TikTok’s rising stars of western Sydney: Eessa Abdallah, Ali Chebbani, Carla from Bankstown
Creators from Sydney’s west are finding huge audiences on TikTok, sharing the language, culture, inside jokes and drama which distinguishes ‘the area’ from wider Sydney. Meet eight of the social media platform’s viral stars.
The Express
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Creators from Sydney’s west and southwest are finding huge audiences on TikTok, sharing the language, culture, inside jokes and drama which distinguishes ‘the area’ from the city’s stuffy and prim east and northern suburbs.
Younger people from Sydney’s west and southwest affectionately refer to it as ‘the area’, with debates about where the border start and finish.
But a group of breakout stars is bringing the best of the area to the rest of the world via TikTok.
Eessa Abdallah – @eessavibe
The 21-year-old Georges Hall man rose to fame during the Covid lockdowns of 2021, sharing what it was like to be an essential worker at Woolworths while the world was fighting for toilet paper.
After amassing 480,000 followers and 30 million likes, he’s now a full-time TikTok creator, and has left his supermarket job.
“I don’t miss Woolies, but people loved it!” Mr Abdallah laughs.
Mr Abdallah is also well-loved for his videos comparing Arab to Aussie mums, donning his mum’s clothes and waving a shoe threateningly.
“They’re the funniest to make,” Mr Abdallah said. “My neighbours probably think I’m cracked, screaming at the camera throwing a shoe.”
TikTok helped him get out of his bubble, and grow in self-confidence, he says.
“I didn’t realise how insecure I was until I made the videos and started breaking out of my shell,” Mr Abdallah said. “If you’re on TikTok, you have to have very thick skin, there’s a lot of opinions.”
But he’s critical of fellow creators on TikTok from the west and southwest who create petty dramas for the sake of audience attention, reinforcing some stigmas around being Muslim or Arab in Australia.
“Growing up, you start to realise. I look very Arab. I get pulled over for random breath tests because I look ‘suss’,” he said.
“Some western Sydney creators have put in a bad name for us. It’s like they sit there and they’re swearing at each other — your mums a sl*t, no your mums a sl*t — but we’re not all like that.
“They have their audience, I respect them as a creator, but people tell me they love that I don’t get involved with TikTok dramas.”
Mr Abdallah said when he meets people in real life they’re surprised that he’s exactly the same as he is on his videos.
“I’m like the crack whore without the crack, crack whore energy,” Mr Abdallah said.
Ali Chebbani – @Chebbo
Ali Chebbani, the self-described ‘CEO of burgers’ is a 22-year old Punchbowl man who shares recipes, reviews, and mouth-watering steaks while running his burger business Chebbo’s Burgers in Roselands.
His TikTok page now has 850,000 followers, and just under 30 million likes.
Mr Chebbani said he’s been able to quit his finance job to focus on his TikTok page and business since exploding in popularity.
“From getting recognised at the shops and taking photos with kids to landing deals with international brands, my entire life has changed,” he said.
“It definitely isn‘t easy, but every day I’m learning something new and pushing myself further outside my comfort zone.”
He also believes TikTok has helped creators from Sydney’s west and southwest to build audiences.
“Since the barrier to entry is so low, anyone with a phone with a story, message or personality is able to film from literally anywhere and gain a following or be heard,” Mr Chebbani said.
He’s friends with multiple other content creators from the area, giving shout outs to Moses and Mahmoud on the Lebbie Podcast, the one-minute daily vlogs of @karimdaddyslim, and nutritionist @eliyaeats.
Veronica B – @_veronicab_
The 25-year old rising TikTok star said she always knew an online presence was ‘her calling’ but it took 10 years to finally break through.
Now, she has just under 320,000 followers, and 16 million likes.
“It just wasn’t happening for me until I started uploading my content onto TikTok,” she said.
“I was so against it at the start due to the stereotypes of it being a twelvie app.”
