Whatever Happened To Greyson Chance?

In 2010, a 6th grader named Greyson Chance entered his school talent show. He sang a cover of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi," plunking out the song on a piano while his voice soared out through the gym. The video went viral on YouTube, catching the attention of Ellen DeGeneres, and the rest was pop culture history. The talk show host flew the swoopy-haired youngster out to appear on television, gave him $10,000, and created a record label just so she could sign him. "We just couldn't believe what was happening. We were so unsure of what we were getting into, and the person that helped cure all of that skepticism and chaotic energy was Ellen," Chance later told Rolling Stone.

A world tour followed, as did an album. At one point, Chance was so famous that in the music video for "Unfriend You," his love interest was played by pop superstar Ariana Grande. And then it all fell apart.

"The things that, you know, I had to go through at 14 and 15 years old," Chance told The Advocate Channel, "I'm not sure I could even go through them now." After his mega-successful early career came crashing down, Chance had to figure out what he wanted in life. That involved coming to terms with his sexuality, his musicianship, and his desire to participate again in an industry that had already chewed him up and spat him out once. Keep reading to find out how he did it.

For a few years after his cover of "Paparazzi" made Greyson Chance go mega-viral, he toured extensively as a working musician. He released an album called "Hold On 'til The Night" in 2011, telling Glitter, "I was so excited to get it out to my fans." Perhaps sensing some pushback from critics who felt he was only a YouTube artist, Chance insisted, "It is a very real album; it is not fake or artificial. And it is a pop rock album!"

Unfortunately, despite a co-headlining tour with Australian musician Cody Simpson, Chance's career didn't take off the way his label seems to have hoped it would. As a result, Ellen DeGeneres' record label cut him from the roster. In a since-deleted Instagram post years later (via Reddit), Chance reflected on that difficult time in his life. "when i was 15, i was dropped by my first record label," he wrote. "shortly after, my entire team fled, including my manager, agent, publicist, everyone. it was the most isolated i have ever felt in my life, and suddenly the future i dreamed of in music seemed insurmountable and impossible. i remember pleading with myself to keep on fighting."

That was 2012, and over the next few years, Chance had to take stock of his future. "It was very tough for me and I think I had to fall in love with music again," he told Today Online. "I had to pick up the pieces and figure out where I wanted to go with my life."

In those years after he was dropped by his record label, Greyson Chance had a lot of soul-searching to do. Part of that journey involved coming to terms with his sexuality, which he revealed to the world when he was 19. In a since-deleted Instagram post (via Billboard), Chance described initially wanting to hide the fact that he's gay despite having come to the realization years earlier. "I was still trying to find comfort and confidence within my own skin," he wrote. "Further, I always found conversations regarding music, politics, art, books — and the greatness of Nas' catalog — to be far more interesting than what type of guy I was into."

Still, Chance was inspired to make a public statement after receiving a touching message from a fan. He didn't go into too much detail about what that message entailed, but he wrote, "I encourage anyone who is navigating their sexuality to devote as much time as they need to the process of finding self-confidence, self-acceptance, and self-love. Hell, for me, it took years to write this message."

Chance reflected on his coming-out journey in a later interview with Teen Vogue, pondering the ways that his homosexuality was linked to his gender identity. "I had been taught that if I liked boys, that was emasculating. My biggest question was, why did I feel a certain way towards people that are like me, and why does that affect my masculinity?" he said. "I didn't understand."

2019 would turn out to be a major year for Greyson Chance's career's second act. That March, he independently released "Portraits," which was technically his sophomore album. Still, he referred to it as a debut record in many ways, finally realizing the type of artist he always wanted to be without label oversight. "I think for a long time I felt that my craft had sort of been hijacked," he told Paper. Instead of making another piano-pop record, Chance pursued other musical influences, crafting a sound all his own.

"Am I going to write a record that is going to be marketable? Am I going to write a record that might have a chance at radio? All of these sorts of things," he recalled wondering. Instead, he went his own way. "To me it feels like the first time I've ever been truly honest and truly authentic with my fans, audience, and music."

