Zoom on: Greyson Chance

GREYSON CHANCE

From his viral cover to his second album

Almost nine years ago, he was publishing his viral “Paparazzi” cover on YouTube. Today, he is back with a new body of work to conquer the world after a break from music. At only 21 years old, the American pop prodigy is ready to start all over again and show his true colors. After releasing the first single at the beginning of the year, he revealed his second full-length album “Portraits” in March. Let’s get to know Greyson Chance!

Born in 1997 in Texas, Greyson Chance grew up in Oklahoma with his older sister and brother, who were both playing music. Thus, the youngest of the family naturally started learning piano. At the time, singing lessons were not at the forefront of his mind but he quickly became inspired by several artists such as Christina Aguilera, Elton John, John Legend or Lady Gaga.

2010 is the year that will change his fate. In April, the young singer and pianist made the decision of his life by uploading a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” on his YouTube channel, which was recorded at a school show. Since the video was not getting many views, his older brother decided to send it to a famous talk show presenter: Ellen Degeneres, who invited him twice to perform on the show and signed him to her brand new label Eleveneleven.

In a few weeks, Greyson’s cover went viral. His very first single, “Waiting Outside The Lines” was released in October and followed by his first album “Hold On Til’ The Night” the next year. Despite his young age, the prodigy didn’t stop here and revealed two EPs in 2012 and 2016, respectively called “Truth To Be Told, Part I” and “Somewhere Over My Head”. However, after a couple of collaborations, Greyson took a break, resuming his studies at the University of Tulsa. Far from the pressure of the music industry, being back to a basic life and making new friends helped him to gather his thoughts and feel inspired again. With an emotional Instagram post, Greyson also came out as homosexual, which led to very supportive responses. He took the time to find himself and develop his songwriting talents.

His new album “Portraits” appears like an honest and vulnerable collection of tracks. Just like a journal, every song is based on his own life experience. The opportunity for Greyson to really show his personality, since he was a lot more involved in this opus. Indeed, contrary to the previous ones, he is now old enough to know what kind of sounds and intentions he wants for his music. He told it himself, “Portraits” feels not only like a comeback album but also like a debut album. By the way, the singer-songwriter chose not to hide his sexual preference in his love songs’ lyrics, using male pronouns, which is quite rare in the industry. Moreover, Greyson’s music really stands out, mixing R&B, electro, synth-pop and old school vibes on some songs. With mature and much more personal lyrics, his tracks mostly refer to love and his roots. And his music is not the only thing that changed. Of course, his voice changed a lot too! From slick falsettos to deep low notes, we challenge you to listen to his singles “Shut Up”, “Timekeeper” and “Yours” without feeling the urge to listen to the rest!

Greyson has already started to tour the United States to perform “Portraits” on stage and also has scheduled shows in Asia. Besides, as he indicated on Instagram, this is just the beginning: “I can’t believe that 9 years ago I sang a cheeky Gaga song and landed here. Released an album last month and now I’m in Europe to write the next one.”

Listen if you are a fan of:

Shawn Mendes’ smooth falsettos on his eponymous album, deep and versatile voices like his YouTube colleague’s Troye Sivan, and queer music icons such as Hayley Kiyoko.

One song to listen to:

“Black On Black” for its irresistible and addictive catchy rhythm, surprising rap bridge, sensual lyrics and Justin Timberlake vibes on the chorus… This is fire!

Words by Déborah Gaillard - PHOTO: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED