Karan Brar gushes over his 'big sister' and role model, Lilly Singh

Nickelodeon's 2016 Kids' Choice Awards - Red Carpet
Nickelodeon's 2016 Kids' Choice Awards - Red Carpet

Lilly Singh may not be Karan Brar's actual sister, but their on-screen (and off-screen) relationship feels familial. The pair first met when the Disney star reached out to Lilly Singh to let her know that he was a huge fan. Slowly a friendship developed and that friendship led to a hysterical YouTube collaboration.

Enter Lilly Singh's video "How I Deal With Kids" a hysterical take on people being forced to babysit children they've never met before. Brar's antics paired with Singh's commentary proved to be absolutely hilarious and the video racked up over 6 million views and counting. But what first started out as an YouTube cameo turned into a real friendship and Brar now considers Lilly his "big sister" and confidant. As he notes, "She's a big sister that I always look up to because I always want to hustle like her and constantly be kind."

Fingers crossed the duo has more video collaborations in the future!

We recently sat down with Brar at our New York City offices to discuss his YouTube cameo, what he's learned from Lilly Singh, and his incredible fan relationships.

And if you want even more Karan Brar news, head over to AOL.com at 6 p.m. ET to see more exclusive features, including his YouTube feature with Lilly Singh.

How would you describe your relationship with your fans?
They're super chill. I'm in this perfect spot with my fans where I can have a conversation with them and it's never too overwhelming. Because sometimes I think people forget that actors are very weird people and a lot of us have social anxiety. Bridgit Mendler once gave me the best advice about overcoming that. She told me that fans -- no matter how crazy they get -- really are just trying to say thank you. And from the beginning I've always felt that my fans have brought me to this point so I've always tried to say thank you back. I know how it feels when I've met another celebrity and them being nice to me meant a lot. Being nice doesn't cost anything.

Are there any other facets of the entertainment industry you're looking to explore?
Film definitely. Comedy has always been my strong suit so I kind of want to go back into drama and want to do it right. I want to learn the technique since single cam has always been my first love so to speak, so I want to do more multi cam work. I'm really hoping to go back into features.

You recently teamed up to create a video with Lilly Singh. What was that like for you?
She's the coolest person! It was funny because I used to be a huge Lilly fan and I was one of the hardcore fans. And every morning before school I'd watch her videos. One day I emailed her and said, "I know this is your business email but I'm a big fan." And she was like, "I've seen your work and I love you!" Because of that we made the video.

And even though we worked together, we really became friends. One of the big moments that struck me about how genuine and kind Lilly is, was when I went to a premiere she wrote hand written letters to everyone that went. She's a big sister that I always look up to because I always want to hustle like her and constantly be kind. She's so kind and open to people and helps people out and I really look up to her on that aspect.


What was it like working on a YouTube set versus a television one?
It's interesting because it's a lot more chill. When you're in a studio there's just a 100 people running around and a producer screaming the whole time. But on set with Lilly she has everything planned out and ready to go. Her work ethic is amazing and she's just as genuine on camera as she is off-screen. It was just us hanging out and being goofy. And she visited my set so we both had a chance to visit each other's work places and see how the other works, which was really interesting.

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already miss you Dubai.

A post shared by Karan Brar (@karanbrar) on Mar 22, 2016 at 7:44pm PDT

YouShouldKnow is a feature that showcases up-and-coming social stars. To see more of past interviews, click here. And come back at 12 pm EST for more exclusives on Karan Brar, including his experience on set.

By BANU IBRAHIM

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