Vikkstar123

English influencer and musician (born 1995)

Vikkstar123

Barn in 2022

Born|

Vikram Singh Barn

(1995-08-02) 2 August 1995 (age 29)

Guildford, Surrey, England

Education| Silverdale School
Occupations|

* YouTuber
* live streamer
* DJ
* music producer

YouTube information

Also known as| Vikkstar
Channel|

* Vikkstar123

Years active| 2010–present
Genres|

* Gaming
* vlog

Subscribers| 12.1 million (combined)[1][2]
Total views| 3.8 billion (combined)[1][2]
Associated acts| Sidemen

Creator Awards

| 100,000 subscribers| 2012
| 1,000,000 subscribers| 2013

* * *

Last updated: 5 April 2023
Musical career
Genres| Electronic music[3]
Years active| 2023–present

Vikram Singh Barn (born 2 August 1995), better known as Vikkstar123 or simply Vikkstar, is an English influencer 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.

## Early life and education

[edit]

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

[edit]

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 a member of the Minecraft group the Pack along with JeromeASF, Lachlan, Preston, Woofless, and Bajan Canadian. He was also part of the Dream SMP server.[15][16]

In January 2021, he announced on his channel that he was quitting playing Call of Duty: Warzone due to a proliferation of cheating,[17] saying hackers would be "the death of the game" if it went unfixed.[18] Along with criticism from several other high-profile streamers, the resulting uproar caused Activision to update the game's anti-cheat software.[19]

On 13 July 2024, Barn appeared in a MrBeast video titled "50 YouTubers Fight for $1,000,000".[20]

## Music career

[edit]

On 5 December 2022, Barn, KSI, and TBJZL released a Christmas-themed charity single titled "Christmas Drillings" under the Sidemen banner featuring Jme, which charted at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.[21][22]

In 2023, Barn began his music career by releasing singles as a DJ and music producer.[3] On 28 September, Barn released his debut single "Better Off (Alone, Pt. III)" with Alan Walker and Dash Berlin, which charted at number 1 on the Association of Hungarian Record Companies.[23][24] On 1 December, Barn released "Humans" with Shaun Farrugia.[3] On 25 April 2024, Barn released "Know Me Better" with Masked Wolf featuring Jme.[25] On 16 August, Barn released "Have It All" with RetroVision and Dyson.[26] On 8 November, Barn released "Where Do I Go" with Nicky Romero, Alpharock, and Oaks.[27]

## Other ventures

[edit]

### Investment

[edit]

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.[28]

In July 2023, Barn invested in notwoways, an East London sneaker brand owned by fellow YouTuber and friend Callum "Callux" McGinley.[29][30]

### CIRCULR

[edit]

On 3 August 2023, it was announced that Barn would be joining as the new co-founder of British eyewear brand CIRCULR.[31][32][33]

## Personal life

[edit]

In December 2021, Barn announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend.[34] They got married in 2023.[35]

In a Sidemen video released in March 2024, Barn revealed he has Crohn's disease.[36]

## Filmography

[edit]

Film  Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2023  | KSI: In Real Life | Himself  | Documentary; Cameo  |
2024  | The Sidemen Story | Documentary  | [37]
Web  Year  | Title  | Role  | Network  | Notes  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2014  | The Sidemen Experience | Himself  | Comedy Central UK | Main role; 5 episodes  | [38]
2016–2017  | YouTube Rewind | YouTube | Episode: "The Ultimate 2016 Challenge"
Episode: "The Shape of 2017"  | [39][40]
2018  | The Sidemen Show | YouTube Premium | Main role; 7 episodes  | [41]
2020  | How To Be Behzinga | YouTube  | 1 episode  | [42]
2024  | The Chase: Sidemen Edition | The Chaser  | Special Spin-Off Episode  | [43]
Inside | Host  | Reality Show created by the Sidemen  | [44]
Television  Year  | Title  | Role  | Network  | Notes  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2021  | The Wheel | Himself / Celebrity expert (Gaming)  | BBC One | Series 1, episode 6  | [45]
Music videos  Year  | Title  | Artist(s)  | Role  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2018  | "Manchild"  | Randolph  | Himself  | [46]
2022  | "Don't Lie"  | A1 x J1 featuring Nemzzz | Himself  | [47]

## Discography

[edit]

### Singles

[edit]

