Jeffree Star (born Jeffrey Lynn Steininger Jr.; November 15, 1985) is an American makeup artist, entrepreneur, singer and songwriter, DJ, beauty YouTuber, model, and internet celebrity. He is the founder and owner of Jeffree Star Cosmetics.
He frequently used MySpace to promote his music career. In 2009, Star released his first and only studio album, Beauty Killer, which included songs like “Lollipop Luxury” featuring Nicki Minaj. He embarked on several world tours to promote his music. In 2010, he signed with Konvict Muzik, whose founder Akon described Star as “the next Lady Gaga.” However, Star abruptly left the music industry in 2013 due to legal issues Akon faced between 2007 and 2010.
In November 2014, he founded the company Jeffree Star Cosmetics, which he promoted on his YouTube channel. In 2018, Star earned $18 million solely from his YouTube efforts, according to Forbes. That was enough to make him the fifth highest-paid YouTube star as of December 2018.
Early life
Star was born in Los Angeles County, California, and raised in Orange County, California. His father, Jeffrey L. Steininger, died by suicide when Star was six years old, and he was subsequently raised solely by his mother, Marra Shubyann Lindstrom Steininger. As a child, Star claims he began regularly experimenting with his mother’s makeup and convinced her to let him wear it to school while he was in junior high. He moved to Los Angeles after graduating high school, supporting himself with various makeup, modeling, and music jobs. He later recalled spending weekends using a fake ID to attend Hollywood clubs where celebrities would hire him to do their makeup at home.
Career
Star in December 2007
MySpace
Star used the popular social networking site MySpace to advance both his music and fashion design career. He also used MySpace to blog about his life, while making social commentary on “self-image and confidence,” fame, beauty, and life. Star had built a fan base on several websites, but convinced many to follow him on MySpace, which gave his profile a large following from the start. His MySpace photo shoots frequently received over 50,000 comments when posted. Star also gained fame as one of the most popular independent artists, with daily rankings placing him in the top tier on MySpace.