I am Raba Khan and I am 20 years old. I am a multiplatform-based entertainer. You can find my videos on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. I am also a radio jockey for the past 4 years. I am the youth advocate for UNICEF and also the Goodwill ambassador for ActionAid. And, finally I’m one of the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia.

What does it mean to you to be enlisted for Forbes 30 under 30?

I remember this exact question was asked when I applied for Forbes 30 under 30, that “what would it mean to you if you became one of the 30 under 30?”.

I think for me, in my country and in this situation, I think it adds credibility to my name. To be recognised on a global platform and on a global magazine of this stature means that I must have done something right. I’m still not digesting it very well, but right now that’s how I feel.

When did you apply for it and how does it work exactly? How did you get in?

There are a lot of nominations and a lot of judges who choose from those nominations under different category. And I got it for Media, Marketing, and Advertising. And the judges are doing extremely well in their own fields. But for now, I can tell you that this is how you have to apply. So ever year, around August, you have to apply, and they announce the list. You have to be under 30, of course. Forbes won’t choose from anyone; you have to actually apply for it.

Then how did you proceed?

I found out that I was nominated, and then they told me that I was going to be in the main publication. So, they wanted a photoshoot. I kind of knew about this since February. It was the biggest secret I had to keep, ever; I had to keep my mouth shut. And yeah, that was it. And then there were a lot of interviews.

So, who else knew that you’d be one of the “30 under 30” this time?

My parents, brother and my best friends. They were the only few people that did.

How do you think this is going to change your future goals/plans?

So, I have always wanted to do a lot of things. I wanted to be the jack of all trades, and also a master at all of them. And, I’m working towards that. So, I also want to be doing a lot of TV shows. I have been doing them, but I think “30 under 30” would add so much credibility to my name and people are going to be taking me more seriously. Because of the work I do, people think that I won’t be able to stick around or have serious conversations. After UNICEF, people took me a bit more seriously, and I saw the change last year when I posted about being chosen as a UNICEF Ambassador.

So, I believe things will change more and more doors will open for me. I will be able to do what I always wanted to do with no chains and do more serious things that might not be something people would find synonymous to my name. But I believe they will be more accepting of the change, because they’ll be like “Oh she won Forbes, so okay, I guess”. So, I have talk shows and other things planned.

Are you under more pressure to contribute or do more work and create more work after winning this position?

I think I will. I found out a few hours ago, but I think I will. Now whatever content I create, people are going to be like “oh this is why you got it?”. So, now things are going to be a little tricky. But I think people have loved my content every time. And I think if I focus on myself and work on my project, keeping the quality intact, then I don’t think there should be a problem. And, I’m not going to take extra pressure because this year, I sort of planned on doing what I want to put out to the world, and I don’t want to listen to anyone or be doing conventional work. I am going to be doing things that I will be proud of in the future.

So, when you started creating content, did you see yourself reaching this point?

Actually, this is going to sound very funny, but 6 years ago, I made my channel in April 2014, and in May, I turned 15. My brother and I made our YouTube channel, and we called it “The JhakaNaka Project”. And the reason why we added the word “project” to it was so that we don’t just make videos, we create a merchandise company and a clothing line and do other things.

It’s going to be a complete lie if I say I didn’t see this coming. But yes, I didn’t expect to be on the cover of Forbes at this age. I thought maybe one day. I aim very high, I don’t know why, but I did. I did think about all of these things and I wanted to work towards it, and even though I didn’t think it would happen this early, I did have plans. It didn’t just happen, I worked towards a goal.

The industry that you are in, it’s quite tricky. So, what do you think is the secret to stick in this industry?

I think you can’t really call it an industry. I don’t do mainstream media, and the only mainstream thing I am associated with is the radio. You can’t really call me an actress, but I do act in my videos. So, what I do is very tricky. If I call it the entertainment industry, I think it would be stupid to want to sustain and to stay relevant and not really jump into anything.

Not too many entertainers can stay relevant for that long. People are like “there’s no way you’ve been around for 6 years and are only 20 now. So, what, you were 14 when you started?”, and I’m like “yeah!”.

So, I guess if you work towards staying relevant, you’ll be able to sustain.

Our crowd leaves a lot of negative comments, they can’t really stand anyone succeeding in life. So how do you deal with these?

I have been doing this for 6 years, and I really don’t bother about the negativity anymore. If I did, I wouldn’t be here today. There’s no way you can survive doing what I do if you care about those comments because this is how it’s been going on, but I think it’s getting better. But also, I think people need to talk more about cyber bullying, about how negative comments can affect people’s mental health. People need to understand that, but I can’t change things myself, I can’t just say “stop saying bad things about me!”, it doesn’t work like that.

Even when I started, I knew what I was getting into. I mean what I would like to say is that if you don’t like someone/something, you shouldn’t leave negative comments but give constructive criticism. I do pay attention to the latter, but with the former I’m like “you do you, I’ll do me”.

I want to achieve global recognition, and it’s going to come with global critic, and I’m perfectly fine with that.

If you were to give one advice to people trying to create their content to enter this industry, what would it be?

My advice to new content creators would be to start now, because competition is not getting any lesser. You are going to have to work hard and stay relevant to stay in the competition. There’s no good excuse anymore, like 4 to 5 years ago, people could say that they don’t have a professional camera or a tripod or other things, because it doesn’t work like that anymore. If I can get a million views with a video I recorded with my phone, you can too. Your content just needs to be creative.

I don’t think I have recorded a video using a DSLR in the last 2 years because I believe my type of content has to be organic. I tried with a full set up and everything, but it doesn’t work for me because people want authenticity and realism. People want me to look like I’m talking to them personally, as if I’m on FaceTime with them.

Even 10 years ago, stardom used to be portrayed as something that can’t be attained easily. But, now it’s all about being relatable, and all celebrities are trying to be relatable now as that is exactly how you’ll be able to connect with your audience.

There is nothing that can stop you apart from lack of family support or your mental health. You have everything you need to be a content creator.

About the pandemic we are facing right now, what do you think the youth of our country can do to overcome the crisis?

Just follow what WHO is saying. Stay home, wash your hands, and use a tissue when you cough or sneeze. To flatten the curve, these are just some basic things you need to do. If you have a platform, try to raise awareness and encourage everyone to save the world by just staying home. This is the only time you can bring such a change so easily. And, I think that’s what all the content creators are doing now.

I think the pandemic is going to last for some time, and people will learn how to work around it. There are many apps and start ups that are coming up with new and creative ideas to help everyone. And also, the Earth seems to be healing and the virus is working in the world’s favour. We just need to be patient and careful. And when things do get back to normal, I hope everyone is more conscious about the planet. I think, in general, everyone is going to come out of this very different. Everyone around the world will have a different perspective regarding the planet, mental health, physical health, and everything.

Do you have anything special in mind to contribute towards overcoming the pandemic?

I have done charity and I’m planning on raising more awareness. I was always against flexing it when you do charity, but now I’m like do whatever you need to make more and more people contribute, even if it means guilt-tripping people into doing charity. This is because it is so very important right now.

I want the privileged people to understand their privilege, and that you may be in a situation that others aren’t, and to help them. I think I have shamed a lot of my friends, and I plan on shaming more because things will only go in a better direction if we all have a little more empathy.

My heart goes out to everyone affected, and I wish I could donate to many more charities.