Interview: Greyson Chance
There are few music artists in the world who deeply, unreservedly understand the depth of emotion their music evokes in listeners around the globe. And then there are some who just get it, those individuals whose worldly perspective is vast and wise beyond their years. Greyson Chance stands out in the music scene as an empathetic storyteller and stunning performer who takes his decade-long collection of industry experiences and turns them into painfully beautiful bodies of work. With his highly-anticipated album Trophies finally released as of today, I was lucky enough to chat with Greyson about feeling old in our early 20s, his accidental prediction of the world’s year-long pause, and finding ways to grow from frustrating moments of self-doubt and loss of purpose.
Photo by Broderick Baumann
It’s pretty rare to find an artist with over a decade of music industry experience at the young age of 23. Greyson Chance’s launching pad for stardom came early on in his career when a video of the 12-year old singing “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga at a school talent show went viral back in 2010. You may recognize the belting boy in the striped polo from his continued appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where Chance had his first television appearance, soon after making him the first artist added to Ellen’s music label “eleveneleven” (now defunct).
While Chance’s music career has been anything but a smooth ride, there is still a part of him that often reflects on the difficult ups and downs that came with viral fame at such a young age.
“After that video came out, there was so much chaos, then a few years later I was dropped by my record label and had to go through so much at such a young age. So I look back at that 12 year old kid and feel very grateful that I’m still here making music. I’m really proud of that kid for putting his head down and continuing to work through it all.”
Fighting through a rollercoaster of self-doubt, Chance struggled to find his purpose and at 18 years old, he actually stepped away from music altogether. It was an emotionally tumultuous time in his life that was difficult to navigate, but one that ultimately led him to creating his devastatingly powerful 2019 album portraits. Exploring themes of defeated heartbreak and loneliness, fans instantly connected with songs like “shut up” and “white roses” that tug your heart right out of your chest with their aching, delicate melodies and haunting lyrics.
With the release of portraits, Chance says he felt a great sense of relief and joy watching fans around the world fall in love with a body of work so close to his heart. To date, portraits has amassed millions of streams on Spotify and continues to showcase Chance’s brilliant song-crafting skills.
Photo by Broderick Baumann
Like most artists, the global pandemic put a big question mark over 2020 and 2021 for touring artists. Coincidentally, in early 2020, Greyson told Build he was going to take the year to slow down and not live life like a to-do list. Rest assured, the world definitely got more than enough time to self-reflect in the last year. At a time when a lot of musicians and 9-5 workers alike felt a huge loss of purpose, Greyson channeled these feelings of self-doubt into his latest record Trophies.
Looking back, the year may have been positive in terms of artistic creativity, but Chance says he definitely felt a major sense of imposter syndrome during this time. What was his purpose? What was he meant to be doing during this time of total isolation and intense self-reflection? With a lot difficult self-analysis and emotional revelations, Greyson slowly but surely created his new record Trophies, and is so excited for fans to hear about his life the past few years. He explained that this new album was written from the brutally honest perspective of viewing everything in life as fleeting. Chance noted he has wrestled with this difficult, instinctual mindset for years and really confronts these feelings of expected betrayal in his new music.
“If you want to know what happened to me in 2020, play this new album back-to-back. Music navigated me through it all, and that’s why this new body of work is as honest as it is.”
Greyson released pop, dance-inducing single “Hellboy” earlier this year as the second single off of Trophies, following his breathtaking single “Holy Feeling”. The track oozes dangerous, powerful confidence that comes from years of living and breathing the life of live music. The track pairs with a wildly thrilling music video (check it out below!) that makes us feel moody, restless, and ready to move.
In the most touching, full circle moment possible, Chance is kicking off his worldwide tour right at home in Oklahoma City at none other than OKC’s 2021 Pride Fest. Born and raised in Okalahoma, Chance says he is emotionally overwhelmed to be apart of an event that is so progressive and monumental in the area. The OKC Pride Fest is a loving, beautiful reminder that the LGBTQ+ community of Oklahoma is loved, accepted, and seen, and Chance could not think of a more heartwarming opportunity to open his worldwide Trophies tour.
Fans outside of the Oklahoma area won’t have to wait long to hear Greyson’s newest body of work at live shows. After starting in Oklahoma City, Chance is touching down in over 40 cities across the globe to reconnect with fans and intentionally create safe spaces with his remarkable new music.
You can listen to Greyson Chance’s brand new album Trophies on Spotify here. Follow his worldwide tour journey on his Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok and stay tuned for even more new music from the deeply emotive singer-songwriter in the near future!
Interview by Kelly Carrazzone
