Emma Corrin, KSI, Girl In Red Star In Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2021 Entertainment List – Forbes
This year’s list features for the first time some of Europe’s most popular social media entertainers as well as the continent’s most promising talents.
A s the entertainment industry reimagined film and television production, concerts and more during the Covid-19 pandemic, 25-year-old actor Emma Corrin found her crowning moment.
Her debut as Lady Diana Spencer on season 4 of Netflix’s historical drama about Queen Elizabeth II’s reign dazzled viewers in November and marked unprecedented success for the series. With millions quarantining at home, demand for The Crown was 85% higher than the prior season’s release, according to Parrot Analytics.
Corrin’s story is one of several on this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Entertainment list—which for the first time features entertainers who have emerged from social media as well as the more traditional channels of cinema, television, and music. Her breakout performance was recognized across the industry’s most prestigious circles, and her schedule is filling up quickly, with two leading roles in films coming up and a stage debut in London’s West End scheduled for the summer.
“Being able to play young women finding themselves and overcoming obstacles is such an honour, but I intend to use my platform to write and produce, so I should hope that the roles I play will continue to push me as an actor, no matter what age I am,” Corrin says of her future plans.
The Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Entertainment listmakers also reflect, and champion, global demand for more diversity in the industry. Take Phaim Bhuiyan, for instance, a 25-year-old filmmaker whose debut feature Bangla is inspired by his experience as a second-generation Italian of Bangladeshi origins. His success will hopefully encourage more talented entertainers to find their spotlight.
Bulgarian actor Maria Bakalova, who has found international success thanks to her role in Borat: The Subsequent Movie Film, is now using her platform to advocate for equal representation for Eastern Europeans, as well as the normalization of foreign accents on screen and shedding negative stereotypes. She’s also become a producer at JupiterLights Pictures, alongside founder Julian Kostov, which will focus on creating original content highlighting Eastern European characters and stories.
Artists on the list are paving the way for underrepresented groups in the European music scene and leveraging their platforms for good. Producer MNEK, who has worked with high-profile acts like Beyonce and Madonna, held a songwriting camp for LGBTQ+ musicians during Pride in London in 2019 and has been recognized as a LGBTQ+ advocate by Gay Times magazine. In recognition of racial injustice in the U.S., 27-year-old Shygirl, founder of the record label and collective Nuxxe, released a song called “Unconditional” with producer Arca last summer to benefit Black Lives Matter and INQUEST, a U.K. charity that provides support to those dealing with bereavement following a state-related death.
Mental health is another issue that Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Entertainment listmakers have tackled. Ella Greenwood started Broken Flames Productions to focus on mental health-based film projects—among them, one featuring fellow honoree Bukky Bakray. Zoe Wees built a loyal fan base on TikTok with body-positive music that then climbed the German and European charts.
Belgian-Congolese rapper-singer Marie-Pierra Kakoma (Lous And The Yakuza), Norway artist Marie Ulven (girl in red) and British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks explore their experiences candidly in their music production. Kakoma sings about racial issues and loneliness; Ulven tackles stigmatized mental illnesses; Parks details her struggle with depression—she dropped a song called “Black Dog” about coping through lockdown last summer.
Meanwhile, innovators like beauty guru Nikkie de Jager, 26, brought their visions to life during the lockdown. The makeup artist partnered with YouTube Originals to release a four-part documentary in January about her journey to coming out as transgender. De Jager has built a strong fan base of 13.8 million subscribers since joining the platform in 2008, and her channel has about 1.5 billion views.
“The move from in-person entertainment to digital entertainment has been the drive for our business.”
Fellow YouTube sensation Purvish Thaker became an entrepreneur to address the challenges Covid-19 brought to the music world. Thaker founded Sufiscore in April 2020 to promote South Asian classical music—a genre he says has been overlooked—and create virtual live performances for South Asian artists to connect with fans on YouTube and Instagram. A year later, the channel has grown into a full-blown video production company and record label churning out original music and visuals with almost 5 million followers tuning in.
The Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Entertainment list 2021 was finalized by a panel of judges from all corners of the entertainment industry: singing and acting super talent Olly Alexander, JAAK cofounder Vaughn McKenzie-Landell, Amazon Studios director of European originals Georgia Brown, and TikTok creator partnerships manager Gina Jackson.
This year’s list was edited by Abigail Freeman and Sofia Lotto Persio.
For a link to our complete 30 Under 30 Europe Entertainment list, click here and for full 30 Under 30 coverage, click here.