If you told Rowi Singh 10 years ago that her full-time job title would eventually be ‘content creator’, she wouldn’t have believed you. The Indian Australian had studied commerce and arts at university and had been creating her own social media content since then – it was “around 2014/2015… god, I’m like, revealing my age,” she laughs. 

Fast forward a few years, and Rowi was working full-time at a media agency. Her own posts – notably her unique and creative makeup looks – were gaining great traction, and the local social media landscape was just on the verge of a new era: the ‘influencer’ revolution. 

“It just wasn’t a thing – influencing! This is like 2017/2018, and it was a very new concept, especially in Australia,” Rowi tells Draw Your Box. 

“I think people weren’t really considering it a job or really taking it seriously. I also was kind of like, one foot in, one foot out of influencing. I was working a full-time job and I hadn’t really decided to commit to it because I think the lack of security scared me.

“But when I decided to make the biggest decision of my life to quit my full-time secure job and to just create content, I think it was probably the best decision ever. That was around 2018/2019.”

Now, with over 298,000 followers on TikTok and more than 460,000 followers on Instagram, Rowi has carved an incredible career and a fanbase that’s hooked to her unique makeup tutorials, GRWM videos and other glam style and beauty content that champions creativity, identity, self-expression and experimentation. 

So, it’s no surprise she’s now in the running for the Beauty and Fashion Creator of the Year award at the 2025 TikTok Awards in Australia. As one of three South Asians nominated overall, we decided to catch up with Rowi to hear more about her go-to social media tips, how her artistry is influenced by her Indian heritage, and what this recognition means for her and South Asian representation in the beauty space. 

Enjoy our Q&A with Rowi below, and remember: voting for the TikTok Awards Australia closes on Sunday, November 16. There’s still time to pick your favourite creators by searching TikTok Awards on TikTok and casting your last-minute vote from there. 

Rowi, a huge congrats on being nominated for Beauty and Fashion Creator of the Year at the TikTok Awards this year! Where were you when you heard you were nominated? How does it feel to be recognised in this way?

I honestly wasn’t expecting it at all. I think it’s because I’ve been doing this for so long and I kind of just stick with creative grind, like head down, and just kind of get on with it. So to have any sort of outside acknowledgement and recognition is pretty amazing and really special. I think I feel proud. I feel proud for the South Asian community, and just for how far I’ve come.

Of course, you’re known for your incredible makeup content. What particular type of content is most popular amongst your followers nowadays? How has it changed since you first joined TikTok?

It’s changed so much, and I feel like it changes on a monthly basis. When I first joined Tiktok, I could get away with posting silent tutorials where it’s just me doing my makeup to a good song – and that would work. But right now I’ve had to learn to use a bit more of my voice, because that works very well on TikTok when you show more personality and you talk to your audience. That was kind of a big step for me. 

I was always like, ‘Just show, don’t tell’. So now I’ve started doing these kind of breakdowns of my looks. It’s an art piece. My face is the canvas and I’m creating these big maximalist looks. I think a lot of the time, people are curious as to where my brain went when I did that. So I’ll break down the look now, and I’ll walk through how I did it. I think that works really, really well with my audience because they can see my thought process and how I got from A to B to C.

You proudly showcase your cultural heritage through a lot of your content – whether that’s wearing a sari to the Wicked premiere, or doing the mehendi/henna makeup recently. Why is this important to you, and how does your South Asian audience react? 

I never really had this opportunity [growing up] to find connection with my culture because I’ve moved around a lot. I’ve lived in the States, I’ve lived in Singapore, and I’ve moved around with my family for my dad’s job. Because of that, I think their way of helping me assimilate to each new culture was just kind of like, ‘Fit into where you were’. I never really had this connection to my Punjabi Indian heritage. It’s quite removed. We don’t have family in India. My parents were born in Africa – dad was born in Uganda, and mum in Malawi. 

