Hailed as the Next Justin Bieber, Greyson Chance, 13, Has Catapulted into Teen Pop Stardom
Hailed as the next Justin Bieber, the teen wrapped his tour and debut album.
Aug. 10, 2011— -- Greyson Chance has already become an accomplished teen pop star, though he won't celebrate his 14th birthday until next week.
The singing sensation from Edmond, Okla., just released his debut album "Hold on 'Til the Night" on August 2. This comes right on the heels of wrapping up his first official stint on the road during his "Waiting 4U" tour in May. Now, the boy with the golden voice, who many compare to teen idol Justin Bieber, is ready to achieve even more.
Chance is one of the latest YouTube stars to rise to fame practically overnight. After his rendition of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" went viral on YouTube last year, an invite from talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and a thumbs-up from Gaga herself set the young star's pop career in motion.
"I remember coming home and my mom saying, 'Pack, because we're flying to L.A.,'" Chance told DeGeneres during his first appearance on her show. "This was my first flight, so I was very scared!"
After their meet up, DeGeneres created her own record imprint eleveneleven on Geffen/Maverick/Streamline records to help catapult Chance to stardom.
"I wanted to nurture his talent," Degeneres told ABC News in a March interview. "I wanted to help it grow in the right way because I didn't want him to be taken advantage of."
Currently on a summer tour that will wrap in September, the newest teen idol is quickly making a name for himself among tweens and folks in the entertainment industry.
MTV.com reported that Chance worked with Geffen record chairman Ron Fair, who has produced a slew of hits for stars like Christina Aguilera and the Black Eyed Peas, on his debut album.
But Chance did not just rely on veteran hit-makers. He helped pen a number of songs on the 10-track disc, which generated the singles "Waiting Outside the Lines" and "Unfriend You."
Chance says he draws inspiration from older acts such as Cold Play, Journey, Queen and Tom Petty -- all bands with repertoires going back some years before the young star was even born.
A singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, Chance will soon add another descriptor to his name -- actor. He's set to guest star in multiple episodes of the small screen comedy Raising Hope.
While the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, where Chance recorded his debut album, is a long way from his hometown in Oklahoma, he told ABC News' Neal Karlinsky back in March that his humble upbringing helps to keep him grounded.
"Of course [my childhood] is not over!" he said at the time. "My childhood's never over. I'm still a kid, with just a few alterations -- with a few knobs turned, and a few faders pulled up."