TikTok star Isaac Compton connects with a global audience

Dubbo musician turned TikToker, Wiradjuri man Isaac Compton, has about 100,000 followers on the short video hosting app thanks to his comedy.

He'll never forget the moment his first TikTok video went viral internationally.

"People from around the world started reaching out and following me, talking about their own culture to me," Mr Compton said.

His international following includes people from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Greece.

The TikToker had never used the app until a year ago. "I always thought TikTok was a kids' app," he said.

It all started in August 2021, during Sydney's big lockdown, when he began his TikTok journey. He came from humble beginnings, from memes about politicians to creating a video about lockdown protesters in Sydney.

In the video, he addresses the protesters who gathered in Sydney's central business district, by singing along to popular Lily Allen song 'F*** You'. He had been frustrated because he felt their actions were delaying the end of the lockdown.

Mr Compton posted the video on Instagram and it was received very well, so a friend pushed him to post it on TikTok too.

"I posted it, and within like a day, I got 5,000 followers," he said. "Before that, I had like 10 or 15."

Mr Compton was still new to the app and didn't understand how to use it very well. With a little help from his friend who fed him information and ideas, within a month, he was obsessed.

"I started uploading videos every day and my following just kept growing and growing," he said.

He soon started experimenting with TikTok dances, then First Nations dances, trying to figure out who his audience was. Eventually, he found his niche.

"I started doing a lot of Black comedy, as in comedy that Aboriginal people can relate to... and lot more Indigenous people started following me," Mr Compton said.

Mr Compton's videos range from parodies about growing up as a First Nations person, attitudes of police towards First Nations people, dating and adult humour, to putting politicians on blast.

His comedic inspirations are Bush Tucker Bunjie, King Percy, and Kylan Kennedy.

Mr Compton's content has also helped non-Indigenous people understand First Nations culture.

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Most recently, he has been translating English words into Wiradjuri and putting a comedic spin on it. He said it was almost a way of reviving the language.

"The amount of comments and messages that I get from non-Indigenous people saying that they'd never understood like certain things about us until they'd seen those videos," he said.

The musician and comedian appreciates his TikTok fame because he gets to share his culture, and feels connected people around the globe.

"The best part about it is meeting people from different walks of life, and seeing the similarity... especially Indigenous folks from around the world, seeing the similarities in our cultures," he said.

"Even though we're separated by seas and oceans, they're, essentially, cousins from another country."

Mr Compton still performs at music gigs on weekends and goes live on TikTok during his performance. His dream is to star in a comedy on television or film one day.