She said her content was mostly comedy based around stereotypes of being Middle Eastern, then travel, food, and lifestyle. She’s also built out her own online store, selling lashes, and merch for her mum character, Salma.
“My life now is everything I‘ve ever dreamt of and worked hard for,” Ms B said. “I have never been so grateful for the love – and the hate – they boost your algorithm!”
As for the future, she’s keeping her cards close to her chest.
“I never share my future plans. I’m like the bombshells in Love Island, you expect something is coming but you just don’t know what, and then BAM,” she said.
Benjahmin James, AKA @CarlafromBankstown
Carla from Bankstown, the drag character of 29-year-old Benjahmin James goes by pronouns he/him for Ben and Chit/Chat/This/That or Gronk for Carla, first created as a persona for a fictional ‘Real Housewives of Bankstown’.
Having grown up in Bankstown, Mr James has followed the millennial pathway of living with his parents (in Bass Hill) to save money on rent in true Sydney fashion.
With 42,000 followers and just under 700,000 likes, Mr James has since starred on Celebrity Apprentice, been interviewed by Kylie and Jackie-O, and been snapped with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.
One of Mr James’ longer-running gags was pretending to be former Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s personal assistant, in one video telling Scott Morrison “you’re not talking to her today bro”.
As for why people tune in, Mr James said: “People expect to see Carla either doing a job she has no qualifications for but making it her own, doing a TikTok dance and falling over or just Carla going off about something that’s pissing her off!
“TikTok has become the new thing for westies to express ourselves and just be gronks on the internet and people eat that shit up!”
On a more serious note, Mr James said he loved that his content and character resonates with kids who are scared of showing who they are, encouraging them not to be afraid of themselves.
As for what’s next, Mr James pointed to turning the ‘dirty 30’ in November, a ‘Carla World Tour’, his new podcast OMG BRO, a makeup line, album, and maybe another TV show.
“Who knows! Carla has the power to do whatever (and whoever) she wants! Stay tuned Gronks,” he said.
Aaron Cairns – @DJDiscretion
Blacktown local Aaron Cairns, 21, creates mixes, mashups, and lists of hip-hop/soul/R&B tracks from the 90s and beyond under the name DJ Discretion.
Think lists varying from ‘forgotten Polynesian bangers/party favourites to the best underrated R&B songs of the 90s.
Ever wondered what a mashup of Tupac and Bob Marley would sound like? Now you know.
Mr Cairns said he loved surprising people who watch his videos, especially when the mashups and remixes sound better than you would expect.
He said TikTok has helped him get noticed, adding “with arguably the biggest audience in the world, it’s easier to display the hard work and talent of all creators”.
Christine Abadir @christineabadir
Regularly posting about hometown Mt Druitt, Christine Abadir has built her name and brand up to the point where a recent six-hour livestream TikTok video attracted 10 million likes.
That’s just on one single stream.
Regularly roasting toxic relationships, using self-deprecating humour, and posting inane ‘quotes of the day’, her TikTok page has 1.9 million followers and her videos have attracted a total 62 million likes.
Eliya Hachem @eliyaeats
Eliya Hachem, aka Eliya Eats is a qualified nutritionist who shares meals, recipes, complete with macros.
Ever wanted to make a low-calorie, high-protein basque cheesecake? Ms Hachem has you covered.
With 257,000 followers and 4.8 million likes, Ms Hachem’s TikTok videos are reaching a huge audience.
Yisra – @Yissra / @fallen_off_tiktok
Repping the postcode of Bankstown with a distinctive voice and exaggerated accent, Yisra exploded onto TikTok with a viral video.
“Double two, double 0 brother, I’m Yisra brother, from the area brother” was heard everywhere on the app immediately after it caught on, and was remixed, replayed and reused across the country.
The original video has since been deleted, but the remixes remain:
Yisra regularly films from Bankstown Central, and gets stopped by people who recognise her in the postcode 2200.
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