A TikTok sensation and family’s music guru – Why Sasha Obama is the most ‘badass’ first daughter America has ever seen

Sasha Obama with parents Michelle and Barack, and a still from her viral TikTok video. Photo: @michelleobama/Instagram, @pixiestick222/TikTok


Former US president Barack Obama’s eldest daughter Malia might have made waves with her television studio and US embassy internships, and by attending Harvard Law School, but little sister Sasha isn’t far behind.

Barack Obama with his wife Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha at his election night rally after being declared US president in 2008. Photo: Reuters

Born Natasha Obama, she was only six years old when she was thrust into the spotlight as her father ran for US President. But it wasn’t until recently that the public really started to get to know her.

Screenshots of Sasha Obama’s TikTok videos. Photos: @pixiestick222/TikTok

Her TikTok dances
Teenagers across the globe are obsessed with TikTok, and 19-year-old Sasha is no exception. While she might not have been embroiled in a D’Amelio-level scandal, she did make some jaws drop when she danced along to Popp Hunna’s Adderall (Corvette Corvette) earlier this year.

The 15-second clip – posted online by Sasha’s friend – went viral after the University of Michigan student was seen front and centre mouthing the words of the song.

And that wasn’t the first time she went viral on the social media platform. Just weeks prior, netizens found videos of her dancing and rapping along to Moneybagg Yo’s Said Sum. We have a feeling her videos won’t stop there.

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Former US president Barack Obama with daughters Sasha and Malia before pardoning the National Thanksgiving Turkey at the White House in 2014. Photo: Reuters

Dad Barack thinks she’s a total “badass”
Barack describes all the women in his household as “badass”, but he told InStyle magazine that Sasha specifically is “completely confident about her own take on the world and is not cowed or intimidated – and never has been – by anybody’s titles”. He added: “If she thinks something’s wrong or right, she will say so.”

Via Instagram / @thehottalk

She’s the “family music guru”
Sasha’s independent thinking might be why Barack sought her help with curating his “favourite songs of the year” playlist in December 2020. When it was released, the former American president told his social media followers: “As usual, I had some valuable consultation from our family music guru, Sasha.” The playlist was eclectic indeed, and anyone who has this much influence over the 44th US president’s tastes is sure to be a major global trendsetter sometime soon.

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Via Instagram / @michelleobama

She’s tight with her family
Sasha is clearly down to earth, and she’s super close to her trendsetting mum Michelle. In the former first lady’s Netflix documentary Becoming, Sasha proudly reflects on all the good Michelle did in the White House and beyond, saying: “I’m excited for her to be proud of what she’s done.”

Note: This story was originally published on SCMP and has been republished on this website.

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