Germán Garmendia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Germán Garmendia
Personal information
Born	Germán Alejandro Garmendia Aranis (1990-04-25) April 25, 1990 (age 35) Copiapó, Chile
Occupation	YouTuber singer-songwriter comedian writer
Partner(s)	Lenay Chantelle Olsen (2016–present)
YouTube information
Years active	2006–present
Genre	Video blogs let's play
Subscribers	JuegaGerman 53.7 million HolaSoyGerman 44.3 million
Total views	JuegaGerman 17.1 billion HolaSoyGerman 4.94 billion
Subscriber and view counts updated as of 21 April 2025.

Germán Alejandro Garmendia Aranis (born April 25, 1990) is a famous Chilean YouTuber, singer-songwriter, comedian, and writer. He became well-known for his YouTube channel, HolaSoyGerman, where he uploaded funny videos about everyday life. In 2013, he started another channel called JuegaGerman, which focuses on video games. Over time, JuegaGerman became even more popular than his first channel.

In 2016, Germán was the first YouTuber to get two Diamond Play Buttons. These awards are given to channels that reach 10 million subscribers. Besides YouTube, he also has a music career. He was part of bands like Zudex, Feeling Every Sunset, and Ancud, and he has released many songs as a solo artist.

Germán has also written books. His first book, #ChupaElPerro, came out in April 2016. Another book, Di Hola, was released in 2018. He has won several awards for his YouTube work, including "Digital Icon" and "Master Gamer" at the MTV Millennial Awards. He has been recognized by major news outlets like The Washington Post, BBC, and Time magazine as one of the biggest and most influential YouTube stars.

On May 16, 2024, his JuegaGerman channel made history by becoming the first Spanish-speaking channel to reach 50 million subscribers. This also made him the first Hispanic YouTuber to receive the "Ruby Play Button" award, which is given for reaching this huge milestone. As of July 2025, JuegaGerman is one of the top channels in the world and the most-subscribed YouTuber in Chile.

Early Life and First Steps

Germán Alejandro Garmendia Aranis was born on April 25, 1990, in Copiapó, Chile. He lived there until he was 12 years old. When he was three, his father passed away. After this, Germán, his mother Cecilia, and his brother Diego traveled around Chile. They eventually settled in Los Vilos, a coastal town north of Santiago, where Germán spent most of his teenage years.

When he was 13, Germán, his brother, and some friends started a Pop rock band called Zudex. In 2006, he began his journey on YouTube by uploading videos of his band. They performed at youth festivals and schools, gaining some local fame. Later, he was the singer for another band called Feeling Every Sunset in the early 2010s.

YouTube Journey

On September 9, 2011, Germán uploaded his first video to HolaSoyGerman. It was called Las cosas obvias de la vida (meaning "The obvious things in life"). His videos on this channel were funny monologues where he talked about everyday situations. He once said that his humor on YouTube was "quite innocent" and that he liked to make people laugh by making fun of himself, not others. In 2013, he started his second channel, JuegaGerman, where he mostly uploads videos of himself playing video games and other fun content.

In 2013, HolaSoyGerman became the second most-subscribed YouTube channel in the world, right after PewDiePie. In August 2014, Germán won the "Digital Icon" award at the MTV Millennial Awards.

In 2015, he attended the Club Media Fest with other YouTubers like El Rubius. Famous people also appeared in his videos. In October 2015, Jack Black was in a video called Tipos de alumnos ("Types of students") to promote the movie Goosebumps. In March 2016, the band Simple Plan was featured in the intro of his video La Comida ("The Food").

By April 2016, both HolaSoyGerman and JuegaGerman reached 10 million subscribers. This made him the first YouTuber ever to get two Diamond Play Buttons. In June 2016, he won the "Master Gamer" award at the MTV Millennial Awards.

Germán uploaded his last HolaSoyGerman video, Como Encontrar Trabajo ("How to Find a Job"), on November 20, 2016. He later explained in a JuegaGerman video that making videos for HolaSoyGerman took a very long time, sometimes more than 22 hours for just one video. By 2018, he was one of the most popular YouTubers on the platform. He won the "Favorite Gamer" award at the Mexico Kids' Choice Awards in August 2018.

In 2019, his HolaSoyGerman channel, with 37 million subscribers, was briefly surpassed by the Mexican company Badabun in subscriber count. However, in May 2022, JuegaGerman surpassed Badabun. In October 2020, JuegaGerman also surpassed HolaSoyGerman in subscribers.

In October 2021, Germán received the Legend Award at the Eliot Awards for his long and successful career on YouTube. In 2023, he won the "Best Trajectory" category at the Premios ESLAND. On September 26, 2023, he challenged his viewers to make his YouTube Short video "NECESITO TU AYUDA" ("I NEED YOUR HELP") the most commented short on YouTube. By August 2024, it was the seventh most-commented short in the world.