List of singles, with selected peak chart positions  Title  | Year  | Peak chart positions  | Album

|
|
|

HUN
[24] | MLT
[48] | NOR
[49]
"Better Off (Alone, Pt. III)"[50]
(with Alan Walker and Dash Berlin) | 2023  | 1 | — | 30  | Walkerworld[a]
"Humans"[52]
(with Shaun Farrugia) | — | 1 | —  | Non-album singles
"Know Me Better"[53]
(with Masked Wolf featuring Jme) | 2024  | — | — | —
"Have It All"[26]
(with RetroVision and Dyson) | — | — | —
"Where Do I Go"[54]
(with Nicky Romero, Alpharock, and Oaks) | — | — | —
"—" denotes single that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

### Charity singles

[edit]

List of charity singles, with selected chart positions  Title  | Year  | Peak chart positions  | Notes

|
|
|

[55] | UK
Ind.
[56] | IRE
[57] | NZ
Hot
[58]
"Christmas Drillings"[59]
(as part of Sidemen featuring Jme) | 2022  | 3 | 2 | 25 | 7  |

* Produced for a Sidemen Sunday video and raised money for FareShare.[60]

### Music videos

[edit]

List of music videos  Title  | Year  | Director(s)  | Ref.

|
|
|

As lead artist
"Better Off (Alone, Pt. III)"
(with Alan Walker and Dash Berlin) | 2023  | Mads Neset  | [61]
"Humans"
(with Shaun Farrugia) | Troy Roscoe  | [62]
"Know Me Better"
(with Masked Wolf featuring Jme) | 2024  | Guy Davies  | [63]
As featured artist
"Christmas Drillings
(as part of Sidemen featuring Jme) | 2022  | Konstantin  | [64]

