Where some people saw a social network too far, Daria Musk saw an opportunity. In the summer of 2011, she joined Google+ and decided to perform a live concert via its video chat feature, Hangouts. Her concerts can last up to eight hours, and in just a few months she turned from a self-described lonely girl and unknown singer to a global star, with more than 1.6 million fans all around the world. We weren’t able to grant her eight hours on the TED stage, but she turned up for ten minutes to tell us her story, sing us a song–and even connect to Google+ to hook up with some of her people, including her mother and brother and a few lucky fans around the world.

Photos: James Duncan Davidson