Santea

Santea grew up in a working-class Hispanic household in Houston, Texas. His family has Mexican roots. His father worked in apartment maintenance and did side jobs in photography. His mother maintained the home and cleaned restrooms and rental units. He shared a bedroom with his brother, Diego Albarran.

In August 2022, he purchased a home for his parents, which allowed his mother to retire from cleaning jobs. He has had an on-and-off relationship with content creator Dano Maldonado, who regularly appears in his social videos and YouTube vlogs.

Santea began posting short videos to TikTok in late 2019. At the time, he balanced school with a retail job at Home Depot. He began filming quick dance routines during work shifts while wearing his employee uniform. Viewers quickly labeled him the Home Depot boy. The clips circulated widely.

His retail job ended in May 2020. He graduated from J. Frank Dobie High School that same year. With roughly two thousand dollars in personal savings, he committed to full-time video creation. In November 2020, he filmed a lip-sync video alongside Emely Hernandez to Gotye's song "Somebody That I Used to Know." The clip topped five million views and accelerated his growth across the platform.

Santea expanded his audience by forming the online dance trio Dadwiggies alongside creators Jaycoset and Actually Jose. The group gained attention for comedic dance routines performed in bright bob wigs. The colorful look became their signature style across multiple platforms.

He branched beyond dance clips into live broadcasting and merchandising. Under the handle SanteaTV, he streams on Twitch. He also shares lifestyle vlogs and creator challenges on YouTube and runs an apparel line called Sunny Merch.