Nowadays, all cell phone users know about viral videos and memes. Greyson Chance’s YouTube cover of Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi was different in April 2010. Fortunately, the video’s virality and effects are widely recorded. The tale is captivating. The video has 72M YouTube views 13 years later.

12-year-old Greyson Chance played Paparazzi in his Edmond, Oklahoma elementary school music festival. Chance took piano lessons at eight and knew the keyboard. Genetics and a fine ear gave him a powerful melodic voice, but his personality and immersion in Lady Gaga’s fifth and final single from her debut LP gave his cover intensity:

Wikipedia reports the video had little views for two weeks. Reddit.com and GossipBoy.ca shared the video on 10 May 2010. The film appeared on RyanSeacrest.com and Buzz.Feed. Greyson’s older brother Tanner Chance gave Ryan Seacrest, Ashton Kutcher, and Ellen DeGeneres the tape, which they tweeted later that day. On 11 May afternoon, Yahoo verified Greyson Chance’s Ellen Show booking.

The Wall Street Journal and LA Times reported. Chance pre-recorded Paparazzi for Ellen. Gaga called during the interview. Chance featured on ABC World News that night. Watch Chance’s main YouTube video before continuing his fast rise. My Dying Spirit was written by chance and Jason Reeves on 22 September 2022.