Rapper and YouTube star KSI has offered advice to young people who want to follow in his footsteps, urging them to work hard.

The star, who has millions of online fans, features on Nathan Dawe’s new single Lighter and said he never expected to be taken seriously as a musician.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “No chance, I never expected it, I remember back in the day when I was a kid and I was making gaming videos on YouTube, I never thought I was ever being able to perform in front of people never going to have songs that would chart, anything like that.

“So I think to be able to be in that period now, it’s unbelievable.

“I’ve put in the work, I’ve made sure that I haven’t just jumped on a train, I’ve worked for 10 plus years on music and now I guess I’m reaping the rewards now and showing that I’m taking music seriously.”

Asked what advice he would offer to the legions of young fans who want to follow in his footsteps, he said: “My advice is have fun, whatever you want to do and whether it’s sport, entertainment, baking, being a bin man, you have to just have fun with it.

“If you’re having fun then it’s not work, it’s not a chore and I feel like that is one of the most important things.

“Do what you want to do, do what you enjoy doing, and then work hard at it because whatever you do things don’t just come easy, you have to put in that work and eventfully you will able to get to that point where you will be able to make your own money.

“Or even if you can’t you will still be enjoying it so it doesn’t really matter as much because you only have one life, you don’t want to waste it doing something you’re not enjoying.

“And be obsessed with it as well, that is another thing, people need to be obsessed with what they are working on, whatever you want to do, just become obsessed, have fun and the sky is the limit.”