HYPEAfter taking a break from music, Greyson Chance is back for good
By Swetha S
When Greyson Chance rose to fame in 2010, the world recognized him as a preteen with boy-band hair jamming out to his own rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” on piano.
Six years later, the 19-year-old YouTube sensation has shed his baby fat and is now writing and singing his own songs, complete with a fully-developed voice and a whole new attitude.
The singer-songwriter officially took a break from the music scene 2 years ago. According to fans like Iffah Nur Diyanah, 18, he was extremely low-key during his hiatus.
“When I took that break I was able to go back and have similar experiences to the teenagers around me and be a bit normal,” Greyson shared. “I needed that a lot so it was a really good thing for me. “Because as a kid… I was traveling on the road and you know, my life was not normal at all.”
While his fans and members of the public missed him, Greyson took the opportunity to return to his hometown in Oklahoma in the United States to do some soul-searching. Earlier this May, he released an extended playlist (EP) titled Somewhere Over My Head, dedicated to his trip down the self-discovery lane.
“This is the starting point for me and my fans now, plus it’s all about my experiences as a teen, about me growing up as a teenager,” Greyson said.
Instead of focusing on the outcome of the EP and how he was going to make it big, he hoped for it to let him connect with his fans on a more personal level and share his growth and journey with them.
Nur Fatini Dayana, 18, who has been a loyal fan since 2010, said Greyson’s songs in the past were more reserved and quiet as compared to his songs now.
In Somewhere Over My Head, Chance explores a wide array of genres instead of sticking to mainstream pop as he used to when first discovered in 2010. This was his way of sticking to writing what he felt and “focusing on just the music and not anything else” without having to worry about which genre would appease the majority of the crowd.
The reinvented Greyson Chance is packing a whole lot of swagger and while it requires some adjustment, fans like Grace Chan Kit Yee, 19, are embracing it.
“After a while, it grew on me and I fell in love with his new album,” she said.
The million-dollar question on every fan’s lips is – will Greyson Chance be here to stay?
He said, “I took a break because of some stuff that happened with the business side of things. But you know, I’ve graduated and I want to focus on my music now – just the music, not photo shoots or fashion or fame, solely music. So yeah, I am back for good.”
Check out “Back On The Wall” by Greyson Chance here:
https://youtu.be/9QP2RLsNfls&list=PLMuY2wSuBRrgkZ9ZhwnnKHsxqoNP38lYm