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Recipient(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2016  | NME Awards | Vlogger of the Year  | Himself  | Nominated  | [65]
2017  | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Gamer  | Himself  | Nominated  | [66]
2017  | British Book Awards | Non-Fiction: Lifestyle Book of the Year  | "Sidemen: The Book" (shared with the Sidemen) | Nominated  | [67]
2019  | Shorty Awards | Best YouTube Ensemble  | Himself (shared with the Sidemen) | Nominated  | [68]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Better Off (Alone, Pt. III) is absent from the Apple Music release of Walkerworld.[51]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b See:
* "Vikkstar123's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
* "Vikkstar123HD's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
* "VikkstarPlays's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
* "VikkstarShorts's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
2. ^ a b "About Vikkstar123". YouTube.
3. ^ a b c "Shaun Farrugia & Vikkstar's Song 'Humans' Is Out Today!". Malta Daily. 1 December 2023. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
4. ^ @Vikkstar123 (10 May 2013). "... Ethnicity and Nationality are two completely separate things, I've lived in England for all my life. My ethnic background is Indian" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
5. ^ Barn, Vikram [@Vikkstar123] (2 August 2020). "25 years on this big rock. Super happy & grateful. Thanks for all the Birthday wishes!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2021 - via Twitter.
6. ^ Which of the Sidemen knows Vik the best? (video). MoreSidemen. 23 July 2019. Event occurs at 14:44. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021 - via YouTube.
7. ^ Barn, Vikram [@Vikkstar123] (21 April 2015). "It's always nostalgic coming back to Guildford. I lived here until I was 8" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 April 2021 - via Twitter.
8. ^ Roberts, Alana (20 December 2019). "YouTube star encourages students to work hard during visit to his old school in Sheffield". The Star. Sheffield Newspapers Ltd. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
9. ^ "Sheffield YouTube star explains why he could retire - aged just 21". The Star. Sheffield Newspapers Ltd. 5 November 2016. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
10. ^ Sidemen, The (2016). Sidemen: The Book. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-1-4736-4819-7. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
11. ^ a b Reiner, Andrew (30 April 2015). "An Interview With YouTube Sensation Vikkstar123". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
12. ^ Fogarty, Paul (17 September 2019). "YouTube: Get to know all seven Sidemen members – Ethan, Tobi, Harry!". HITC. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
13. ^ "Who are the Sidemen? How KSI and friends amassed 123 million followers". The Times. 23 October 2021. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
14. ^ "I'm leaving the Sidemen House". YouTube. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
15. ^ Brett, Craig (13 September 2023). "Preston Arsement Net Worth – How he Built his $20 Million Fortune!". TechieGamers. Archived from the original on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
16. ^ Çakır, Gökhan (1 January 2021). "Who is a part of the Dream SMP Minecraft Server?". Dot Esports. GAMURS Group. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
17. ^ Criddle, Cristina (1 February 2021). "Gamer Vikkstar quits Call of Duty: Warzone over cheating". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
18. ^ Franceschi-Bicchierai, Lorenzo (2 February 2021). "'Call of Duty: Warzone' Bans More than 60,000 Cheaters". Vice. Vice Media. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
19. ^ Criddle, Cristina (3 February 2021). "Call of Duty: Warzone 'enhances' its anti-cheat software". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
20. ^ Brigstock, Jake (6 June 2024). "Who are all the influencers in MrBeast's 'biggest video ever'?". Indy100. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
21. ^ Ben Mundy, Sam Harris (22 December 2022). "Christmas number one: Sidemen and JME's quest for top spot". BBC. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
22. ^ "CHRISTMAS DRILLINGS". Official Charts. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
23. ^ Smith, Carl (28 September 2023). "New Releases". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
24. ^ a b "Rádiós Top 40 slágerlista". slagerlistak.hu. Archived from the original on 2 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
25. ^ Downs, Chad (26 April 2024). "Vikkstar, Masked Wolf, & Jme Join Forces On The Epic Release 'Know Me Better'". Cultr.
26. ^ a b "Have It All – Single by Vikkstar, RetroVision, and Dyson". Apple Music. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
27. ^ Yerushalmi, Oscar (9 November 2024). "Nicky Romero, Vikkstar, Alpharock, Oaks – Where Do I Go". EDM Tunes.
28. ^ Powell, Steffan; Pandey, Manish (7 January 2021). "Vikkstar on his plans for growing Call of Duty esports". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
29. ^ Bottomley, Tom (28 July 2023). "Sneaker brand notwoways secures £2.3m investment to turbo charge growth". TheIndustry.fashion. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
30. ^ Taylor, Nigel (21 August 2023). "UK sneaker brand Notwoways secures £2.3m in fresh funding". FashionNetwork. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
31. ^ Strong, Jack (3 August 2023). "CIRCULR Eyewear Relaunches With British YouTube Sensation Vikkstar at the Helm". TheSoleSupplier. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
32. ^ taijaweekes (4 August 2023). "Circulr Relaunch alongside new co-owner Vikkstar". PAUSE Online. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
33. ^ Staff, Wonderland (9 August 2023). "CIRCULR Relaunches with Vikkstar". Wonderland. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
34. ^ Vikram, Barn [@Vikkstar123] (22 December 2021). "We're engaged! These years together have been magical, here's to many more" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021 - via Twitter.
35. ^ Vikram, Barn [@Vikkstar123] (26 September 2023). "Mr & Mrs 🤍" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023 - via Twitter.
36. ^ SIDEMEN HOW FAR CAN YOU GET IN 24 HOURS. Sidemen. 10 March 2024. Event occurs at 1:20:20. Retrieved 10 March 2024 - via YouTube.
37. ^ Shah, Furvah (2 February 2024). "Sidemen's Netflix documentary: Release date, trailer, cast and more". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
38. ^ "Who Are The Sidemen? | The Sidemen Experience". CCUK. October 2014. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
39. ^ "YouTube Rewind: The Ultimate 2016 Challenge". 7 December 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2024 - via YouTube.
40. ^ "YouTube Rewind: The Shape of 2017". 6 December 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2024 - via YouTube.
41. ^ White, Peter (2 June 2018). "'The Sidemen Show': YouTube Debuts First Trailer & Dates Premium Reality Challenge Format". Deadline. Archived from the original on 20 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
42. ^ "How To Be Behzinga". YouTube. October 2020. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
43. ^ "ITV's The Chase to face major format shake-up for epic special episode". EXPRESS.co.uk. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
44. ^ Copson, Josie (27 May 2024). "YouTube gameshow with staggering £1,000,000 prize fund rivals traditional TV". Metro. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
45. ^ "Michael McIntyre's The Wheel – Series 1: Episode 6". BBC iPlayer. 2 January 2021. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
46. ^ "Randolph - MANCHILD (Deji Diss Track) Official Video". 24 November 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2024 - via YouTube.
47. ^ "A1 x J1 - Don't Lie (Official Video) ft. Nemzzz". 14 October 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2024 - via YouTube.
48. ^ "PRS Malta on Facebook: BMAT PRS Malta Top 10 Airplay Chart - 14 January 2024". The Malta Independent. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
49. ^ "Singel 2023 uke 40". VG-lista. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
50. ^ "Better Off (Alone, Pt. III) – Single by Alan Walker, Bash Berlin & Vikkstar". Apple Music. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
51. ^ "Walkerworld – Album by Alan Walker". Apple Music. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
52. ^ "Humans – Single by Vikkstar". Apple Music. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
53. ^ "Know Me Better (feat. Jme) – Single by Vikkstar & Masked Wolf featuring Jme". Apple Music. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
54. ^ "Where Do I Go – Single by Nicky Romero, Vikkstar, Alpharock, and Oaks". Apple Music. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
55. ^ "UK Singles Chart". Official Charts Company. 26 December 2019. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
56. ^ "UK Independent Singles Chart (09 December 2022 – 15 December 2022)". Official Charts Company. 9 December 2022. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
57. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
58. ^ Peaks on the NZ Hot Singles Chart:
* "Christmas Drillings": "New Zealand Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
59. ^ "Christmas Drillings – Single by the Sidemen". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
60. ^ Smith, Carl (7 December 2022). "Christmas Number 1 2022 contenders revealed: LadBaby, Sidemen, Stormzy, Mariah Carey and more". Official Charts Company.
61. ^ "Alan Walker, Dash Berlin & Vikkstar - Better Off (Alone, Pt. III) - Official Music Video". 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023 - via YouTube.
62. ^ "Vikkstar - Humans (feat. Shaun Farrugia) [Official Music Video]". December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023 - via YouTube.
63. ^ "Vikkstar & Masked Wolf - Know Me Better (feat. Jme) [Official Music Video]". 25 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024 - via YouTube.
64. ^ "Sidemen - Christmas Drillings Ft. JME (Official Music Video)". 4 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022 - via YouTube.
65. ^ Britton, Luke Morgan (17 February 2016). "NME Awards 2016 with Austin, Texas full winners list". NME. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
66. ^ Rubin, Rebecca; Knapp, JD (13 August 2017). "Teen Choice Awards 2017: 'Riverdale,' Fifth Harmony Shut Out Competition". Variety. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
67. ^ "Hachette and Penguin Random House lead British Book Awards Books of the Year shortlists". The Bookseller. 15 March 2017. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
68. ^ "11th Annual Influencer Nominees". Shorty Awards. 28 January 2019. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vikkstar123.

