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Michael Le is an Asian-American dancer and choreographer with a growing fan base on various social media platforms. Le is a well-known name on YouTube and TikTok, where he posts dance videos. He makes dance videos to popular songs by various artists and frequently choreographs other dancers.[1][2]

The dancer is still one of TikTok's most popular male users. He has one of the platform's most-watched videos, in which he dances on an escalator to Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie"[3]

Michael is a Bang drinks brand ambassador.[4][5][6][7] He also sells his wares via Shluv clothing.[3] Aside from dancing, he enjoys teaching people about different dance moves and giving his followers advice on how to learn simple dance steps. Le also creates tutorial videos for his popular dance moves, which he regularly shares on his YouTube channel. He has a sizable fan base on his TikTok account, where he posts similar, albeit shorter, videos.[1]

His little brother, Jonathan, is best known to have been in Le's TikTok videos commonly.[8]

Personal and Early Life[]

Michael Le was born in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 19, 2000.[1] His mother, Tina, is a nail technician who occasionally appears in his videos. Michael has two younger brothers, Jonathan and Daniel, as well as a sister named Tiffany. His siblings frequently appear in his videos and aspire to be dancers as well.[3] Various reports claim that Le dated dancer Analisseworld, who has also appeared in some of his videos, which they have since been broke up.[1][3][9] Michael wanted to be a dancer since he was a child. He began dancing at the age of 12 and soon after began making dance videos.[3][10] Le was bullied as a child due to his "looks" and was pretty unpopular throughout his early school years.[11]

Michael uses Instagram to share photos of his family and friends, as well as clips of his dancing and photos from his travels, They also frequently appears in his videos and he is transitioning to more family content. In addition, he participates in a number of paid Instagram partnerships.[3] He originally moved to California with a group of friends, but now lives and works with seven people, which are known as "Shluv House", including his mom and younger siblings. “I feel like financially I'm really good. I’m making smart moves. I have a team to assess what I'm doing with my money. I’m at seven figures now” he told Yahoo Finance.[5][12]

Le's primary income source is through brand partnerships on TikTok that pay anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 for a single post. He's worked with brands like Amazon (AMZN) Prime Video, Bliss Skincare, Bang Energy, Postmates, Safeguard Soap, and Tums.[5]

It’s really random, whatever brands decide they want to work with me. I’m really open to everything. If a brand wants something, I'll typically let them know if it’s too commercialized or not and I’ll give them my input,” said Le. “If what they want is what they want, I’ll possibly raise the rate. If it’s something that’s too forced for me, I won’t do it.

Carrer[]

May 2014 - February 2020: How to Reverse Nae Nae, TUT-orial & #SAYWHATCHALLENGE[]

Michael Le has had a strong desire to dance since he was a child. He used to choreograph dance moves to popular songs by different artists. This quickly became a hobby for him, and in May 2014, he launched his own YouTube channel, 'Michael Le.' His first dance video, published under YouTube, is set to Justin Timberlake's song "Let the Groove Get in."[13] On the same day, he posted five other videos, all of which were under a minute long. Michael Le uploaded his first tutorial video in March 2016 after a year of uploading short dance videos. He explains basic dance moves and a few helpful tips for beginner-level ‘tutting dance' steps in the six-minute video.[1][3][14]

Le has released tutorial videos on various ‘tutting dance' (officially called "TUT-orial") steps on his channel, also including various illusions and combos. His 'tutting challenge' videos are also among his most popular on his channel. The ‘Viral Dance Challenge' tutorial is one of the most popular. His most popular video is a tutorial on 'How to Reverse NaeNae' which has over 2.5 million views to date, but his "Say What?!" dance has surpassed the video in July 2021.[15] Among his other popular videos are 'Say What?!' " Dance," 'Learn an Insane Combo with Music," and 'Cashmeoutside (How Bow Dah)'.[16][17] In addition, Le runs another channel, 'Justmaiko,' where he uploads funny videos and has over 2 million subscribers.[1][18]

Michael Le is also very active on TikTok and Instagram, in addition to YouTube. Le is currently enjoying the attention of a sizable fan base on TikTok. His TikTok account has over 5 million followers and a high level of engagement with the audience. His Instagram page is also quite popular. He regularly uploads photos and short videos there for his followers.[1]

March 2020 - Present: Shluv Family & "Hips Don't Lie" Dance[]

Le and his friend dancing on a public escalator received 25.2 million likes during pre-2020, making it one of the most-liked TikToks of all time.[19] Another video of him and Jonathan dancing on an escalator to Jawsh's Laxed (Siren Beat) had received 25.6 million likes, making it one of the most popular.[20]During that time I was trying to get more creative with my videos, doing public videos, doing out-of-the-norm things, so with the escalator I just kinda visualized like the perfect TikTok and did it” Le told Media Kix about the videos.[21]

Michael Le and Jonathan

Michael Le (right) next to his little brother Jonathan (left) who often appeared in most of his videos.

In quarantine, Le has been busy growing his YouTube channel and his family's brand, Shluv Family. (“Shluv” is a sort of portmanteau for “self-love.”)“The main thing is I’m really getting into YouTube now,” Le told Media Kix. “So I’m helping out with my family’s brand ‘The Shluv Family’ and building our presence on all other platforms, promoting a whole different set of content on the various platforms.”.[22]

"Shluv is my brand of self-love. I want it to be where every time you hear Shluv, you think of me. Shluv Family is just a branch of me. They can build off of me until they can do what they want to do on their own."[12] Le said. "For me it's just Shluv. Whether it's my YouTube, my Shluv clothing, if I do a Shluv island; I just want to brand everything Shluv."