There’s a bit of disconnect to my culture, and I think for me, it’s really just a way of reconnecting with my roots, and it’s a very visual way of reconnecting. I feel like that’s where I understand it. I understand my culture and my heritage more when I can visually represent it. So I do that for me and because I’m doing it for me, I’m also doing it for other people. They’re seeing that you’re proud. I think one of the first looks that I created way back, like 10 years ago, was linked to my culture and I was wearing bindis.

It’s such a beautiful culture. There’s so much beauty, joy, colour, richness and flavour to being South Asian. I just want to showcase that the best that I can, and intertwine it with my artistry to create something amazing. I want it to resonate with my South Asian girls and be like, ‘F**k yeah – absolutely, I’m proud to be brown’. 

I think representing that visually is my way of storytelling. I think it’s important. I didn’t have that representation growing up. I did not have that at all. I wish I had someone who was doing what I was doing. So, I want to be the person to do it for others and the younger generation to come.

@rowisingh Hey so this is my best of series! Just looks I’m really really good at to show you what I’m made of!! And then you can decide if you wanna vote for me for @TikTok Australia ♬ Idyllic jazz bossa nova with piano and guitar(1298871) – TAKANORI ONDA

What’s something people don’t know about social media creation and the hustle to actually make it a full-time job? Do you have any tips for people looking to follow in your footsteps? 

I think you just have to be really accountable for yourself. You’re your own boss and so you have to have a really clear idea of what you want to do. What do you want to get out of social media? What is your goal? I think when people get confused is that their goal is like, ‘Oh, I want to be famous. I want to go viral’. That isn’t actually a goal. That’s just something that happens along the way. So, if I was to give someone advice, I would say, [ask yourself], ‘Where do you kind of want to end up and where do you want to see yourself? What sort of skill set do you want to harness through social media, rather than making social media your job in itself?’

A lot of people are just ready to jump into the influencer world, but I think there’s a lot of value in – this sounds so ‘Aunty’ – but go to uni, get your degree. Still study and do the thing that you need to do, but then also try and pursue this on the side because that gives you invaluable skills of diligence, working hard and being able to time manage. So, I guess it’s just finding that goal and asking, ‘What would it be?’ What is the thing that you love to do that you could still be doing in the next 20 to 25 years

Any hints on what you’ll be wearing on TikTok Awards night?

I’m very excited, and I’m a bit nervous… As a hint, I got a 3D scan of my chest – like a mould of my body. So yeah we’re kind of going there!

I’m wearing Amiss owned by Vanessa Gray. She’s a South Asian girlie, she’s Sri Lankan – so I’m excited to wear one of her designs. 

@rowisingh The tutorial for this look! Mehendi henna makeup for Diwali using @Glisten Cosmetics LTD ♬ original sound – Marlee Hightower

Who’s one person you would definitely need to thank in your potential acceptance speech?

I can’t say one person! But [if I had to] I would probably say my husband Rahul because he’s just so patient and he allows me to be myself and in my career as well. We have very different careers and it can be quite demanding on my end and on his end. Sometimes there’s a lot of late nights where I’m not very present and I’m locked into looks and he’s been very patient and there for me from the very beginning. And I’d also thank my parents! 

If you could collaborate with any other celebrity or creator on TikTok (Aussie or international), who would it be and why?

I’d love to collaborate with Mei Pang – her handle is @meicrosoft. She’s an artist from Canada and I think she lives in New York now, but her artistry is just absolutely insane.  She’s a huge inspiration. I think what she’s doing is incredible and she just does it on such a large scale with a huge audience. It just shows that creative makeup and maximalism is not dead at all. I think it’s well and truly alive, despite what the trends say. I really  admire her work, and I would love to collab with her. 

@rowisingh

This outfit is just missing a Scandinavian scarf ☹️

♬ sonido original – Anahí

Furthermore, if you could collaborate with any Bollywood star on social media, who would it be and why? 

If I could fully go back in time [in terms of looks], I would create Rekha and her iconic era because I’m obsessed with her, but in terms of collaborating I would love to with Deepika. She’s unreal! Also, Alia Bhatt! I’m obsessed with her and I feel like we would get along and we’re a similar age. She’s incredible. 