In April 2024, the HolaSoyGerman channel was hacked, which worried his fans. But YouTube quickly helped him get the channel back. On May 16, 2024, JuegaGerman reached 50 million subscribers, making it the first Spanish-language channel to do so and earning him the Ruby Play Button. Later that year, he started focusing more on YouTube Shorts, and many of them became very popular. In January 2025, he showed off his Ruby Play Button in a short video, thanking his fans for their support.

YouTube Channels

Channels
Channel name	Year of creation	Videos	Status	Category	Subscribers	Views	YouTube Creator Awards				Ref.
Zudex	2006	12 videos	Idle	Music	63.1 K	+3.56 Million	—	—	—	—
FeelingEverySunset	2010	9 videos	Idle	Music	234 K	+13.28 Million	100.000
German Garmendia	2010	9 videos	Idle	Music	1.74 Million	+37.28 Million	100.000	1.000.000
HolaSoyGerman.	2011	136 videos	Idle	Entertainment	44.2 Million	+4.93 Billion	100.000	1.000.000	10.000.000
HolaSoyGerman2	2011	11 videos	Idle	Entertainment	3.24 Million	+43.89 Million	100.000	1.000.000
JuegaGerman	2013	2.304 videos	Active	Gaming	53.2 Million	+16.8 Billion	100.000	1.000.000	10.000.000	50.000.000
Ancud	2016	25 videos	Idle	Music	1.92 Million	+138.79 Million	100.000	1.000.000
GermanComiendo	2020	1 video	Idle	Entertainment	107 K	+565 K	100.000
Juanito Alcachofa	2022	1 video	Idle	Entertainment	336 K	+1.81 Million	100.000
El Baúl de Germán	2023	53 videos	Idle	Gaming	472 K	+37.15 Million	100.000
Total	+18 years on YouTube	2.561 Videos	Active	Gaming, Entertainment and Music	105.51 Million	+22 Billion	9 Silver Play Button	5 Gold Play Button	2 Diamon Play Button	1 Ruby Play Button
							17 YouTube Play Buttons (currently).
Last Update: April 25, 2025

About His Channels

• "HolaSoyGerman" is Germán Garmendia's main channel, known for its comedy videos.
• "JuegaGerman" is his second channel, mostly for gaming content.
• Zudex, FeelingEverySunset, Ancud, and Germán Garmendia are his music channels.
• "GermanComiendo" and "Juanito Alcachofa" were created to make fun of certain types of videos.
• "HolaSoyGerman2" and "El Baúl de Germán" were made for extra content that didn't fit on his main channels.

Writing Books

On April 5, 2016, Germán shared a video about his first book, #ChupaElPerro: Uno que otro consejo. The book was officially released on April 28, 2016. It's a self-help guide filled with his advice, jokes, and stories. He went on a tour across Latin America to promote the book. In Bogotá, Colombia, he signed over 100,000 copies in 12 hours, with more than 50,000 people attending. This was so tiring that he needed to rest at a care center.

The first printing of the book had 170,000 copies and quickly sold out in many countries. In Chile, 30,000 copies were sold, leading to a second printing. By February 2017, over 43,000 copies were sold in Chile. On May 16, it became the best-selling non-fiction book by a Chilean author.

In December 2017, Germán announced he would write a second book. In September 2018, he released his fictional novel, Di Hola. This book tells a touching story about loyalty, love, and friendship, starring characters named Oscar and Natalie. It was released on October 9, 2018, in many Spanish-speaking countries.

Music Career

Garmendia performing at the Colosseum Theater in 2017

Germán was the singer for the band Ancud, which he formed with his brother Diego. The band's name came from a city in Chile. On April 5, 2016, they released an EP (a short album) called Así es Normal with four songs. In November 2016, they announced they would perform at the Club Media Fest. They also released a music video for their song "Cambia."

In March 2017, Ancud was nominated for awards like "Best South Region Artist." In April, they released their studio album, Se hacen realidad, which included songs from their EP and three new ones. They also announced a live concert in Chile.

Germán also continued his music career as a solo artist. His first solo song was a cover of "Supernova" in September 2018. He released "Tregua" in March 2020, "Plan B" in September 2020, and "Simplemente Perfecta" in December 2020. His song "Titán" came out on January 6, 2022, and reached number six on the Chilean music charts. He later released "Bajo la Lluvia" and "TKM."

Other Activities

In August 2014, Germán supported a charity campaign called Agua Mi Caridad on his HolaSoyGerman channel. The goal was to raise $100,000 to help people in Africa get water. By September of that year, $72,000 had been raised. In June 2015, he appeared in a commercial for a Mexican snack brand. In 2016, he voiced the character Julian in the Latin Spanish version of the movie Ice Age: Collision Course.

