NASA added 5.2 million Instagram followers in April 2026, riding the Artemis II launch on April 1 to top the month’s growth chart, with a second NASA property also cracking the top five. Justin Bieber’s Coachella performances drove one of the month’s biggest celebrity surges, while a psychic advisor, a viral creator, and a veteran musician rounded out a list split between institutional moments and independent voices.
Here are the 10 fastest-growing Instagram accounts from last month:
The Artemis II launch on April 1 and subsequent mission coverage drove one of NASA’s biggest single-month follower spikes, as the historic crewed Moon mission drew global attention.
A self-described psychic advisor and medium building an independent audience across platforms. No specific April event has been publicly confirmed as the trigger for her growth.
An emerging creator whose account added 2.4 million followers in April. Identity and content niche remain difficult to verify publicly; growth driver unconfirmed.
Growth is likely adjacent to the Coachella attention surrounding her husband’s performances, alongside broader lifestyle coverage in April, though no single confirmed event drove her numbers.
His Coachella performances generated widespread coverage and a reported follower boost, with the festival appearances reviving audience engagement at scale.
The festival’s own account grew across both April weekends as live coverage, artist content, and audience participation drove sustained Instagram activity.
No specific April trigger has been publicly confirmed, consistent with the baseline month-on-month growth typical of large creator accounts at this scale.
One of the more striking entries: an independent artist growing from a relatively modest base without a verified April event. His growth rate outpaces several accounts with far larger followings, suggesting algorithm-driven visibility rather than a discrete news moment.
Three of April’s top ten growers operate entirely outside the infrastructure of major labels, studio systems, or legacy media: Dr. Fia Johansson (@persianmedium), @king.exoduss, and Afroman (@ogafroman). None had a verified external event driving their numbers. That makes their growth structurally different from the Artemis accounts, which rode global news coverage, or Justin Bieber, whose Coachella performances generated industry-scale press. Afroman’s result is particularly striking: adding nearly 900K followers from a base of around 219K at the start of the month suggests algorithm-driven amplification, likely via Reels, rather than any PR cycle. Dr. Fia Johansson’s 3.4M gain is the second-largest on the entire list, a figure that would be the headline number in almost any other month, achieved with no confirmed cultural moment behind it.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
NASA added 5.2 million Instagram followers in April 2026, riding the Artemis II launch on April 1 to top the month’s growth chart, with a second NASA property also cracking the top five. Justin Bieber’s Coachella performances drove one of the month’s biggest celebrity surges, while a psychic advisor, a viral creator, and a veteran musician rounded out a list split between institutional moments and independent voices.
Here are the 10 fastest-growing Instagram accounts from last month:
#1. NASA | @nasa
Gained: +5.2M followers
April total: 105.5M followers
The Artemis II launch on April 1 and subsequent mission coverage drove one of NASA’s biggest single-month follower spikes, as the historic crewed Moon mission drew global attention.
#2. Dr. Fia Johansson | @persianmedium
Gained: +3.4M followers
April total: 15.9M followers
A self-described psychic advisor and medium building an independent audience across platforms. No specific April event has been publicly confirmed as the trigger for her growth.
#3. X | @king.exoduss
Gained: +2.4M followers
April total: 4.6M followers
An emerging creator whose account added 2.4 million followers in April. Identity and content niche remain difficult to verify publicly; growth driver unconfirmed.
#4. NASA Artemis | @nasaartemis
Gained: +2.4M followers
April total: 5.7M followers
The official Artemis program account benefited from the same April 1 launch moment and sustained mission coverage that drove @nasa’s surge.
#5. Hailey Rhode Bieber | @haileybieber
Gained: +2.3M followers
April total: 58.2M followers
Growth is likely adjacent to the Coachella attention surrounding her husband’s performances, alongside broader lifestyle coverage in April, though no single confirmed event drove her numbers.
#6. Justin Bieber | @lilbieber
Gained: +2.3M followers
April total: 294M followers
His Coachella performances generated widespread coverage and a reported follower boost, with the festival appearances reviving audience engagement at scale.
#7. Coachella | @coachella
Gained: +2.0M followers
April total: 6.4M followers
The festival’s own account grew across both April weekends as live coverage, artist content, and audience participation drove sustained Instagram activity.
#8. MrBeast | @mrbeast
Gained: +1.1M followers
April total: 86.7M followers
No specific April trigger has been publicly confirmed, consistent with the baseline month-on-month growth typical of large creator accounts at this scale.
#9. Jason Derulo | @jasonderulo
Gained: +1.0M followers
April total: 45.1M followers
Derulo has built a long-running independent Reels presence, though no specific content moment has been confirmed as the driver here.
#10. Afroman | @ogafroman
Gained: +894K followers
April total: 1.1M followers
One of the more striking entries: an independent artist growing from a relatively modest base without a verified April event. His growth rate outpaces several accounts with far larger followings, suggesting algorithm-driven visibility rather than a discrete news moment.
Emerging Creators Holding Their Own
Three of April’s top ten growers operate entirely outside the infrastructure of major labels, studio systems, or legacy media: Dr. Fia Johansson (@persianmedium), @king.exoduss, and Afroman (@ogafroman). None had a verified external event driving their numbers. That makes their growth structurally different from the Artemis accounts, which rode global news coverage, or Justin Bieber, whose Coachella performances generated industry-scale press. Afroman’s result is particularly striking: adding nearly 900K followers from a base of around 219K at the start of the month suggests algorithm-driven amplification, likely via Reels, rather than any PR cycle. Dr. Fia Johansson’s 3.4M gain is the second-largest on the entire list, a figure that would be the headline number in almost any other month, achieved with no confirmed cultural moment behind it.
Data from HypeAuditor, April 2026
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