Meet The Next Generation's Young And Remarkable Faces of Instagram's 21 Under 21

Over the last few years, we’ve witnessed Instagram transform itself from a simple photo and video sharing app into its own excitingly enigmatic world where we can experience everything humanity has to offer. From nostalgic vine-filled meme pages to daily delicious cooking accounts, from the latest ground-breaking news on NowThisNews to the latest celebrity gossip on TheShadeBorough. However, amongst the many millions of accounts that exist, there are always the notable personalities that stand out — INSTAGRAM’S 21 UNDER 21. The extraordinary group of 21 emerging young voices are carving a path for themselves through subcultures of music, sport, art, fashion, and makeup.

Creating a platform for the next generation of undiscovered creative talents, Instagram has teamed up with five lauded lead creators (Henrie Kwushue, Harry Pinero, James Lewis, Gully Guy Leo, Cakeface RJ) as they explore their staggering lives and stunning work on Instagram Reels in the UK. Instagram Reels offers creators another outlet to express their creative vision and even more express who they are as people beyond just their work. Reels is where creators form bonds with their audience and turn their passion into a living. The 21 Under 21 celebrates and gives a platform to 21 young individuals from diverse communities, who inspire innovative expression and inclusion on Instagram. It’s time for the next generation of creative changemakers to take center stage.

Photography by Shenell Kennedy

“Creators are at the heart of culture on Instagram and the people on our first ever 21 under 21 list are such an exciting glimpse of the future. We have loved working with our lead creators to explore their subcultures and celebrate the diverse talent out there on Reels. We hope that by shining a light on these 21 young creators, we inspire others to follow their passion, share it with others and grow their brand on Instagram.” Georgia Kelly, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Instagram

And you're probably curious why and how the list of these amazing creatives was put together, so we had each lead creator share their reasons why. From one of the funniest people on the planet at this moment, Harry Pinero (Lead creator on the campaign for sport), he said “I asked for greatness and my Reelers gave me exactly that. I’m talking bikers, roller-skaters, and all-round athletes. Their passion for sports within their community is exactly what the world needs. We express our talents in many ways, and through their Reels, I saw countless examples of their incredible talent!”

Lead creator on the campaign for art, James Lewis shared "I wanted to select a broad range of talent as the arts cover a huge range of creative disciplines, so I reflected that in my selection. Art is subjective so it was definitely a challenge to choose from all of the amazing submissions and I'm confident that all of them will go on to do great things.” He's certainly not wrong about any of those things, and as subjective as art is, the individuals chosen for this list have shown how passionate and talented they are across the field, and they are evidently ones to keep a close eye on in the many years to come.

New Wave also had the pleasure of speaking to Presenter and DJ Henrie Kwushue for the Instagram 21 Under 21 campaign about her selection of creatives, starting out, and also how Instagram has influenced her career greatly.

Instagram's 21 Under 21 is available to view online here