Despite being best known for TikTok, Le said that he was more focused on YouTube rather than just TikTok, as said by his statement:

"I'm focused on my YouTube stuff. I'm starting multiple series on my YouTube channel. I'm doing “Shluv Gaming,” which is my gaming stuff. I'm doing “Shluv Vlogs,” where I'm doing the YouTube stuff. In a few weeks I'm building a giant Lego house and living in it. So, the crazy stuff that people don't expect. I'm doing a cooking show, which is called “Shluv My Taste.” It's in a sense a podcast/cooking show/mukbang, which will feature artists or large influencers. And then my pranks, with my little brother."

Le's family, in fact, has TikTok accounts, Le's Mom, Tina, has 3 million followers on TikTok and his sister, Tiffany, has 1.3 million followers. His younger brother, Jonathan, had over 9 million followers but TikTok removed his account because of FTC regulations.

Relationship with Analisse[]

Eventually, both of them confessed to dating each other in the past. Analisse admitted seeing Le for the first time when she was 11, and their friendship gradually grew as they began making Tik Tok videos. However, they also stressed that they are now best friends.[9]

On November 20, 2020, Justmaiko took to Instagram to post a heartfelt birthday message to Analisse on her 20th birthday. In the same post's caption, he poured his heart out to let her and the world know how much she meant to him.[23] Le mentioned that meeting her eight years ago changed his life in a way he couldn't comprehend.

He also confessed that he was very proud of her growth into a smart and bright young woman. He wholeheartedly believed she was meant for greater things and mentioned he couldn't wait to see her future achievements.[9]

"You've changed my life so much that i honestly have no idea where i would be right now if i hadn't met you 8 years ago. You're the most caring, loving, and most thoughtful person i've ever met and i can't wait to see what else you accomplish from here on out. I LOVE YOU’™.[9]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Michael Le Biography" - The Famous People
  2. Amelia Tait, "Meet the choreographers behind some of TikTok’s most viral dances" - Wired (August 18, 2020)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 https://influencermarketinghub.com/wiki/michael-le/
  4. "Michael Le A.K.A Justmaiko – The Dancer Who Made It Big on TikTok" - factsninja.com
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Melody Hahm, "TikTok's new generation of millionaires: 'I did it 100% on my own'" - Yahoo (December 5, 2020)
  6. Adam Chau, "Michael Le, Tiktok, Shluv House, and the New Asian American Social Media Star" - asamnews.com (August 11, 2020)
  7. Emerald Pellot, "Tiktok’s Top Earners: the 7 Richest Tiktok Stars" - intheknow.com
  8. https://mediakix.com/blog/michael-le-justmaiko-interview/
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Karuna K, "JustMaiko and dancing partner, Analisse, maintain great friendship even after breakup" - Hollywoodmask.com (February 09, 2021)
  10. http://voyagemia.com/interview/art-life-michael-le/
  11. "Art & Life with Michael Le" - Voyagemia.com (February 7, 2019)
  12. 12.0 12.1 Tom Ward, "Michael Le Is Building An Empire" - Forbes (October 7, 2020)
  13. ""Let The Groove Get In" by Justin Timberlake | @phil_wright_ @justmaiko @justintimberlake" - YouTube (28 Dec 2015)
  14. "TUT-orial | Learn the Basics of Tutting + Combo | Beginner Level" - YouTube (23 Mar 2016)
  15. "Dance Tutorial | How to Reverse Nae Nae?! | Learn to Reverse ALL the Dance Moves | #ReverseChallenge" - YouTube (12 Jun 2016)
  16. ""SAY WHAT?!" DANCE | Justmaiko Dance Video @remixgodsuede @justmaiko @rafirod_ @katttrod_" - YouTube (24 Apr 2017)
  17. "TUT-orial | Learn an Insane Combo with Music! | Advanced Level 1" - YouTube (28 May 2016)
  18. JustMaiko YouTube Channel
  19. "our performances be so good, its scary😳🤣 @javierr" - @justmaiko on TikTok (March 8, 2021)
  20. "its official: we are the CEO’s of this sound🤷‍♂️🔥 @justjonathan14" - @justmaiko on TikTok (March 12, 2020)
  21. Emerald Pellot, "Who Is Michael Le? The Tiktok-famous Dancer Is Making a Name for Himself Online" - intheknow.com
  22. Abram Brown, "Four Men And A Boy: How Shluv House Became The Latest Hit TikTok Collective" - Forbes (July 7, 2020)
  23. "jeez... YOURE 20 YEARS OLD😭 times fr have passed I know you already heard it all at midnight but i just wanna say again to everyone how proud i am at how much a beautiful and smart woman youve become. Youve changed my life so much that i honestly have no idea where i would be right now if i hadnt met you 8 years ago. Youre the most caring, loving, and most thoughtful person ive ever met and i cant wait to see what else you accomplish from here on out. You will always be an important part of my life no matter what. I hope you have an amazing decade now being 20 and ik you will accomplish so much more. I LOVE YOU💙. @analisseworld" - @justmaiko on Instagram (November 20, 2020)

External links[]

See also[]

  • Shluv House
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