The album turned Chance's career around, proving that he had staying power as an indie-pop artist making music that wasn't beholden to the whims of a cultural juggernaut like Ellen DeGeneres. Five years after its release, Chance reflected on that period of his career in an emotional Facebook post. He wrote, "it's not about stats, socials, or popularity. it's about music, connection, and gratitude. thank you for understanding me at my best, at my worst, and the days in between. i love you & i am beyond thankful for you."

In 2019, even though her record label had dropped him, Greyson Chance returned to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" to update his former boss on his career. They discussed numerous aspects of Chance's life in the years since they'd last worked together, including the fact that he'd stepped away from music entirely for several years. Chance revealed that he not only started going to college, but that it was the first time he'd been in an actual classroom since he was plucked from obscurity when he was still in junior high.

While studying, he wasn't even thinking about trying to make it as a musician anymore. "The first year, I didn't even touch a piano," Chance revealed. "I just was, you know, being a normal college kid, and probably doing some things that my mom wouldn't be too proud about, but whatever." As a sophomore, however, he decided to give songwriting another chance, no pun intended.

Ellen DeGeneres also asked Chance about the aftermath of his decision to publicly come out, noting that she had no idea he was gay when they worked together. "I was so fortunately blessed," he said. "I didn't have any issues, you know, coming out to family and friends. It was very, very easy." DeGeneres — whose coming out was a historic moment for Hollywood — commended her young charge. "I think we all were so happy," she said, "to see that you were happy."

Thankfully, once Greyson Chance decided to recommit himself to music, the industry welcomed him back with open arms. "I have a voice," Chance told Ellen DeGeneres when he returned to her show. "What do I want to say, and how do I want to say it?" His independent album "Portraits" got him noticed by Arista Records. "[I] got a record deal offered to me," he revealed. "I said, let's go back, and let's do it."

Chance announced the label signing in a since-deleted Instagram post (via Reddit), reflecting on his career thus far. "last week i signed a deal that i have been working towards for 6 years and life feels very surreal at the moment," he wrote. Chance thanked his family, friends, and label officials before giving himself credit for never fully giving up on his dream of being a musician. "it is truly amazing what can happen in life when you put your head down, place faith into yourself, and continue on," he wrote. "i'm not going anywhere."

Greyson Chance told Ellen DeGeneres in 2019 that part of the reason why he waited to come out publicly had to do with a fear that he'd be accused of doing it for attention. "I really wanted to make sure that it didn't seem like I was trying to profit, or, you know, sort of promote my sexuality as a means of getting more fame and popularity," he said. "And so I just, I waited. I waited until I felt confident."

Thankfully, that confidence translated into Chance feeling fully embraced by the queer community. In this second act of his career, he began performing at a number of Pride festivals, giving back to the crowd that supported him on his journey to be a fully-out queer person. He told Paper in 2019 that he'd been attending Pride celebrations since he was young, but this was the first time he was able to participate as a member of the community. "Honestly it feels a dream come true to be able to play these sets," he reflected. 

Chance also took the opportunity to turn the attention he received into advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. In an interview with SDNews.com, he noted the importance of looking back to the Stonewall Riots for inspiration. "We have it pretty good in a lot of major cities in the United States," he said, "but there's still a lot of places where we need a lot of work, where we need advocacy and bravery from community individuals."

In 2020, Ellen DeGeneres' reputation took a hit after former talk show employees spoke out. They alleged that her talk show was a toxic workplace, even though she ended each episode by telling viewers, "Be kind to one another." The show wound up getting canceled in 2022, even though she insisted that the rumors of her behind-the-scenes attitude were not to blame for the abrupt ending.

