By NASA MARIA ENTABAN
pics by ROHAIZAT DARUS
IN this day and age when anyone with an Internet connection can achieve instant fame, getting noticed is not even the challenge anymore – it’s maintaining people’s interest.
So to be able to hold an audience’s attention for an hour with nothing but your vocals and piano skills is quite a feat for anyone, let alone a teenager, but that’s exactly what rising star Greyson Chance did last Friday at his Kuala Lumpur showcase.
Stepping onto a bare stage (save for a keyboard) dressed in black from head to toe, the 14-year-old American recording artiste began his set at KL Live, Jalan Sultan Ismail, with Unfriend You, a sort-of tribute to his social networking generation.
- Greyson wowing the crowd
With the exception of this song, which used a few minutes of pre-recorded background music to accompany Greyson as he stood up to get nearer to the crowd, the entire night was just Greyson singing and playing the keyboard.
He went straight into the next song, Take A Look At Me Now, after greeting the young crowd and thanking them for coming out to see him.
Although his voice sounded a little raw, he powered through his set without missing a beat – commendable for a young star who must already be experiencing the fatigue and stress that come with being on tour.
Next up was Home Is In Your Eyes and a ‘surprise’ for Greyson came in the form of a video made up of snippets of fan videos singing that very song.
He then proceeded to explain how he got to where he is today.
“A year and a half ago I posted a video on YouTube, Ellen Degeneres called me, I got signed, and here I am in Malaysia performing for you,” said Greyson to screams and cheers from the audience.
Greyson was the first act to be signed to the popular talk show host’s record label Eleveneleven, a label that Degeneres says will focus on less known talents.
It was only fitting that the next song to follow would be the one that got him noticed by Degeneres – Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi.
Greyson’s version demonstrated his superb voice control and decent piano playing skills.
In Cheyenne, he showed that he not only possesses excellent control of his voice, but that he has a great range and the ability to inject raw emotion into every note.
- Talented pianist and singer Greyson
A heartwarming video recorded at Rumah Hope, a home for abused, neglected and under-privileged children, showed the children and teenagers singing Greyson’s Hold On Til The Night.
The night ended with Greyson’s debut single Waiting Outside The Lines, an inspiring song which encourages youths to work hard to achieve their dreams.
With that, the thin, rosy-cheeked teen said his thanks and exited the stage.
Despite performing barely six songs that night, Greyson’s musical talent and professionalism have definitely left their mark on fans here in KL, and we’re looking forward to future projects by the young talent.
Check out the Rapid Fire video:
