Fresh off his performance at the YouTube FanFest in Mumbai, Collins Key spoke with The Indian Express about his rapid rise to online stardom. Like so many professionals, Key’s interest in the performing arts started young. He made his theater debut with a Shakespeare play at age four before discovering the interpersonal power of magic at just nine years old.

“Shakespeare and theatre was only on stage, but magic I could do everywhere for almost everyone,” Key said. “And the way I could connect with the people through that — it was really personal. I could see their reactions and responses. And that’s when I shifted my focus to magic.”

Maybe his stage training allowed him have that level of self-awareness at such a tender age. But his high-octane personality probably helped too.

“I have always had this crazy amount of energy. I was the kid who would be screamed at by parents, ‘sit down’ or ‘you will break something’. I thought it would burn down with age, but well it hasn’t.”

After training with the Magic Castle in Los Angeles, Key went on to a finalist run on season 8 of America’s Got Talent and now stars in a popular YouTube channel. In his videos, he does occasionally share magic tricks, but he’s more likely to be goofing around with his brother.

“It’s honest fun that the whole family can sit and enjoy together,” he said of his YouTube presence. In fact, more than 11 million fans are enjoying his videos together. Read the full interview here.