Xarty ASMR Interview
I was really pleased to have the opportunity to interview Xarty ASMR and she gave really great answers to my questions.
It’s always super interesting to hear how folks got into ASMR but also just how much it means to them as well when making the ASMR videos.
Her most memorable experience making an ASMR video is very moving and deeply personal.
I can also totally relate to falling asleep to Japanese whispering!
She also makes a good point about some ASMR sometimes being overtly sexual and NSFW – so is that still ASMR?
Check out her amazing mostly audio ASMR channel here : Xarty ASMR
Who is Xarty ASMR?
What is your name? My name is Xarty, or at least that’s my nickname, I don’t share my real name publicly yet.
What is your nationality? I come from Poland.
Where are you based/do you live now? Also Poland, though I’m probably gonna move in the future.
What is your profession/occupation? Since 2019, YouTube and Fiverr (freelancing) have been my only sources of income.
But now that I have my personal data changed (I’m transgender), I’m slowly looking for an extra part-time job.
What is your marital status? Taken by my amazing girlfriend.
Do you have any children? Nope, not ready for that yet.
Do you have any pets? No, but my family has a Shih Tzu.
What is an interesting fact about you or something unusual that you have done? My IQ is 170, yet I can’t draw or type without looking at the keyboard.
What do you do to relax or for fun away from ASMR? Watch YouTube or anime, play video games, make videos.
Tell us about ASMR and your YouTube channel
How would you describe your ASMR channel? I mostly make soft spoken audio-only ASMR roleplays, they’re mostly story-driven, but I’ve made some videos for sleep aid and with ASMR triggers as well.
Why did you get into ASMR? A long time ago I noticed that some sounds give me tingles or make me sleepy. When I finally discovered ASMR, I thought making such videos could be like combining business with pleasure.
Making ASMR videos is not only helping me with improving my skills, but is also fun and relaxing.
Your favourite types of ASMR? Of course ASMR roleplays, but also tapping, brushing, visual triggers, whispering… especially whispering in Japanese puts me to sleep instantly.
I could also add ear licking, but that instead of making me sleepy, makes me… aroused… 😅 I have sensitive ears…
How does ASMR make you feel? With ASMR I feel much more relaxed and calmer, it’s definitely helping with my anxiety. Also my ears are very sensitive, so I tend to feel tingles all over my body.
Do you still watch ASMR Videos? I fall asleep to ASMR everyday and I also listen to ASMR when I’m editing videos.
Your own biggest ASMR Triggers? People often enjoy my soft mommy voice~
Your favourite ASMR artist/s and why? Parker Mae Audio – first ASMR channel I’ve ever subbed to, she inspired me to start making roleplays.
Hopeful ASMR – like I said, Japanese whispers make me fall asleep in seconds + she makes very nice tingly sounds
Marno ASMR – he can make full ASMR videos out of nothing.
What are the main benefits for viewers from watching your content? If real life sucks for you one day, you can get teleported into a different reality and experience many different stories. I also saw comments saying that my roleplays help a lot of my viewers fall asleep.
What makes your ASMR Videos different from many others? – Many people think that slapping “ASMR” in the title and making the audio overall quiet instantly makes their roleplays relaxing.
That’s not how it works. I try my best to combine voice acting with soft speaking, sometimes even whispering to let the listener chill out and calm down.
The most memorable thing to happen making a video? I cried twice while recording the roleplays – in the comforting roleplay for people with gender dysphoria and in the suicidal prevention roleplay.
Both of these topics were very personal to me. The first example of me crying was revolutionary to me as it was the first time I cried since 5 years.
Earlier I was unable to because of being bullied and because of my mental health. Since that video, I’m not afraid to cry anymore.
What is the most enjoyable part of creating ASMR content? I think recording itself. It feels so good and uplifting when you get tingles from your own work.
What is the hardest part of running a YouTube channel? Consistency of uploading, you have to learn how to keep your upload routine. There’s also the inconsistency of views.
My anxiety always makes me scared that I won’t get enough views or subs. You have to learn to just keep going, because you like it, not just for the numbers.
Do you read all the comments? Yes, I always do. I try to reply to them too.
What’s the best comment you have read? Probably the ones saying my videos helped someone and the ones saying people enjoy my voice. Being a transgender female, that really means a lot.
Any plans for collaborations? I’d really like to collaborate with people, I don’t have many opportunities for that though.
What is new on your channel this year? In 2023, I don’t think I’ll change much, though the year just started, so anything goes.
In September 2022 however, for my channel’s 1st anniversary, I went from 1 to 2 videos a week.
What do you see trending in your area of ASMR? People always try to make naughty, girlfriend related roleplays. I think sometimes it really goes too far.
For example, is making NSFW sexual ASMR roleplays ASMR anymore?
Where do you see ASMR content being in 5 years? I think it’s only gonna evolve, at least as much as YouTube will allow it. I have a feeling RP channels could get hurt, if YT will consider them too sexual, even if they’re not, but we’ll see.
Best tips for someone starting an ASMR YouTube channel?Record whatever type of ASMR you personally like to listen to and do it the way you like, so you can be proud of your content.
And you don’t need expensive gear, nowadays phone or wired earphones microphones are good enough, so you can start from that.
Making & Marketing an ASMR Video
How long does it take to record & edit one of your ASMR videos? It depends, but usually it’s just a few hours. I can only make one roleplay video per day however – my voice gets raspy very quickly.
Which is your favourite piece of equipment for recording content? A microphone, of course. If you know its capabilities, you can use them in many different ways. For example, just placing it differently will make you sound better.
How do you research your ASMR content? If I record someone else’s script, I look for public scripts on Reddit or other smaller ASMRtists, of course I’ll only record them with their permission. If I write the script myself, I watch other roleplays to get inspired.
What do you think is the most important factor of the YouTube algorithm? At this point, I think it’s the thumbnail and the title. Even when YouTube cuts your views coming from the search results, like it did with my channel, your videos can still be shown next to other similar content.
So with the thumbnail and the title you have to convince the viewer your content is as good as the content they watched before.
How do you drive most of your traffic to the channel? At first I was getting most of my views from the search results until January 2023, when YouTube cut these views severely. Now most of them come from “browse features” – main page, suggested videos etc.
Which social media channels do you use to market your content? Reddit, Facebook and Discord. Twitter sucks.
How do you see AI such as ChatGPT impacting ASMR in the future? I’ve already seen examples of people using ChatGPT to write roleplay scripts with it.
Just add Midjourney AI to create thumbnail art for you, feed AI with your voice samples and you don’t have to work on your videos anymore. This is getting scary and such practices are already being criticized by the community.
