Frequently Asked Questions Revised 02/26/2014
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Frequently Asked Questions Revised 02/26/2014 Steve’s Story. Not long ago, Steve Grand was a little-known Chicago singer-songwriter. That all changed when his self-funded “All-American Boy” music video posted to YouTube. The song — about unrequited love between two men — went viral, accumulating 2.75 million views and landing Steve on “Good Morning America,” CNN and Buzzfeed’s “24 Most Brilliant Music Videos from 2013.” Hailed as a “viral sensation” and one of America’s “first openly gay country stars,” Steve is working on his first full-length album due out this spring. You’ve had an incredible rise since “All-American Boy.” What has it been like? It’s been a whirlwind! On July 2, 2013, my life changed. When I posted “All-American Boy” to YouTube, I knew I was making myself vulnerable, telling my story to the world. But I never could have guessed how many people would be so touched by it! I wake up every day feeling grateful to my fans. Now I’m focused on turning all of this into something lasting for the thousands of people who have reached out to me. You’ve been called the first openly gay country star. Is that accurate? I’m certainly not the first. I am in awe of the trailblazers who came before me. And I never labeled myself country. But if some people hear that in my music, that’s great. I’m not sure I fit into any one box. I just want my music to touch people. If it does, I’m happy. What would you say to the fans who made you a viral sensation? I'd like to say: “Thank you for changing my life and giving me a sense of purpose. You are what I think about when I wake up each morning and go to work writing music.” The best part of all of this has been the people who walk up to me and say, “I’m from a small town. Thanks for telling my story. Thanks for giving me a voice.” What’s next for your career? I’m working on my first full-length album due out this spring! Once again, I’ll be producing this as an independent artist, with help from my fans through a Kickstarter campaign. I feel a sense of purpose to honor the relationship and trust I’ve built with fans. Whenever I’m making a decision about my career, my fans are always at the forefront of my mind. How did you get started in music? What was your inspiration? Charlie Brown's Schroeder! I think I was 4 or 5 years old, and I was just fascinated by the sounds he would create sitting at that little piano. I became obsessed with every aspect of the piano — sonically and visually. I began making models of pianos of all different sizes, with cardboard and glue and crayon. My parents finally got the hint and bought us a little used upright piano from the Penny Saver! 1 Who are your musical influences? My dad was the first person to inspire me to play music. Many of my musical inspirations align with his: The Beatles, the Stones, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Billy Joel. Later on, I began listening to music my parents didn't quite understand: Blink-182, Green Day, Taking Back Sunday, Brand New and Fall Out Boy. But it was Dad who got me started. He 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. He made me realize the lasting power of music—how a great song can take you back to the moment you first heard it. From that point on, I knew that's what I wanted to do in life, create something so real and beautiful that it stays with its listener forever. What are the musical themes in your work? Love had and lost. Lust. Friendship. The trials and tribulations of growing up. The struggles of self-acceptance, and being accepted by our parents for who we are. And of course, unrequited love. What is your creative process? It’s never the same. Sometimes it’s writing a lyric down in my “notes” on my iPhone. Sometimes it’s humming a melody into my iPhone recorder. Sometimes I just sit at a piano and flesh out a song in a matter of hours. Usually songs come when I least expect them to. What is the back story to “All-American Boy”? Growing up Catholic in a small town, gay people just weren’t very visible in my world. So falling for straight guys is definitely something I’ve experienced. But that song is not just about being gay. It’s about the universal experience of wanting someone you can’t have. I think that’s an experience we can all relate to, whether you’re gay or straight. The story of the song and video are inspired by many experiences I had growing up as a young guy who had a long way to go in terms of accepting who he was. When I was growing up, my dad would always pat my brother and me on the head and brag that we were his “all-American boys.” When we were much younger, we played baseball and soccer. We were actively involved in Boy Scouting and spent our summers building tree houses in the woods near our house. Growing up that way, only to learn I was gay — which is not something everybody includes in the idea of what it means to be “all-American”— I became very inspired to broaden the idea of what it means to be all-American. Your sexuality should not exclude you from that. I wish I had someone to tell that to me when I was struggling with accepting who I was, so now I want to use my music and my art to send that message. How is your second single, “STAY,” different from “All-American Boy,” and what is the song about? Well, for one thing, in the end I get the guy! “Stay” tells the story of a romance that ends, but heats up again during a day at the beach with friends. It’s all about that magical feeling of summer love, of re-awakening, forgetting the past, moving on and feeling young and free. The images on screen — a kiddie pool, squirt guns, BBQ, a food fight, a marching band — take you back to the days of being young, not having a care in the world, when you could just “smell” summer around the corner. 2 What is the message of your third single, “Back to California”? This song is about friendship, and the disillusionment of young adulthood. It’s about how we have all these hopes and dreams when we are young, and sometimes life turns out a little differently than we expected. It’s also about that unique, special bond that many of us young gay boys had with a best friend who was a girl — someone who seemed to “get” us and understand us as we were growing up and figuring out who we were. When did you realize you were gay? I was 13 years old, and leaving Boy Scout summer camp. While there, I had an emotional connection to this one guy. On the five-hour ride home from Wisconsin to Chicago, I had this terrible ache inside me. That’s when I realized the truth: I was in love with a man. It was the hardest summer of my life. I felt incredibly alone. But for all the kids out there who might be going through this, I want you to know that you are not alone. Hang in there. Be patient. You will go through many growing pains. But life is so much better when we accept our true, authentic selves. How did you come out, and how did your friends and family react? In the eighth grade, I told my friends I was gay. Music and keeping a journal became outlets for me to express how I felt and to be heard. I had to work through a lot of conflicting emotions, and I think true self- acceptance is a life-long journey for any human being. My parents found out by seeing an AOL instant message I sent to my friends. They were shocked and initially not welcoming at all. Their hearts were in the right place, but their lack of acceptance was a great source of pain and confusion for me for a long time. But because they loved me so much, they did a lot of soul searching. It has been a journey, and I’m so proud of how far we have all come. My family and I have all gained so much strength, compassion and understanding. They’re my No. 1 fans, cheering me on every step of the way. What were you like in high school? I had long hair and wore the same Paul McCartney T-shirt almost every day. I would just keep washing it and wearing it. Kids probably thought I was weird, but I was in my own world! I was a band geek and in choir. I had taken piano lessons and eventually learned guitar and flute. And I sang in a couple different rock bands. 3 .