The up-and-coming musical theatre star’s online audience of 1.2 million has been crucial in scoring her major roles. Her career is part of a shift in the industry towards performers with social media clout – but not everyone is happy
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f you’re on TikTok, you’ll probably recognise Hannah Lowther. Known affectionately as the “Tesco TikToker”, she found viral fame during lockdown by filming herself singing and dancing in the aisles of the supermarket during her shifts there.
“I got 10,000 views on a video and I thought: OK, that’s it, I’m famous, and I just never let it go,” the 27-year-old laughs. Since then, Lowther has built an audience of 1.2 million followers and leveraged her social media presence into a starry stage career, landing roles in West End musicals including Heathers and Six. “At the back of my mind, I was thinking: You know what? Maybe this could help me one day.”
Her career is the stuff of many young performers’ dreams. Using social media, Lowther took her career into her own hands, built an army of fans, and catapulted herself to the spotlight. Now, she stands at the forefront of a growing and debated shift in the industry: one that sees performers with big online followings take centre stage.
