What is the 'How to Succeed on YouTube' Revealed by 5 Million YouTuber Cha Dabin?

YouTube Global Blog Selected Female Creator
2nd Most Subscribed Music YouTuber Excluding Celebrities: Cha Dabin
'Consistency' is the Weapon... Goal is to Open 'Diamond Button' and 'Dancon'

This year, among the five female 'Shorts' (YouTube's short-form content) creators selected by YouTube's global blog for International Women's Day, the only Korean YouTuber is Cha Dabin, the official cover song creator for the music platform FLO. Excluding celebrities, she is the second most subscribed music-related domestic YouTube channel after JFla (17.5 million), boasting 5.28 million subscribers. In terms of subscriber count alone, her channel is comparable to top-tier idol groups like NewJeans (6.1 million) and NCT127 (5.4 million).

Cha Da-bin holding the 'Gold Button' awarded for reaching 1 million YouTube subscribers [Photo by Cha Da-bin]

Her recent growth has been particularly remarkable. Since launching her channel in 2019, she surpassed 1 million subscribers in June after four years, and then gained over 4 million more in just five months. She is also receiving numerous offers from companies. Recently, through FLO, she released a cover of Hyundai Motor's year-end campaign song "Wish," and she also covered a song from the OST of "The Hunger Games," which was released on the 15th. Many artists directly commission her to cover their songs. We met this rising 'trend YouTuber' in Seoul.

Cha Dabin said, "Sometimes I’m surprised when people recognize me on the street," adding, "Even acquaintances who didn’t know I was doing YouTube have reached out." Her status has changed 180 degrees from a few years ago when she almost gave up on being a singer. Having dreamed of becoming a singer after watching TVXQ as a child, Cha Dabin majored in practical music at university and performed as part of the female duo 'Yeonparang' with a senior from college. Just as she was gaining recognition through regional performances, COVID-19 broke out. When everything seemed bleak, she decided to become a full-time YouTuber. That was in 2019.

Cha Da-bin's future goals are to receive the YouTube "Diamond Button" (a gift given upon reaching 10 million subscribers) and to hold a solo concert.
[Photo by Cha Da-bin]

The channel’s main content is cover songs, spanning most genres from K-pop to international pop. It wasn’t successful from the start. Cha Dabin said, "There were times I wanted to quit because the views were low and it wasn’t profitable." The real-time view count was like a report card to her. She even locked herself in her room and cried over poor results. However, no matter how hard it was, she never broke the plans she set for herself. She valued 'consistency' above all. She set a weekly video upload schedule and tried to stick to it no matter what. Doing everything herself?from recording to filming and editing?she spent at least four hours a day on YouTube. For a salaried worker, that would be like consistently working half-days.

Her breakthrough video was a cover of British singer Sam Ryder’s song "Tiny Riot." This video has now accumulated over 3 million views. She even met Ryder in person during his recent concert in Korea. Since she was a fan of Ryder, she became a 'Seongdeok' (a successful fan). Her recent explosive growth is thanks to her 'singing in multiple languages' content. For example, her video singing 'Cupid' by Fifty Fifty in eight languages surpassed 50 million views. A large number of overseas subscribers joined her channel. Over 90% of her traffic comes from abroad.

Having achieved financial stability through YouTube, Cha Dabin is rekindling her dream of becoming a singer. She released her first single "Unlock" in June and recently performed at the World Creator Festival hosted by Busan City. She also participated in the 'Song Camp' organized by the Korea Music Copyright Association, a project where participants stayed for two nights and three days to create songs together. Cha Dabin said, "I have two life goals going forward: one is to surpass 10 million YouTube subscribers and receive the Diamond Play Button, and the other is to become a singer who can hold solo concerts." Her smiling face radiated confidence.