Ali-A

Background

One of the most popular British YouTube stars, Ali-A was born Alastair Aiken in Surrey, United Kingdom. His sun sign is Scorpio. While there is little information about his family in the public domain, it is known that he has a younger brother, named Simon. He went to a local school in his neighborhood and was subject to bullying by fellow students. He dropped out to pursue a full-time career in gaming after being introduced to it by friends. In the initial days, he played “Mario Kart” and “Super Smash Bros,” before discovering “Call of Duty.” Pursuing his love for gaming for a career, Ali-A went on to start a YouTube channel, originally called “Matroix,” in 2006, but it was only in 2009 that he began uploading the first videos to the channel, which focused on commentary and live-streaming of his plays of “Call of Duty” and “Fortnite.” One of his videos then went viral, propelling him to fame. By 2013, he had amassed one million followers on YouTube and was signed on by the YouTube multi-channel network Polaris. That same year, he went on to launch his second YouTube Channel — “More Ali-A.” This second channel saw him expand his themes to wider areas such as travel, reaction videos, and family-friendly games like “Minecraft,” “Pokemon 3D,” and “Clash of Clans,” among others. The channel also became widely popular, acquiring seven million followers. In 2014, he hosted some gaming shows and also made guest appearances on television shows.

The year 2015 was a momentous one in his career as Ali-A found himself in the “Guinness Book of World Records” for “Most Popular Call of Duty Channel by Subscribers” and “Most Popular Call of Duty Channel by views.” These were followed by a further two entries for “The Tallest Staircase Built on Minecraft in One Minute” and “Most Blocks of Wood Collected in Three Minutes on Minecraft.” These records further bolstered his popularity and he was acknowledged even in the media as a star. Also in 2015, he starred in “Legends of Gaming Live” on YouTube with fellow gamers. In 2016, “Business Insider” placed him in the ninth position among the most popular British YouTube stars. Then, in 2017, he co-authored a book “Ali-A Adventures: Game On.” 2018 saw him start a third YouTube channel with his partner Clare Siobhan — “Clare & Ali.” He launched his fourth YouTube channel — “Ali-A Plays” — in 2020, which is focused specifically on Call of Duty. In 2022, Ali-A announced that he was collaborating with YouTube for “uTure,” a global talent show for influencers, which he will also host.

With over five billion views on his first YouTube channel, Ali-A’s popularity stems from his attempt to develop content that is in sync with his fans, who go by the collective name of “Ali-A Army.” To date he has earned five Guinness World Records, He has also partnered with brands such as Monster, Kontrol Freek, Elgato Gaming, and others. He also owns an online store where he sells merchandise under the brand name “Ali-A”. At the same time, he is also known for supporting philanthropic causes, including youth development programs and cancer benefits. He is married to Clare Siobhan and resides in London.