Voting for the TikTok Awards Australia closes on Sunday, November 16 so there’s still time to pick your favourite creators by searching TikTok Awards on TikTok and casting your last-minute vote from there. 

While you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Draw Your Box on TikTok (@drawyourbox), and also our Founder Alicia (@leeshiev).

Here’s a full list of all of the nominees for the 2025 TikTok Awards: 

Creator of the Year, presented by NESCAFÉ

Latisha Clark (@latishaclarkk),Ilai Matangi (@havea_676), Tammy Hembrow (@tammyhembrow), Jiny Maeng (@jinymaeng), Ben Stubbs (@stubbaa)

Video of the Year, presented by Tinder

Rachel Parkinson (@rachelparkinson5), Zane Fall (@zanefall), Alexandra Tuohey (@alexandratuohey), Jude York (@itsjudeyork), Leah Halton (@looooooooch)

Business of the Year, presented by HP

Bouf Haircare (@boufhaircare), All For Mimi (@allformimi), Cherry’s Goods (@cherrysgoods), Kic App (@kic), Rode Meats (@rode_meats)

Sports and Fitness Creator of the Year, presented by EHP Labs

Hannah Pearson (@hannahhpearson), Daniel Gorringe (@dandoesfooty), Brittany O’Brien (@brittanyobrienn), Kwame Duah (@kwameduahofficial), Tom Harris (@tomharrisfootball)

Beauty and Fashion Creator of the Year, presented by Rimmel

Rowi Singh (@rowisingh), Florence Baitio (@florence_baitio), Eitan Broude (@eiitanbroude), Sasha Morpeth (@sashamorpeth), Ellen Malone (@askellenbeauty)

Music Artist of the Year, presented by Uber Eats

Larissa Lambert (@.larissalambert), Lance Savali (@lancesavali), Keli Holiday (@keliholiday), Max Jackson (@maxjacksonmusic)

Entertainment Creator of the Year Award

Rachael Evren (@rachevren), Maddy Turner (@maddy.mov), Aicha Robertson (@aichark), Theo Shakes (@theoshakes), Jeremy Franco (@jezbreezy)

Learn on TikTok

Ainslie Harvey (@hot.history), Kobi Brown (@astrokobi), Heidi Barlow (@womenshealthwithheidi), Vinh Giang (@askvinh), Luke Bateman (@lukesreads)

TikTok for Good

Ben McIntosh (@benjmcintosh), Josh Neille (@josh_neille), Clothing The Gaps (@clothing_the_gaps), Man Cave (@themancave_aus)

Comedy Creator of the Year

Archie and Miles Shepherd (@shepmates), Luke Kidgell (@luke.kidgell), Liam Dowling and Ben Christopher (@nansfavourites), Lyanna Kea (@lyanna_kea), Toni Lodge and Ryan Jon (@toniandryanpodcast)

LIVE Creator of the Year

Jake Waddell (@jakeytv), Ed and Ri (@itsedandri),Liam Conner (@liamconner_), Ūla (@ulaulaula), Sadia Yousofi (@sadiayousofi13)

New Zealand Creator of the Year

Daniel Rankin (@mancancooknz), Louis Davis (@louisdavis_), Paris Nuku (@parisnuku), Brit Cunningham (@brit_cunningham),The Morning Shift (@themorningshiftshow)

High Quality Content Creator

Melissa Yahyaoglu (@lovefrommelii),Anthony Randello-Jahn (@thedonutdaddy), Nicholas Burton and Dave Hoey (@thegrannyflat), Lachlan and Austin Macfarlane (@macfarlanebros), Jeremy (@jeremyfilmsthings)

Food Creator of the Year

Vincent Lim (@dimsimlim), Andy Hearnden (@andy_cooks), Catherine Zhang (@catherine.desserts), Laleh Mohmedi (@jacobs_food_diaries), Tom Smallwood (@tom.smallwood)