Greyson Michael Chance is an American singer, songwriter and pianist whose April 2010 performance of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" at a sixth-grade music festival became a hit on YouTube, gaining over 36 million views. Two of his original compositions, "Stars" and "Broken Hearts", gained over 4 and 6 million views respectively on his YouTube channel. His debut single, "Waiting Outside the Lines," was released in October 2010.
Chance was born in Wichita Falls, Texas and now resides in Edmond, Oklahoma. He has English, German, 1/8th Bohemian (Czech), and 1/8th Polish, ancestry.
He is the youngest child of Scott and Lisa Chance; he has an older sister, Alexa, and an older 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, but no formal vocal training. His inspiration comes from Lady Gaga; after seeing her performance of "Paparazzi" at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, he said: "I was awestruck by her performance.
Chance also admires Christina Aguilera, the rock band Augustana, R&B singer John Legend, singer-songwriter Elton John and late Beatle John Lennon.
