Greyson Michael Chance (born August 16, 1997)
is an
American pop rock singer and
pianist whose April 2010 performance of
Lady Gaga's "
Paparazzi" at a sixth-grade music festival became a hit on
YouTube,
gaining over 43 million views. Two of his original compositions, "Stars" and "Broken Hearts", gained over 5 and 7 million views respectively on his YouTube channel.
His debut single, "
Waiting Outside the Lines", was released in October 2010. Chance's début album,
Hold On 'til the Night, was released on August 2, 2011.
Chance was born on August 16, 1997
in
Wichita Falls, Texas, and currently resides in
Edmond, Oklahoma.
He is the youngest child of Scott and Lisa Chance; he has a sixteen-year-old sister, Alexa, and a nineteen-year-old brother, Tanner, both of whom also play music.
Chance began playing the piano at the age of 8 and has had three years of piano lessons; however, he had no formal vocal training.
Of his inspiration, Chance said, "I love artists who are able to communicate their emotions through music and sing from the heart. That’s what I’m hoping to do with my songs." He is emboldened by
Lady Gaga; after seeing her performance of "
Paparazzi" at the
2009 MTV Video Music Awards, he said: "I was awestruck by her performance. I love her sense of drama and theatricality, plus she’s an amazing singer and piano player." Chance is also inspired by
Christina Aguilera, rock band
Augustana, R&B singer
John Legend, singer-songwriter
Elton John, and
John Lennon, of
The Beatles fame.