How the dancer model, and social media sensation became one of Australia’s hottest TikTok influencers…
Wonderful photo shoot, Tori, and huge congrats on your MAXIM Australia cover. How do you feel?
Hey, thanks for having me. I’m super excited! I love being able to work with fellow Australians so I’m super stoked to be on the cover of MAXIM Australia this month!
What did you love most about this shoot?
This was such a fun shoot with Neil [Dixon] — it was the first time we’ve worked together but being on one of the most beautiful beaches in Sydney was so relaxing. We had the whole beach to ourselves so we just went wild with the content. I swear nothing beats Aussie beaches.
Well, you look gorgeous. When do you feel you’re at your sexiest?
Thank you so much! I feel like there are so many different ways to express yourself and many different variations of feeling sexy whether it’s being in a bikini on the beach shooting some crazy content, or even just being in your own home dancing throughout the house feeling yourself – and that’s how I describe my two types of feeling sexy and in charge.
What is your best asset?
I’d say physically people are probably drawn to my hair – it’s probably something I get complimented on the most. I’m all about haircare and taking care of my locks — haha! Other than that I feel like on the inside when you meet me I’m just a very easy-going, carefree energy and that’s what I try to project out to the universe and also surround myself with.
For those who don’t know a lot about you, give us a little more background about yourself and your life story so far.
Pretty much my backstory is I grew up in Sydney, Australia, I’ve danced my entire life since I was three years old and, as I grew older, I turned my platform on social media from being purely dance-based into fashion, influencing, make-up and beauty & lifestyle content. I’m also always tying in my dance work. Since then, I had an opportunity to move out to Los Angeles U.S.A. to pursue the content creating career and now that I’m out here I guess it just leads to more opportunities in the entertainment industry and I’m excited to see where that takes me!
How did you get into dancing and what do you love most about it?
My mum was also a performer her whole life and she actually opened a dance studio when she was 15 years old, so I’m pretty sure the day after I was born I was literally raised in a dance studio environment. It was in my blood and I just absolutely loved every second of being around dances and being able to jump into a studio at any time and just create and learn from amazing mentors 24-seven.
Tell us more about being named Australian Dancer of the Year in 2014.
Yes, I won the 2014 Australian Dancer of the Year — I was working towards this for so many years and it was something as a young performer that I really wanted to achieve. It was definitely a prestige title to take home and a lot of young dancers worked that their arses off to compete in this category. I definitely had a lot of ups and downs and I came close a few times years before, so when I finally took home the title I was just beyond happy and as a 14-year-old girl it was like the biggest deal and the biggest dream come true! Even though a title really doesn’t matter in the dance industry, because it’s just subject to someone’s opinion, it was definitely a huge win in my career and I was super stoked my hard work paid off! After this I got to travel to the U.S.A. and Canada to compete in dance competitions, which was so fun as I looked up to so many American dancers. It’s like a different world of dance over in the U.S.A..
When and why did you decide to leave Australia and move to America?
I was honestly so on the fence about moving over here in Los Angeles. Initially, I was only going stay for three to six months and then the day I got here I just absolutely fell in love with the people, the atmosphere and the lifestyle. I had visited L.A. 10 times prior to this and I absolutely loved the industry here even though it is super tough at times. It’s the land of opportunity so I thought you have to just take a leap and see where it takes you – now I would never look back or change a thing! It really is the best place for me to situate myself.
Besides family and friends, what do you miss most about Australia?
I miss the beautiful beaches Australia has to offer and I feel like L.A. doesn’t quite compare to it. I also miss the food and things like my daily coffee shops I’d go to every morning.
Once you settled into L.A. you joined Clubhouse BH, also known as a “collab” or “content” house, which sees social media stars live together in luxury mansions. What was this experience like?
Yeah, so basically one of the owners of the Clubhouse reached out to me and asked me if I would be interested in moving to L.A.. Initially, I was like yeah I could go without it but then I gave it some more thought, spoke to my mum about it and she was like, “You’ve always dreamt of living in L.A. so maybe this is the right choice!” I previously had an opportunity to move to London and I didn’t take it because it just didn’t feel right, but definitely being in a beautiful home in Beverly Hills around a bunch of other girls my age, who all do the same line of work as me and are all super inspiring and talented, just seemed like a no-brainer. Since then, I’ve met some of my bestest friends in the world so there are definitely no regrets.
You are a dancer, model, budding singer, social media superstar, influencer and more. Which role do you love the most?
I mean, don’t get me wrong, being a social media influencer is a fun and exciting job but I feel like there’s also a lot more to life than just posting pictures of yourself. This is why I keep up my dance because I get so much enjoyment out of performing. I feel like it definitely all ties in together, but I prefer being onstage and performing rather than just being a social media influencer.
What are the best and worst things about being an influencer?
I feel like the best thing, especially being in L.A., is that you meet so many likeminded people in the same industry as you and everyone’s hustling which is super inspiring. Obviously it’s a very competitive industry and you’ll always come across people who don’t want good things for you, so I’d say that’s a downfall. Then again, that’s just a fact of life and everyone goes through these situations — it’s just about taking the good with the bad!
Besides the trolls and haters, what do you dislike about social media?
I mean, trolls don’t really bother me because that’s just part of the job and sometimes it’s entertaining to see the amount of effort these people go to just to try and hate on someone they don’t even know. What I dislike about social media is that you do feel like you always have to be putting on this front to your followers to make it seem like your life is so together and that you’re constantly working. I get super anxious every time I post on social media, which is actually pretty messed up because I should just be able to post whatever I want whenever I want without an anxious thought. Everyone should be able to do this.
Would you ever date one of your social media followers?
Haha… this is such a funny question! I mean, yeah, I guess so! I definitely would have to meet them in real life, though, to form a relationship. I would never do a “we met on social media and now we’re dating long distance” thing – LOL! – but definitely never say never.
What do you look for in a man?
Honestly, still to this day, I don’t think I have a type but I definitely am a huge personality person. So, someone who can really give off confidence in knowing what they want is really appealing to me, but also can be super compassionate and show sympathy.
Describe your ideal date.
When I’m in a relationship I’m such a homebody — I love to cook and have a glass of wine with my man, but also sometimes love to go out on a romantic day. I love an Italian date night with a glass of wine and a bowl of pasta — that’s my favourite thing in the world!
When you’re not posing for MAXIM, dancing, modelling or on social media, what could we find you doing?
Lately I’ve been hiking so much. Living in L.A. now there are so many good hiking spots, so I try to do this at least two or three times a week with my girlfriends. Also, just blasting music 24-seven around my apartment is my vibe!
What’s next for you?
There’s definitely an exciting project on the horizon, but I’m not allowed to say anything so I guess we will just wait and see — give me two months! 😉 ■
STATUS UPDATE
NAME: Tori Wade
BORN: November 10, 1999
HOME TOWN: Sydney, NSW
CURRENTLY LIVES: Los Angeles, California U.S.A.
FIVE WORD SELF-DESCRIPTION: “Fun, fabulous, exciting, clumsy, driven.”
PHOBIA: “Birds!”
GO-TO DRINK: “Any spritzzz.”
LIFE MOTTO: “Listen to your heart.”
INSTAGRAM: @tori_wade
TWITTER: @toriwade
SNAPCHAT: @tori.wade1
TIKITOK: @toriwade
Photography by Neil Dixon
Interview by Santi Pintado
For the full article grab the June 2022 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