After years of keeping quiet about what happened when he was dropped from his record label, Greyson Chance opened up about his extensive experience with the comedian in an interview with Rolling Stone. "I've never met someone more manipulative, more self-centered, and more blatantly opportunistic than her," he stated. He went on to allege that DeGeneres became overly involved in every aspect of his career, using veto power on performance setups, micro-managing his schedule, and more. He also claimed he witnessed her berate stylists, staff members, and even his mother.

When his debut album didn't sell as well as everyone hoped, DeGeneres moved on. He didn't hear from her for years, including not even talking backstage when he returned to the show in 2019. "That's so messed up, that you're now showing the world as if we're so tight. We're so good," he said. "And behind the scenes, you are this insanely manipulative person." An unnamed source dismissed Chance's comments in a statement to ET on DeGeneres' behalf. "He has taken this time as he is launching an album to go after Ellen with opportunistic claims," they said.

Greyson Chance first found fame on YouTube, but he's been able to pivot as social media has evolved. These days, he can most often be found on TikTok, updating his passionate fanbase on his career just as often as he participates in various social media challenges and jokes. For the record, he's not the only creator to successfully make that transition; plenty of beauty YouTubers are thriving on TikTok, too.

Even though he was only 22 when he first joined the app, Chance admitted that he initially felt he'd aged out of TikTok. "I do think it's rather crazy. It's the first app that I've downloaded now as a young adult where I felt old for the first time," he told Billboard. "I'm 22 and I was like, 'Hold on, OK what are we doing here?'"

Nevertheless, Chance has been able to successfully leverage the app as a promotional tool. When he released a single called "Dancing Next To Me" in 2020, he invited fans to come up with dances to match the song. He performed the resulting choreography for Billboard, and he even posted a response to one fan who joked that the dance should involve a bit of creepy-looking levitation. "Hell no," he said. "Levitating feet? Some exorcism bulls*** to this gay pop song? No sir, I'm running straight outta that room." 

Los Angeles is the center of the entertainment industry, and it might make sense for Greyson Chance to live there as he tries to cement the next phase of his career. The "Good As Gold" singer, however, doesn't like Tinseltown. He told WHRB, "I try to stay out of L.A. as much as possible. You know, I think that place can really get into your head as an artist and I try to stay at home as much as possible." Home means Oklahoma, where he now lives most of the time. "I like to spend time there. I have a house there, and it's where I find my roots a bit," he said.

In an appearance on "The Zach Sang Show," Chance confessed that a big part of Oklahoma's appeal is that it's so far removed from other people trying to make it in the industry. "I'm not comparing myself to anybody there, and I think that's why I like it," he said. "Because I'm really able to laser-focus in."

Living in Oklahoma has also allowed Chance to become more politically engaged. "You're in a conservative place, but in the city, people are very progressive, and they want a good community. They want a sustainable community," he said. Playing Oklahoma City Pride was also a big moment for him. "To be able to look out at this next generation of queer youth in Oklahoma and to be able to say, 'It's different now here...'" Chance reflected. "That's gonna be so special."

Greyson Chance's family experienced a lot of turmoil in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Since I was a kid, my family has been my biggest source of stability, until a few years ago when things all of a sudden went left," he told Fault. "I think it was a mixture of my grandparents dying and the weight of the pandemic that really did it, but my entire sense of gravity flipped itself upside down. I didn't recognize us anymore, people moved away, we fought."

Instead of letting that get him down, Chance turned to songwriting as a way to cope. The resulting single, "Rearview Mirror," came out in 2024. "A lot of the inspiration behind this music comes from really ugly places, and I think that's what makes it so human," he mused. "I never thought I'd be writing about my family and all of our scars so openly, but here we are."

Though Greyson Chance signed a second record deal in 2019, the resulting relationship with Sony and Arista seems to have fallen apart. Arista released his 2021 EP "Trophies," but subsequent projects were once again put out independently. Still, Chance hasn't let this additional career setback keep him from his art. In fact, he told Fault that he planned to dive deeper than ever. "This chapter for me as an artist represents holding nothing back," he said, "letting real life direct the music, and not being afraid of ugly truths."