TV star India Love is proof that there are several roads to fame and riches. Beyond the successes of the small and big screens, young people like India Love have risen to become influencers. The soft-spoken TV star has raked up a large following on social media.
Although she enjoys the glam and spotlight today, Love wasn’t born into a famous family. She has had to persistently build her brand from obscurity to where it is now. Here are things about India Love you probably didn’t know and her journey to fame.
India Love’s Birth Name
Although India is her birth first name, she chose India Love as her professional name. She was born India Westbrooks in Compton, California, on February 3, 1996, to Candy Westbrooks and Warren Westbrooks. She has six siblings, two brothers and four sisters – Warren G. Westbrooks II, Brooke, Morgan, Crystal, Bree, and Blake. India Love attended and graduated from Santiago High School, known for its notable alumni. These include actor Tyler Hoechlin and professional golfer Aaron Wise.
She Became Popular On Tumblr
India Love began her social media influencer journey on Tumblr, a microblogging and social networking website. At the time, a 15-year-old India Love had no idea this move would be the springboard to stardom. She began uploading pictures of herself and soon began to gain thousands of followers. Although she quickly became famous on the Tumblr blog, Love admits her parents had no clue.
She Has Had Her Fair Share Of Bullying
Being naturally reserved, India Love has dealt with bullying almost all her life. While in middle school, she received a lot of bullying from schoolmates. The shocker for her was that she was a practicing Christian in a Christian middle school. She admits she never understood why she was bullied but knew she wasn’t invited into any cliques. Social media fame also brought in a new level of haters and bullies. Love is constantly on the receiving end of hate comments from some of her followers. Although it bothered her a lot and affected her self-confidence and esteem, Love has grown a thick skin to filter through it all.
One of India Love’s coping mechanisms growing up was getting tattoos. She didn’t have tattoos at the start of her fame. However, she chose to go all out and ink her pain. Despite the reason, India Love is exceptionally proud of her tattoos. Although not as many as her older sister Morgan, she now has many tattoos all over her body.
India Love On The Westbrooks
Although India Love already had a growing number of followers, starring in The Westbrooks with her four sisters made her famous. The show debuted on BET on October 14, 2015, to mixed reviews from TV audiences. Although the show was short-lived, it immediately pushed her family into the limelight. While they received several criticisms for copying the Kardashian family in the E! reality TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, others saw it as a worthy substitute.
Although BET’s The Westbrooks gained more popularity, it wasn’t the family’s first time on reality TV. The Westbrooks actually began on YouTube in 2013 and gained some following. However, behind the scenes, Love wasn’t particularly interested in participating in the show initially. She didn’t want to be put in the public eye and showcase her everyday life. However, she caved when she saw how much her sisters wanted it and did it for the family. In retrospect, she has never regretted the decision, as the benefit has far outweighed any setback.
She Takes Several Selfies To Post A Picture
If there’s one thing most people would agree about India Love is that she takes really great pictures. However, the TV star and social media personality put in a lot of work to get a perfect picture. She admits she could take as many as 100 shots of a picture to help her decide which should be posted on social media. She has an eye for the perfect lighting and positioning and can tell between several similar photograph shots, the one with the best angle. While this sounds ridiculous, it has helped Love get several collaborations and brand influencer opportunities.
India Love’s Musical Career
India Love has shown she’s not only about the social media life. She surprised her fans when she dove into the world of music. However, just as many were surprised about her musical career, India Love has admitted she had no interest in it growing up. All of that changed when she was featured in Will.i.am‘s music video for “Boys & Girls.” Although it was the first time meeting the singer, Will.i.am particularly took an interest in India Love.
Not only did he help her become a brand ambassador for Apple headphones, but he also invited her to the Apple tour of Europe. He helped her groom her voice, went on a tour with the Black Eyed Peas, and opened the show for them. India Love later released a single, “Talk Yo Shit,” with a video. The song is all about self-love. She has released other songs featuring Will.i.am in one of them, “#Pretty.”
India Love’s High-Profile Relationships And Controversies
India’s love life has always drawn attention because of her partners. Although she insists people speculate she’s dating someone because they share a photo, it hasn’t drowned the curiosity of her love life. She has been linked to several high-profile relationships. She has been linked with Rob Robinson, Soulja Boy, Brandon Wimberly, Justin Combs, Lou1etay, J’Leon Love, Cliff Dixon, Rick Ross, Lil Yachty, Rich the Kid, Jonnu Smith, Sheck Wes, Dwayne Bacon, and Devin Haney.
India Love has also been rumored to have dated Roddy Ricch and Drake. India Love’s relationship with The Game became controversial when the two were photographed in a public park when India Love was only 19. She admits the media coverage affected her mentally and was a depressing part of her life.
She Has A Growing Social Media Presence
India Love has over 5 million followers on Instagram. Her popularity has risen since she moved to the platform from Tumblr. She has over 198,000 on Twitter. She has worked with several top brands, evident from her stories and posts on Instagram, where she’s most active. India Love is also on TikTok and has an OnlyFans account.