1. Steve Grand became an overnight internet celebrity and the music video of his first hit "All-American Boy" went viral on YouTube in less than a week in July 2013.
29 Facts About Steve Grand
1. 2.
Steve Grand released his debut album titled All American Boy financed by a successful Kickstarter public funding campaign.
3.
Steve Grand started writing music when he was 11 years old.
4.
Steve Grand then returned to Chicago to enroll at the University of Illinois and later left to focus on his musical career.
5.
Steve Grand cites a wide range of musical influences, including: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Billy Joel, Blink-182, Green Day, Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Lady Gaga and Fall Out Boy.
6.
Steve Grand would listen to a song and tell stories about what each song meant to him: where he was in life, who he was dating, what car he was driving.
7.
Steve Grand played piano at four Chicago-area churches and at various clubs in Chicago, most notably The Joynt in downtown Chicago, until 2013.
8.
Steve Grand performed cover songs, including hits by Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, One Direction and Journey, and uploaded these to YouTube under the name Steve [Starchild].
9.
Steve Grand recorded the vocals in his parents' basement and maxed out his credit card to self-fund the video.
10.
On July 18,2013, Steve Grand made his television debut, performing "All-American Boy" on WLS-TV produced program Windy City Live.
11.
Some media have claimed that Steve Grand is the "first openly gay male country singer", although this has been disputed.
12.
On September 6,2013, Steve Grand released "Stay", the follow-up single to "All-American Boy".
13.
Steve Grand announced plans to release his debut album financed by a successful Kickstarter public funding campaign.
14.
Since releasing his first album, Steve Grand has travelled across the United States performing at Gay Pride Festivals and supporting gay causes.
15.
On June 20,2014, Steve Grand performed at the WorldPride Toronto 2014 opening ceremonies.
16.
Steve Grand performed during the ceremony along with Melissa Etheridge, Deborah Cox, and Tom Robinson.
17.
In June 2015, Steve Grand made his first trip to Europe as an Arts Envoy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for the US State Department.
18.
In December 2015, Steve Grand produced a bluesy and soulful reprise of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You".
19.
In March 2017, Steve Grand performed at the Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia and Gay Pride Tampa, Florida.
20.
Steve Grand made his acting debut in December 2017 on the web series "Falling for Angels".
21.
Steve Grand came out to friends starting in eighth grade.
22.
Steve Grand came out at age 19, and has attended the Chicago Gay Pride parade.
23.
In June 2015, Steve Grand was interviewed by Johnny McGovern and described his coming out process as well as his musical development through his first album.
24.
In December 2015, Steve Grand went public with his move toward sobriety.
25.
Steve Grand has become an active figure in the LGBT equality movement.
26.
In June 2015, Steve Grand visited Riga, Latvia, to teach a master's class and to take part in the Europride festival that was held in the country's capital city.
27.
Steve Grand has become a media-sought figure as a gay young artist.
28.
Steve Grand appeared in 2013 on Instinct gay American magazine's cover as one of its "Leading Men".
29.
In 2016, Steve Grand was included in Out Magazine's 100 Most Eligible Bachelors.