Early life

Mota is of Mexican and Portuguese descent. She grew up in California and has an older sister named Brittany. She was homeschooled through most of her education but attended public school from third to sixth grade.

YouTube

Mota is one of the most popular YouTube celebrities. Mota's first haul video was in June 2009. She began her YouTube channel in order to escape the stress of bullying and rapidly gained followers, which numbered 9.5 million in October 2015. Business Insider described her as "relentlessly upbeat and bouncy" and "a virtuoso of positivity". As hauling became more popular on YouTube, retailers began to use it for marketing, and Mota was offered free cosmetics and gift cards. Mota is ambivalent about promotional videos, but when she does feature free products, she clearly identifies the products that she has not purchased. In January 2014, Business Insider estimated that she made $40,000 a month on her videos. In order to cultivate her fan following, she purchases prizes and awards to give them to fans who promote her videos. Her fans are called "Mota-vators". Besides her fashion-related videos, she also maintains a more personal account, which she uses to discuss whatever interests her. In 2014, she was selected to be among the content creators in YouTube's first advertising campaign. Mota has also appeared on YouTube's web show IMO, an opinion show aimed at teenagers. She also interviewed President Barack Obama on January 22, 2015 as part of a Whitehouse initiative to reach out to a broader audience following his 2015 State of the Union Address.

Fashion career

She has partnered with JCPenney and Forever 21 and in December 2013, she launched a clothing, perfume, and accessories line at Aéropostale, over which she retains creative control. She maintains a close relationship with her fans and incorporates their ideas into her fashion design. Teen Vogue called her style "laid-back-but-girly". New announcements are made first to her social media accounts, which Aéropostale credits with increasing interest among teenage girls. The Salt Lake Tribune described this relationship as unique, as both Mota and Aéropostale benefit in prestige from the deal, unlike traditional celebrity endorsements. As of June 2014, the retailer has yet to gain traction from these efforts. Forbes reports that the collection has delivered "high average prices and margins" but still underperformed.

Music

On October 13, 2014, she released a single, "Need You Right Now", with producer-vocalist Mike Tompkins. The song debuted in the Danish top 40 record chart Tracklisten at number thirty. On February 10, 2015, the official music video was released on Tompkin's YouTube channel. On May 4, 2015, in an interview at YouTube's 10th anniversary's YT Fan Meet Up, Mota confirmed she is working on new music and possibly her debut studio album. In August 2015, Mota wrote her own song, "Be Who You Wanna Be", and uploaded it on her YouTube channel.

Other ventures

In January 2014, she embarked on a tour called the "Motavatour", across the United States. In March 2014, Mota reported on the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for Entertainment Tonight. Mota also served as a guest judge in season 13 of Project Runway. On September 4, 2014, Mota was announced as a competitor on Dancing with the Stars - season 19. She paired with five-time champion Derek Hough. Mota and Hough reached the finals but were eliminated on Night 1, finishing in 4th place. She has also given talks in October 2015 about anti-bullying as part of National Bullying Prevention Month.

Dancing with the Stars performances

Week #	Dance / Song	Judges' score				Result
		Inaba	Goodman	Hough	Tonioli
1	Jive / "Shake It Off"	8	8	8	8	Safe
2	Foxtrot / "All About That Bass"	8	9	8	8	Safe
3	Jazz / "Singin' in the Rain"	10	101	10	10	Safe
4	Rumba / "Try"	8	92	8	8	Safe
53	Hip-Hop / "She Came to Give It to You"	8	84	8	8	No elimination
6	Tango / "Jealous (I Ain't with It)"	9	95	9	9	Safe
7	Paso doble / "Run Boy Run" Team Freestyle / "Black Widow"	10 9	9 9	10 9	10 9	Safe
8	Salsa / "Babalu" Cha-cha-cha Dance-Off / "Really Don't Care"	9 Awarded	9 3	9 Extra	10 Points	Safe
9	Viennese Waltz / "Say You Love Me" Trio Argentine Tango / "Jungle"	9 9	9 10	9 10	9 9	Safe
10	Samba / "I Want You Back" Contemporary / "I Want You Back" (acoustic version)	9 10	9 10	9 10	9 10	Safe
11	Jive / "Shake It Off" Freestyle / "Revolution (District 78 Remix)"	9 10	9 10	9 10	9 10	Eliminated

Artistry

Her debut single is generally pop and dance music, and has elements of electropop. The follow-up to "I Need You Right Now", is described as an evolution from her first single with a new sound exploring stripped down acoustic music.

Discography

Year	Single	Peak positions	Album
		DEN
2014	"Need You Right Now"	30

Filmography

Film and television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2014	Project Runway	Guest judge	Season 13, episode 4
	Dancing with the Stars	Contestant on season 19	Finished in 4th place.

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Work	Result
2014	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Web Star: Female	Herself	Won
		Choice Web Star: Fashion/Beauty		Nominated
2014	Streamy Awards	Entertainer of the year	Herself	Nominated
		Fashion Program		Won
2015	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Web Star: Female	Herself	Won
		Choice Web Star: Fashion/Beauty		Nominated
		Choice YouTuber		Nominated

Mota was named one of "The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014" by Time magazine in 2014 and 2015.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]