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Despite having been plucked from obscurity only recently, Greyson Chance is already living large. Calling from a recording studio in Los Angeles, the 13-year-old phenom—who rocketed to pop-music stardom on the strength of a YouTube clip in which he expertly performs an acoustic rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi”—is polishing off
it straight from my heart and from my own passion.” While it’s hard to believe that an early-teen, however precocious, has already stockpiled enough romantic ennui to power an entire album (“I’ve experienced my share of heartbreak over my thirteen years,” Chance says), there is no denying his greater vision. In addition to writing an album, plotting the choreography for his stage show (“It’s gonna be like David Bowie—you know, very youthful and fresh, a fun rock-and-roll show for young people”), and sorting out his personal style (“I’m really into jackets and vests—I like to look a little more formal”), Chance is most excited about being given the opportunity to forge his own artistic path. “I was thinking about something yesterday, during rehearsal with my band,” he says. “I was thinking that the best thing about all of this is just making music—making art—and the satisfaction you get from something like writing a really great song. It’s such a good feeling. I just want to be able to keep doing this forever.” T. Cole Rachel Greyson Chance in Los Angeles, January 2011 Photography Hilary Walsh Styling Mark Holmes Shirt Marc by Marc Jacobs Greyson Chance’s debut LP is out in April 2011 from Interscope
Grooming Kim Verbeck (The Wall Group) Stylist assistant Heather Williamson Photo assistant Nick Walker
Greyson ChanCe parlayed an impressive GaGa Cover into a reCord deal and Global fame. his debut album taCkles the subjeCt of knoCk-down, draG-out love—from the 7 th-Grade perspeCtive
his debut album and feverishly rehearsing for his first national tour. Not bad for a kid who less than a year ago was living a normal life back in Edmond, Oklahoma. “It’s all still really unbelievable,” Chance says of his rise to fame. “I first realized that something big was happening when my mom started sending me these text messages while I was at school. They said stuff like ‘fifteen thousand!’—which was the number of people who had viewed my video online that day. It was crazy.” (The video’s current view count is approaching forty million.) Ellen DeGeneres soon came calling, first asking Chance to perform on her show and later signing him to her newly launched record label. He celebrated the occasion by chatting with Gaga herself, who gave his version of her song her personal stamp of approval. Not long after that, Chance flew to L.A., where he immediately joined up with a stable of highprofile record producers to begin plotting world domination. And what does your average 13-year-old pop-star-in-the-making croon about? Love, of course. “The record sort of traces the course of a relationship,” Chance explains. “You know how it is: you start out so in love, but eventually she breaks your heart. Then you hate her and you love her at the same time. So it starts out with a very happy message, but the songs get very deep and dark and theatrical as you get toward the end. The record is really about heartbreak and how you deal with it. It’s very personal to me. I wrote