* Vikkstar123's channel on YouTube
* Vikkstar123 at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Vikkstar123

Singles|

* "Better Off (Alone, Pt. III)"
* "Humans"

Charity singles|

* "Christmas Drillings"

Web television|

* The Sidemen Show (2018)
* Inside (2024)

Related articles|

* Dream SMP
* Sidemen

* v
* t
* e

Sidemen

* Behzinga
* KSI
* Miniminter
* TBJZL
* Vikkstar123
* W2S
* Zerkaa

Series|

* The Sidemen Show (2018)
* Inside (2024)

Songs|

* "Christmas Drillings"

Sporting events|

* EE Wembley Cup 2015
* Sidemen Charity Matches (2016–2018, 2022–2023, 2025)

* v
* t
* e

Influencers

Personalities|

* Aliyah's Interlude
* Charli D'Amelio
* Chunkz
* MrBeast
* Behzinga
* Marques Brownlee
* Kai Cenat
* Emma Chamberlain
* Alan Chikin Chow
* Nick DiGiovanni
* Druski
* Alix Earle
* Anthony Fantano
* Wendy Guevara
* Jackson Hinkle
* Huddy
* Wisdom Kaye
* Zach King
* Khaby Lame
* Keith Lee
* KSI
* Dhar Mann
* Markiplier
* Nickmercs
* Niko Omilana
* Jake Paul
* Logan Paul
* Thomas Petrou
* Hasan Piker
* Pokimane
* Ms. Rachel
* Josh Richards
* Brent Rivera
* jacksepticeye
* Jake Shane
* Nara Smith
* TBJZL
* Plastique Tiara
* Vikkstar123
* Theo Von
* Westcol
* xQc
* Zerkaa

Groups|

* FaZe Clan
* The Hype House
* Nelk Boys
* Rhett & Link
* Sidemen
* Stokes Twins
* Sway House

Topics|

* Fashion
* Marketing
* Virtual

Related|

* Live streamer
* YouTuber

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

|

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