‘Who is this?’: TikTok’s Kudasai Girl, Devin Halbal on finding fame in Asia

Social media star Devin Halbal has a charisma that can only be described as magnetic. She burst into the worldwide consciousness in January 2024 with a simple TikTok video shot in Japan showing her saying mizu, gohan and ocha – Japanese words for “water”, “rice” and “green tea” – each followed by the word kudasai, the word for “please” delivered in her trademark singsong voice. The video has become a phenomenon, drawing over 14.5 million views on TikTok alone. Social media expert Gabby Gabriel weighed in on why Asia loves Devin.