Source: NY Daily News
Watch out, Justin Bieber, you've got competition.
Greyson Chance, a 12-year-old from small-town Oklahoma, may be the latest YouTube singing sensation.
His performance of Lady Gaga's hit "Paparazzi" inside the sixth-grade talent show at Cheyenne Middle School in Edmond, Okla., has tallied much more than 17 million hits, leading to a guest spot on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and a rumored deal with Interscope Records.
He's even snagged Madonna's rep, Guy Oseary, as his manager.
At least for Keith Caulfield, senior chart manager at Billboard, that's enough to make Chance
the second coming of America's previous Internet phenom, Justin Bieber.
"Bieber and Opportunity are both goods of on the net social networks," says Caulfield. "They posted videos of their performances on websites like YouTube, and their careers have taken off. Bieber was the initial multimedia phenom, and Possibility is trying to follow his path."
Each grabbed the spotlight at the tender age of 12 after minimal formal music training. (Likelihood has taken piano lessons for three years, even though Bieber is self-taught.)
Equally initially sang other artists' songs. Bieber covered Ne-Yo's "So Sick," whilst Probability covered "Paparazzi."
And each received a star-powered helping hand. Bieber rose with the help of Usher, and Chance's nascent success can be attributed to the support of Lady Gaga, who spoke with him on
"Ellen"; it's also speculated that she had a hand in helping him secure a deal with her record label.
But the most glaring similarity between Probability and Bieber would be the hair.
"When you have an adorable, fresh-faced kid with that type of hair, they are unstoppable," says Caulfield, who believes the shaggy bangs also affect the artist's on-stage mannerisms. "When I was watching Probability on ‘Ellen,' he was doing that Bieber head shake to obtain the hair out of his eyes. They looked so similar, it was scary."
Greyson Chance, a 12-year-old from small-town Oklahoma, may be the latest YouTube singing sensation.
His performance of Lady Gaga's hit "Paparazzi" inside the sixth-grade talent show at Cheyenne Middle School in Edmond, Okla., has tallied much more than 17 million hits, leading to a guest spot on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and a rumored deal with Interscope Records.
He's even snagged Madonna's rep, Guy Oseary, as his manager.
At least for Keith Caulfield, senior chart manager at Billboard, that's enough to make Chance
the second coming of America's previous Internet phenom, Justin Bieber.
"Bieber and Opportunity are both goods of on the net social networks," says Caulfield. "They posted videos of their performances on websites like YouTube, and their careers have taken off. Bieber was the initial multimedia phenom, and Possibility is trying to follow his path."
Each grabbed the spotlight at the tender age of 12 after minimal formal music training. (Likelihood has taken piano lessons for three years, even though Bieber is self-taught.)
Equally initially sang other artists' songs. Bieber covered Ne-Yo's "So Sick," whilst Probability covered "Paparazzi."
And each received a star-powered helping hand. Bieber rose with the help of Usher, and Chance's nascent success can be attributed to the support of Lady Gaga, who spoke with him on
"Ellen"; it's also speculated that she had a hand in helping him secure a deal with her record label.
But the most glaring similarity between Probability and Bieber would be the hair.
"When you have an adorable, fresh-faced kid with that type of hair, they are unstoppable," says Caulfield, who believes the shaggy bangs also affect the artist's on-stage mannerisms. "When I was watching Probability on ‘Ellen,' he was doing that Bieber head shake to obtain the hair out of his eyes. They looked so similar, it was scary."
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Kerry Lauerman
Joan Walsh
Salon.com
Comments