“This celebration has more power than a wedding,” shouts Juanpa Zurita (29.4 million followers on Instagram) seconds after collecting the award for Best Influencer of 2022 at the closing of the 1st International Influencers Awards, which brings together dozens of trendsetters and content creators at Lío. “Thank you for valuing the work, for bringing us all together. I have seen very beautiful faces, new faces. We are the revolution. We are the next generation. Let’s keep creating!” continued the Mexican, cheered on by the audience, among which the influencers in attendance total some 156 million followers on Instagram and more than 144 million on Tik Tok. The gala, preceded by a white carpet, is the culmination of an intense weekend relayed by posts and stories.
Three days in which these kings and queens of popularity have been dedicated to what they do best: show their lives at full throttle and without a hint of hardship. Three days in luxury hotels, yacht cruises, paellas with red prawns or a steak, sunsets, after-dinner drinks in beach clubs and nights in VIP booths at nightclubs. All paid, obviously. From the Consell de Eivissa they clarify that their maximum contribution will be 90,000 euros: 20,000 from the stands of seven Adlib designers on Sunday in Atzaró and up to 70,000 direct for the initiative by Talentum, the same company that organizes the Santa Eulària half marathon and that to charge them must “prove that the Adlib and Ibiza brands have had a minimum impact that justifies the sponsorship”. This is important, since not all guests have detailed that this paradisiacal place, with transparent waters, where you are greeted with champagne, everyone smiles at you, you skip the queues to enter the clubs and even get carried across the sand from the yacht to the restaurant if you don’t want to get your feet dirty, is Ibiza.
The truth is that during these three days as an influencer, the activity of the guests has been quite inconsistent. From those who have shared practically everything they have experienced, such as the Polish Ola Nowak (one of the few who tagged and mentioned Adlib fashion) to those who have limited themselves to uploading, at most, half a dozen stories and posts. Not counting those concerning the gala and the white carpet, obviously, they were not given enough to share their own videos and those of fellow adventurers. Among those who stand out for not being very generous with images over the 3 days is Pelayo Diaz (award in the Fashion category).
Lost suitcases
“I love that we can walk quietly at three in the morning. You only meet funny people”, comments Domelipa (best Tiktoker) in one of her last stories on the island while, after the gala, she walks along the port with Brianda, who in one of her publications, shortly after arriving on Ibiza, confessed her desire to someday be like the woman who sat next to her in one of the cafes at the Ibiza Marina: elegant, quiet, with her little dog and “writing poetry” by the sea.
But let’s not be fooled to think that everything is wonderful in the lives of these characters. Influencers also cry. If not, just talk to Hannah Stocking (winner of the Entertainment category), who lost her suitcase and, accompanied by the Zurita brothers, escaped to Charo Ruiz’s store to get some rags to get by. The same thing happened to Eleonora Carisi, who as soon as she landed on Ibiza used social networks to denounce that Vueling had “ruined her working day” and asked for help, something she was even willing to pay for. The Italian, who looked for emergency styling in Mango and Zara, has been practically the only influencer who has explained that she was on the island “invited by the government of Eivissa” to attend a gala in which she was nominated in the photography category.
Influencer tradgedies
But there have been more tragedies. Faye Winter watched in horror as her husband, Teddy Soares, stained his pristine white pants while eating paella on Formentera. A meal in which Natalia Osona and Gracy Villarreal confessed that they not only enjoy luxury but also much more mundane pleasures, such as an after-dinner coffee, gluten-free dessert and a fun game of Uno. It was precisely Osona who explained another small drama: a breakdown by the boat that was taking part of the group to Formentera. “New boat and on we go” explained the young woman who, unlike the rest of the influencers, did not hesitate to pose fresh out of the water. With wet hair, that wasn’t perfectly styled.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.