MS Features: How this Singaporean built an unorthodox streaming career
Instead of following a typical path through life, one Singaporean found herself streaming full-time using a virtual anime avatar.
Miwabelle, a VTuber, has more than 23,000 followers on streaming platform Twitch.
Over the years, she has managed to build a sustainable career that has not only supported her financially, but also led to a newfound self-confidence.
However, her unorthodox path came with its challenges — including constant pressure to conform, and even a male fan who overstepped her boundaries.
Courtesy of Miwabelle
It started on a whim
Miwabelle first started streaming using her current persona back in 2022.
On what she describes as a whim, she invested around S$100 to S$200 into a simple VTuber model — the 2D or 3D avatar used to represent the content creator — and the software used to manipulate the model to get herself started.
Because she was only doing it as a hobby at the time, the Singaporean frequently had to wake up early just to get streams in before her day job started at noon.
But that effort quickly paid dividends.
To Miwabelle’s surprise, within her first month of streaming, the paycheck from her streaming equaled what she got from her day job.
Her initial investment had not just been paid off, but now she also stood to make “slightly over” S$1,000 per month if things continued on the same trajectory.
By her second month, Miwabelle had already gained a large enough following to become a Twitch Partner, netting her additional ways to earn money through the platform.
Courtesy of Miwabelle
However, what should have just been some extra pocket money quickly turned into her only source of income.
By the third month of her streaming career, the company she had been working for got liquidated, leaving her unemployed.
She thought that she would continue streaming as an income avenue while job searching.
Her consistent efforts, however, have instead led to her becoming one of the most successful streamers from Singapore.
Turning streaming into a sustainable career
“I always thought I’d have a very typical Singapore life,” Miwabelle said. “Work at my job, BTO at 30, that kind of thing.”
Her life is now anything but typical.
During her primary school reunion, her schoolmates shared about their careers in marketing or how they just had a child.
But when it was Miwabelle’s turn to tell them what she had been up to, her response was simple.
I play Yu-Gi-Oh! for a living.
Courtesy of Miwabelle
That might sound like an easy job, but the reality is that it takes constant self-discipline and people skills.
Being signed to an agency, she is given a lot of leeway to be self-directed.
This has allowed her to do exactly what she wants, but it also comes with its own unique challenges — she does not always have the job security of being an employee in a big company.
“I can enjoy who I am as a person without worrying about my paycheck,” she said. “It’s one of the most freeing things ever.”
But the problem with being a VTuber is that if I don’t keep on hustling, if I don’t keep on working… the views will dry up. People will move on to the next best thing.
She said that determining who her audience is was one of her biggest challenges when she started.
In addition to making sure she stays interesting, she also sticks to a relatively consistent streaming schedule.
She streams nearly daily, with hours comparable to any other job.
Courtesy of Miwabelle
Chose VTubing after being stalked at 17 years old
For Miwabelle, one of the biggest draws to using a virtual avatar is anonymity.
When she had previously streamed with her real identity, one of her viewers began stalking her.
“He showed up around my house,” she said. “He had my number. Apparently someone else I had worked with had given it to him and he called me at three in the morning.”
He then told her that they should both elope to Malaysia as his “life sucks” in Singapore.
At the time, she was only 17. The man, however, was in his 30s.
After getting the police involved, the man disappeared from her life, leaving her with a valuable personal lesson.
When she began streaming as Miwabelle, she has made sure to set clear boundaries with her viewers to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.
Finding herself through content creation
But the veil of anonymity has not made Miwabelle any less true to herself.
In fact, she says that streaming has allowed herself to feel more comfortable in her own skin and more open than before.
Growing up, her parents had taught her to not stand out, with a strong emphasis on her becoming an “ordinary person”.
This meant Miwabelle’s interests were the source of a lot of friction with her parents.
“You should have better interests,” they had told her.
When she was stalked, they told her that it would never have happened if she had more “normal” hobbies.
Despite that overwhelming pressure to conform, she did not.
If anything, the love she has received online from her being who she is has led to a surge in self-confidence.
Not only that, her career has also opened up opportunities to travel and do things that she would never have imagined possible before.
“I’ve met a ton of people and gone to a ton of places I never thought I’d go to,” she said. “I got invited by Twitch [to the Tokyo Game Show].”
She’s also part of the SEGA SEA Ambassador Program, with SEGA being one of the big names in video games.
Courtesy of Miwabelle
Success is a result of being bold and committed
She attributes a lot of her success in streaming to her full commitment to doing it well.
Many expect that just dipping their toes in the water would be enough, but she emphasises that without consistent effort, any early success would quickly evaporate.
Through her efforts and force of personality, Miwabelle attracts multiple hundreds of people to catch her streams daily.
While she often plays games, she also has streams where she paints Warhammer models or reacts to lore videos.
Courtesy of Miwabelle
Singaporean VTuber emphasises importance of media literacy
When asked about what advice she would give to young Singaporeans considering a career in streaming, she was very adamant about them understanding online privacy and media literacy.
Miwabelle stressed the importance of verifying the authenticity of information online, and also advised young netizens to be more wary of their digital footprint.
She also urged parents to be more aware of what their children are doing in the digital sphere.
This goes beyond what content they consume and also includes people they interact with.
Miwabelle stressed the importance of teaching kids about understanding and maintaining proper boundaries so that they can browse the internet safely.
“People online are crazy,” she said.
Miwabelle streams on Twitch and regularly releases videos on YouTube.
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Featured image courtesy of Miwabelle.
