Asia-Pacific’s Most Influential Celebrities on Social Media

^Forbes Asia’s inaugural 100 Digital Stars list highlights 100 singers, bands, and film and TV stars from across the Asia-Pacific region who have taken the digital world by storm. With their powerful social media presence, these trailblazers have garnered millions of loyal followers across popular platforms, making them as famous online as they are on stage and screen. This list, which is unranked, comes at an exceptional time. Much of the region’s population is spending time isolated at home, where people are relying on their screens for communication and entertainment. We’ve given special focus to celebrities who, despite cancelled physical events and activities, managed to remain active and relevant, largely by using social media to interact with their fans, raise awareness and inspire optimism. Many also used their influence to help worthy causes, especially those with a Covid-19 focus.

Edited by Rana Wehbe Watson

With reporting by John Kang, Khong Loan, Jeanhee Kim, Emma Chi Wei Lee, Yue Wang and Jennifer Wells.

_{Methodology: To determine the finalists, Forbes Asia evaluated the candidates’ combined social media reach and engagement. We also considered their recent work, impact and advocacy, brand endorsements and business endeavors, and their recognition profile on a local, regional and global level. Only those active in film, music, and TV were eligible. Entries use the name of the person or band most widely known, while real names are provided in most cases for individual celebrities, and names of prominent members are included in some of the band entries.}

Blackpink

Band, South Korea

Blackpink’s members—Lisa (23), Jennie (24), Rosé (23), and Jisoo (25)—are Korea’s most-followed celebrities on Instagram. Lisa has over 42 million followers and is the global brand ambassador for Celine, while Jennie is the face of Chanel, Jisoo Dior and Rosé for Saint Laurent. In October, Blackpink became the first girl group to top the Billboard Artist 100 chart.

Jackson Yee, 20

Actor and singer, China

A member of the band TFBoys, Yee, whose real name is Yi Yangqianxi, starred in the 2019 film Better Days, for which he won Best New Performer award at the 39th annual Hong Kong Film Awards event. With over 86 million Weibo followers, Yee’s posts endorsing Emporio Armani and Tiffany & Co. have had millions of shares.

Davika Hoorne

Actress, Thailand

This Belgian-Thai, also known as Mai Davika, earned a Best Actress nomination at Thailand’s Nataraja Awards for her role in the TV series My Ambulance. She is Thailand’s second-most popular Instagram celebrity, with 12 million followers, after fellow Digital Star Aum Patchrapa. Her endorsement deals include Gucci and L’Oreal.

Amitabh Bachchan, 78

Actor, India

A veteran of over 200 movies, Bachchan in May used his star power and 105 million social media followers to help raise $7 million for Covid-19 relief. Over his long career he has held elected office and been the subject of at least 11 biographies.

Chi Pu, 27

Actress, model, producer, singer and TV host, Vietnam

With over 19 million social media followers, Chi, whose real name is Nguyen Thuy Chi, is one of Vietnam’s most popular female celebrities. A model-turned-actress and singer, her music video “Anh oi o lai” has over 92 million views on YouTube. She donated $50,000 this year to local Covid-19 relief efforts.

Mario Maurer, 32

Actor, Thailand

Maurer won Best Actor at Thailand’s TV Gold Awards in February for his role in the Thai TV series The Pharmacist Of Chaloang. The German-Thai star has 11 million Facebook followers, which he uses to support charities and sponsors including King Power.

Zhou Dongyu, 28

Actress, China

Zhou has starred in over two dozen movies, including 2019’s Better Days, for which she won Best Actress this year at both the Hong Kong Film Awards and China’s Hundred Flower Awards. She has 31 million Weibo followers, and endorsement deals with brands such as Burberry and Victoria’s Secret.

MayDay

Band, Taiwan

The five-piece band is one of the most popular musical groups in the region. Lead vocalist Ashin has Taiwan’s most-liked Facebook page, with nearly 4 million followers. In May, the four-time winner of Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards held a virtual concert that received 42 million views on YouTube.

Rebel Wilson, 40

Actress, Australia

Wilson declared 2020 her “Year of Health” and kept her 9 million Instagram followers updated on her fitness and weight-loss journey. An October post captioned “Just call me: Fit Amy” attracted 545,000 likes. Last year was busy: Wilson starred in four films, including Isn’t It Romantic, which she also produced.

Kento Yamazaki, 26

Actor, Japan

Yamazaki is due to star in Netflix’s Alice In Borderland, set to premiere December 10. With 4 million followers, Yamazaki is already among the 10 most-followed celebrities on Instagram in Japan. Yamazaki last year became the first Japanese actor to model for Armani Exchange.

Twice

Band, South Korea

The nine-member band Twice has 15 million Instagram followers. Earlier this year, it won in the music category at the U.S. Shorty Awards for social media and, in June, released its single “More & More,” with over 200 million views on YouTube.

Siti Nurhaliza, 41

Singer, Malaysia

Earlier this year, the singer posted food reviews of restaurants affected by Covid-19, hoping to boost their business among her 8 million Instagram followers. In July, she released her 18th solo album ManifestaSITI 2020 and continues to run her successful halal-certified beauty brand SimplySiti, launched in 2009.

Jannine Weigel, 20

Actress and singer, Thailand

This German-Thai starred in last year’s horror-comedy Pee Nak, which, though widely panned by critics, was a box-office smash. Her single “Passcode” has had 4 million YouTube views since its September release, while her YouTube channel has almost 4 million subscribers.

Eason Chan, 46

Singer, Hong Kong

Chan’s 2017 album C’mon In earned him Best Male Vocalist (Mandarin) and Album of the Year at Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards in 2018. This year he released a duet with fellow Digital Star Jolin Tsai honoring those fighting Covid-19, and joined April’s “One World: Together At Home,” a global broadcast supporting frontline healthcare workers and the WHO.

Ruby Rose, 34

Actress, Australia

Her short film Break Free has 53 million views on YouTube and in May, Rose live-streamed a reading of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to raise funds for Covid-19. In June, she helped Crocs footwear design the Just Love shoe for its Pride collection.