Greyson Chance is an American singer, songwriter, and YouTube sensation who rose to fame after his viral performance of Lady Gaga’s ‘Paparazzi’ at his sixth grade talent show. Recognized for his talent, he was signed by Ellen DeGeneres to her record label ‘Eleveneleven’ and ‘Interscope Records’ at the young age of 12. Since then, Greyson has released hit singles such as ‘Waiting Outside the Lines’ and ‘Unfriend You’, and his debut album ‘Hold On ‘Til the Night’ reached the 29th position on the US charts. With numerous awards under his belt, including the ‘Hollywood Teen TV Award’ and the ‘Shorty Award’, Greyson is dedicated to his career and continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
Quick Facts
- Also Known As: Greyson Michael Chance
- Age: 26 Years, 26 Year Old Males
- Height: 6’1″ (185 cm), 6’1″ Males
- Notable Alumni: University Of Tulsa
- U.S. State: Texas
- Education: University of Tulsa
Childhood & Early Life
Greyson Michael Chance was born on August 16, 1997 to Scott and Lisa Chance in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. He has an older brother, Tanner and elder sister, Alexa, with whom he was brought up in Edmond, Oklahoma. His family is of mixed English, German and Bohemian ancestry.
He studied in Cheyenne Middle School with his siblings. Greyson, being the youngest in the family, was influenced by his brother and sister, both of whom played music in school. He too started singing and playing the piano at the age of eight. To encourage his music talent, his mother put him through piano lessons for three years. However, he had no formal vocal training for singing.
He was also greatly inspired by the music of Lady Gaga after seeing her perform at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony. He loved music and was a fan of Christina Aguilera, the Augustana Rock Band, Elton John and the late Beatle singer John Lennon.
Chance was in the sixth grade when he first became a music sensation with his cover edition of ‘Paparazzi’ by Lady Gaga at his middle school talent show, which was aired on You Tube and went viral. His success motivated him to pursue a career in music.
His music career took such a sudden boost at a young age that his parents had to take a call on how to go about their son’s future. Ultimately, they decided to give him their wholehearted support in his endeavour to further a career in music and studies took a back seat.
Career
Chance was discovered on the You Tube by the Emmy award winning talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres and became the first artist to be signed up for her new record label ‘Eleveneleven’. Later, he was invited on her talk show, ‘Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ in 2003. This was a major landmark in his career at the age of six.
By the age of 12, Chance had his own official website and Twitter account that generated a massive fan following. He also landed with a record deal with ‘Interscope Records’, run by Alex Wilhelm. By then he had turned professional.
His debut single ‘Waiting Outside the Lines’ was released digitally by iTunes in October 2010. It contained a remix of Filipina and Charice as well as a studio version of Lady Gaga’s ‘Paparazzi’. During this period he toured Paris and London and gave live performances of his song in both cities. He also appeared on CBS’s Early Show and started his ‘Waiting 4U’ tour with Australian pop / R&B singer, Cody Simpson.
In 2011, he released his second single called ‘Unfriend You’ on iTunes. The number was also premiered on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. This was followed by his debut album ‘Hold On ‘Til the Night’ in August the same year. The video included a cameo of the ‘Victorious’ star Ariana Grande and peaked at the 29th position on the US charts. He also toured South East Asia and performed at the MTV-CCTV Mandarin Music Awards at Beijing during this period.
Chance took a liking to the East and again toured South East Asia to release his new EP, ‘Truth Be Told Part 1’ in 2012. His music was appreciated and he soon became a youth icon and darling of music lovers.
In 2014, he performed at the Sundance Film Festival, where he sang his new song ‘Temptation’. This was the period during which he was working on his EP, ‘Somewhere Over My Head’ that was released in 2016. Prior to the release of his EP, he performed live at Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City. He also publicised the release of his EP through You Tube and Twitter.
Today, he has established himself as a singer, songwriter and pianist of repute. Two of his original compositions, ‘Broken Hearts’ and ‘Stars’ have gained over six and four million views on YouTube respectively.
Major Works
His maiden studio album ‘Hold On til the Night’ was released on August 2011 in CD as well as digital format. The album sold 16,000 copies in the first week itself. He later released two EPs, ‘Truth Be Told, Part 1’ and ‘Somewhere Over My Head’ in 2012 and 2016 respectively. Some of his hit singles are ‘Waiting Outside the Lines’, ‘Hit and Run’, ‘Thrilla in Manila’ and ‘Meridians’.
Awards & Achievements
In 2010, Greyson Chance was awarded the ‘Hollywood Teen TV Award’ for ‘Teen Pick You Tube Artist of the Year’. The following year he won the ‘Youth Rock Award’ for ‘Rocking New Artist of the Year’. He went on to win the MTV-CCTV Mandarin Music Award for Most Popular New International Artist in 2012. His fan following increased with the ‘Shorty Award’ for ‘Best Singer’ and ‘Heat Tweets Award’ for ‘Most Dedicated Fan Army’ the next year.
Personal Life
Greyson is known to be single. His popularity on You Tube makes him one of the most followed youngsters on the net. He has been friendly with Ali Simpson and Lauren Westphalen but has not had any serious relationship as yet.
Trivia
Chance is a Democrat and was a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton for the 2016 presidential elections.