In June 2016, Germán was part of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games torch relay. He ran for over 200 meters holding the Olympic flame in Brazil. In January 2017, he and HsG Games released German Quest, a video game for smartphones.

In March 2017, Germán and his brother visited parts of Chile with the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior III. They supported Greenpeace's campaign to protect the oceans in southern South America.

Garmendia at the Velada del Año 3

Since April 9, 2018, Germán has been an ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which helps grant wishes to children with critical illnesses. In December 2021, he appeared on the Teletón, a charity event in Chile, and donated 30,000,000 Chilean pesos. In 2023, he was invited to participate in La Velada del Año 3, a boxing event hosted by Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos. Germán faced Argentine streamer Coscu in a boxing match on July 1, where he lost.

In December 2023, Gerard Piqué invited Germán to be the president of a Kings League team, which he named Real Titán. On November 4, 2024, Germán, Fede Vigevani, and others visited MrBeast's offices to create content. In January 2025, he traveled to Dubai to speak at the 1 Billion Followers Summit, sharing tips on content creation.

On April 5, 2025, Germán was invited to play in "YouTube Basketball Stars," a friendly basketball game hosted by Fede Vigevani and MrBeast. This event brought together top Spanish-speaking creators to play against top English-speaking creators. Germán's teammates included Fernanfloo and Ibai Llanos, with Manu Ginóbili as their coach. They played against a team that included MrBeast and Mark Rober. The English-speaking team won the game.

On May 4, 2025, Germán took part in the Wings for Life World Run. This is a charity event where people run to raise money for research into spinal cord injuries.

Personal Life

In May 2016, Germán shared a video called Mi novia ("My Girlfriend"), where he introduced his relationship with Lenay Chantelle Olsen, also known as Lele.

In November 2016, he uploaded a video titled Mi Historia de Bullying ("My Bullying Story"), where he talked about being bullied when he was younger because he was very thin. In March 2017, he spoke out about the harassment he and Lenay had received from some fans, asking for it to stop.

In 2021, he moved back to Chile for a while, continuing to create content for JuegaGerman. In 2022, he returned to live in the United States.

On January 1, 2025, Germán and Lenay were celebrating New Year's in New Orleans. They left a street party shortly before a tragic event occurred nearby. Germán later confirmed that they were safe and lucky to have left minutes before.

YouTube Achievements

• "Los Hermanos" ("The Brothers") is HolaSoyGerman's most-watched video, with over 146 million views.
• "Si me río se acaba el video" ("If I laugh the video ends") is JuegaGerman's most-watched Short video, with over 106 million views.
• "NECESITO TU AYUDA 🌎" ("I NEED YOUR HELP") by JuegaGerman is one of the most-commented YouTube Shorts in the world, with 3.2 million comments.
• HolaSoyGerman is the inactive channel with the most subscribers globally, with its last video uploaded on November 20, 2016.
• JuegaGerman is the fourth most-subscribed gaming channel in the world.
• Between June 2015 and November 2017, HolaSoyGerman was the second most-subscribed YouTube channel, only behind PewDiePie.
• In 2016, he became the first YouTuber in the world to earn two Diamond Play Buttons.
• In 2020, he became the first YouTuber in the world to have two channels surpass 40 million subscribers.
• In May 2024, with his JuegaGerman channel, he became the first Spanish-language YouTuber to reach 50 million subscribers and earn the Ruby Play Button.
• Germán Garmendia held the top spot for Hispanic individual creators for over 11 years, from February 2013 to May 21, 2024. He has been the top YouTuber in Chile since 2012.
• Throughout his career, he has earned 17 YouTube Play Buttons. These include 9 Silver, 5 Gold, 2 Diamond, and 1 Ruby Play Button.
• His JuegaGerman and HolaSoyGerman channels combined have over 97.4 million subscriptions and more than 21.7 billion views.
• He is one of the most followed people globally, with over 180 million followers across all his social media platforms.

Awards and Nominations

Film and TV

Music Releases

Studio Albums and EPs

• 2006: Hecho en Casa (EP as Zudex)
• 2007: Punto De Partida (EP as Zudex)
• 2008: Mil Sueño (EP as Zudex)
• 2009: Rande Rande (EP as Zudex)
• 2011: Homemade (EP as German Garmendia)
• 2011: Die Trying (EP as Feeling Every Sunset)
• 2014: Cuando Desees Recordar Mi Voz (EP as Feeling Every Sunset)
• 2016: Así Es Normal (EP as Ancud)
• 2017: Se Hacen Realidad (Studio album as Ancud)

Singles

Books Written

• (2016) #ChupaElPerro: Uno que otro consejo. Penguin Random House. ISBN: 978-956-958-365-0.
• (2018) Di Hola. Planeta. ISBN: 978-956-360-492-4.

See also

In Spanish: Germán Garmendia para niños

• List of YouTubers