Stillwater teen is online star in the making

Some nights last summer, aspiring teen singer Jonah Marais performed for more than 50,000 people — many of them rabid fans — without ever leaving his Stillwater bedroom.

Through the magic of the Internet, the 16-year-old has attracted more than 100,000 social media followers since May, largely by singing and playing keyboards on younow.com, a live online broadcast platform.

Those appearances, plus Marais' prolific use of Twitter, Instagram and other social media, have helped him attract a loyal, vocal fan base made up largely of teenage girls.

That he's a nice, positive, huggable guy hasn't hurt him either, says his mother, Carrie.

Marais now hopes to build on his social media stardom to transform what can be an all-too-fleeting phenomenon into something more tangible and sustainable.

"I'm focusing more on this as a career," Marais said recently. He has found plenty of encouragement for that move in the fanatical reception his first in-person performances have earned.

Some 5,000 girls screamed with approval last August when Marais appeared on the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand Stage at DigiFest Minnesota, which featured a lineup of more than a dozen teen social media singers and personalities. It was the first time he performed live in front of people.

"That was pretty crazy, going from singing in my room to singing in front of 5,000 people," Marais said.

In his first headlining show in November, Marais and fellow teen Internet star Devin Hayes thrilled a sellout crowd of 500 teens — mostly girls — at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall in downtown St. Paul.

Girls began camping outside the venue at 6:30 a.m. the day of the show, Amsterdam co-owner Jarret Oulman said. Even though they already had tickets, the largely 13- to 16-year-old fans were vying to be the first to get in to see Marais.

"There were screams that were unrivaled from any other show that we've had at that venue," Oulman said. "The crowd was feeding off his performance and energy and got more and more enthusiastic as the performance went on. He's got a way of connecting with his crowd, that's for sure."

Marais is considering performing in another local show in February, possibly around Valentine's Day. The Amsterdam would welcome him back.

"If he were to do it here, we think that would be great," Oulman said.

For now, Marais is getting vocal coaching and developing his stage presence. He's working with songwriters based in Minnesota and Los Angeles to come up with an original song. His all-covers repertoire includes Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" and Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud."

"My goal now is to get a good original song and hear it playing on the radio," Marais said.

Marais, whose father is a singer-songwriter who performs as Brother Timothy, grew up around music but didn't take it seriously until last year. At the time, his mother, a certified nurse midwife, was undergoing cancer treatment. She has since recovered. The family has four children, including a 23-year-old son and daughters ages 7 and 14.

Marais quickly built an online fan base, telling his family after one performance last summer that 56,000 people had watched him sing online the night before. His first indication that his virtual fame was becoming something real came last summer when he and his 14-year-old sister were swarmed by girls who recognized him at a concert in Minneapolis.

A sophomore, Marais attends an online high school so he can travel, accompanied by family members, to appear at weekend festivals and events. His family also helps sell his merchandise, which includes hats, hoodies and a "Keep Calm and Hug Jonah" T-shirt. Marais' gear sold out at his November show.

"Girls were screaming, crying," Marais' mother said. "They would come up and buy a sweatshirt, put it on and start crying. We were like 'It'll be OK.' It was very sweet."

Todd Nelson is a freelance writer in Woodbury. His e-mail address is todd_nelson@mac.com.