even suggesting that she become a porn star with the insinuation that she’s seeking male approval. In the face of all this negativity, learning to love herself has been the ultimate lesson.

Having the courage to take such hostility in stride is a new societal phenomenon, the likes of which former generations have never endured. Adopted first by millennials and perfected by the incoming Gen Z population, the ability to desensitize and mute the angry white noise of a phantom internet chorus–a digital mob airing its grievances online and projecting their insecurities onto those on the other side of the screen–is an essential skill to master in today’s social media-driven society. While many young internet users have faced some form of cyberbullying, not all have experienced brushes with strangers the way that public personas like Cruz and Marie have.

“[Being recognized in public] is the weirdest thing,” Cruz says. “People are so nice and polite, but I always have this realization that they know so much about me and I know nothing about them. They’ll be like, ‘How’s your dog? How’s your mom?’ But it’s so cool knowing you have that connection to people.”

Finding that work/life balance is another challenge. In a YouTube video posted in May 2018 entitled “This Isn’t Goodbye...,” Marie describes the creative burnout she experienced from the pressures to create and post content on a consistent basis. The hustle led to overworking herself to the point of exhaustion, causing her to take a much-needed two-month hiatus to focus on herself and emotional wellbeing.

Now that she’s back in fighting form, “Pretty Basic” has breathed new life into the world that she and Cruz share and they’re glad to be able to reach their followers in a new way. Their fun banter is full of endearingly honest glimpses into their personal lives, with the easiness and familiarity of old friends at a slumber party.

“My favorite thing about the podcast is when we get listeners who tell us that we helped them get through something,” Marie explains. “We forget sometimes that we’re talking to an audience, it feels like we’re just talking to each other. Our personalities really balance each other out.”

“I never get sick of her,” adds Cruz. “Maybe one day!”

As for the podcast and their personal brands, the future is bright. In addition to the mini-tour, a year full of brand trips and personal growth is on the horizon. “The sky’s the limit,” says Cruz. “We always say, ‘There are no ceilings.’”