SINGAPORE — The Youtube FanFest is back in Singapore for it’s second edition, showcasing some of Asia’s finest up and coming creative virtuosos, the band of YouTube personalities will be performing at *SCAPE this weekend. We can expect an eclectic mix of droll self-mockery, hysterical one-man shows and euphonious stage talent from YouTube luminaries such as David Choi, Ryan Higa, Tyler Oakley, Troye Sivan and Jenna Marbles.

Speaking of talent, one of the biggest names on the list is the hilarious Lilly Singh. More commonly known to her fans as Superwoman, this Youtube phenomenon has been dubbed as the Tina Fey of Punjabis. With her channel garnering more than 2.5 million subscribers, her most popular videos such as the legendary Girls On Their Periods, have hit a high of 4.4 million views worldwide.

The Canadian-born comedian has taken the online community by storm, and it seems that laughter really does make the world go round, or in this case, goes around the world.

Singh’s YouTube persona has it’s own story behind it. She derived her on-screen name when she was growing up, from a popular hip-hop song Superwoman by The Queen of Shade rapper Lil’ Mo. “Not only did I really love the song, but I found calling myself Superwoman to be quite empowering.”

When asked about her influences for her videos, Singh said she picks out things that happen in her everyday life, then “elaborating on them in a real, comedic way”. With rap being a prominently recurring theme in her videos, she cites rappers such as Drake, Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea and Jay Z as inspiration as well.

And the 26-year-old may be releasing her own rap album soon. “It’s something that I’m not particularly amazing at, but I love doing it. Once I feel my skill set is good enough to go public, I will release an album. I’m hoping for this year,” said Singh.

“I love creating in general, so if I’m not working on videos, I’m writing scripts, lyrics, recording songs or thinking of new ideas,” she added. “Hopefully in 10 years, I’ll be on the big screen! Acting, rapping and possibly hosting my own shows are dreams that I have.”

And Singh wouldn’t mind giving Bollywood a try. “I would absolutely love to try acting in either Hollywood or Bollywood. I do feel that Bollywood would be my first stop though,” she said. “I definitely a fan girl of Bollywood actors and actresses. In fact, on my recent trip to Mumbai, I got to hang out with both my favourites: Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit. I stay composed in their presence but was totally fangirling inside.”

Nonetheless, life’s challenges don’t elude even the most adept of people. The fact that Singh is female and Asian has can be a bugbear at times. “It’s a blessing because I know a lot of the success and traction I’ve gained is because I am different from a lot of the other big YouTubers out there. I’m an outspoken Indian girl, and that isn’t common to see on the Internet,” she said.

“On the other hand, it gets frustrating at times when I’m constantly classified as Asian. My videos are for everywhere because I make them for everyone. I would like to be recognised for that first - before my skin colour.”

Struggling with people who constantly discuss her religion in the comment boxes beneath her videos also posed an initial challenge for her. “But once I made my spiritual beliefs known to both myself an the public, that problem soon went away. In fact, YouTube even helped me discover that I’m in fact more spiritual than I am religious.”

Considering herself a “positive unicorn who likes hugging”, the comedian lives by the motto that “the purpose of life is to live”. “Life is too short to be shy. I couldn’t live without a smile on my face.” For the gifted gagster, that sentence couldn’t be more apt.