Oklahoma Kid Makes Musical Waves
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What Happened:
Before April 28, 2010, few people had heard of Greyson Chance. The 12-year-old singer was just a kid from Edmond, Okla., who happened to perform a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” during a local music festival. He posted the performance on YouTube April 28.
The reaction? A big yawn—at least at first. Like most videos that land on YouTube, Greyson’s “Paparazzi” video went virtually unwatched…for a while. Then less than two weeks later, the performance went viral.
It may have been because Guy Oseary, the man who manages Madonna, Demi Moore and others, promoted the performance on Twitter. Maybe it was boosted by the news Greyson would perform on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
Regardless, by the time Greyson performed on “Ellen” May 13, his YouTube video had been seen by 9 million people. Two weeks later, the tally had grown to 31 million, and Greyson had been signed to a recording contract by DeGeneres’ new music label.
Though Greyson’s Cinderella story appears to be legit to most, some suspect it might’ve been orchestrated—a fake viral campaign that was as spontaneous as the Changing of the Guard. Twitter and Facebook fan pages showed up almost immediately after Greyson’s appearance on Ellen, and his availability—and ease—with the media was a little eerie. “One day, young Greyson is in math class,” said Gloria Goodale of The Christian Science Monitor; “the next on a Hollywood soundstage and being linked to Madonna’s manager.”
Talk About It:
According to a recent USA Today poll, more than half of youth say that being famous is their life’s No. 1 or No. 2 goal. Greyson showed that it can happen quickly. Do you want to be famous? To become famous, do you have to be talented? Determined? Lucky? All three?
Sometimes, people who become stars in their childhood seem to go on to live some pretty messed-up lives as adults. Do you think wanting to be famous or a celebrity is a good thing? Why do you think so many people want fame? Is it damaging or dangerous to become too famous at too young an age?
Do you think Greyson’s rise to fame was as spontaneous as it seems? Does it matter? If his rise to fame was orchestrated, would you feel like you’d been deceived? Or would you just shrug it off as savvy marketing?
What the Bible Says:
“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare” (
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you” (
