Former underwear model turned country music sensation Steve Grand is working on his debut album, and without the backing of a major record label, he’s asking fans to help foot the bill.
The 23-year-old Chicago native found raging overnight success last summer with the release of “All American Boy“, a single about unrequited gay love that garnered more than a million hits on YouTube in its first week. Since then, he’s released a second video for “Stay“, and just this week, another for “Back to California” (you can download the song for 99 cents on iTunes).
Grand appeared on Larry King Now this week to talk about his upcoming debut album and the Kickstarter campaign that funded it. He launched the campaign just yesterday with hopes to raise $81,000 before March 30—in less than 24 hours, he has raised over $114,000. Grand says excess funds will be used for radio promotion:
Recording and producing an album can be an expensive undertaking. Record companies often spend hundreds of thousands of dollars—millions for the bigger artists—producing and promoting an album. My goal is $81,000. That will allow me just enough to finish my record, create album art, package it, and film my next music video, which I plan to release on the same day as the album. If we can raise this money together, you can count on my album being out sometime in May. And then I’ll see you on tour!
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We’re utilizing the very best studios and musicians to make this record everything you guys deserve it to be. I’ve already had the chance to record piano on the same instrument, with the same equipment, that you hear on Adele’s “Someone Like You.” It is all being mixed on a real console at The Studio at The Palms in Las Vegas, where artists like Lady Gaga, The Killers, Usher, and Imagine Dragons have recorded and mixed their music in the recent past.
On yesterday’s show, King predicted “Back to California” will be a huge hit and pulled out his checkbook to make one of the first contributions. As a thank you, Grand drew a sketch of Larry King and flashed the most adorable smile in history:
Now who wouldn’t want to fund a face like that?
B Damion
Well, yeah…!sex sells right?
Niall
Not that it matters, but I wonder how much was from straight women/girls and how much was from actual gay guys supporting a gay artiste for once.
SF Native
Damn he is hot. But I am not sure if he is selling his own hotness or his singing career. I just googled all his images and I think he is going to have a hard time being taken seriously as a musician when he is constantly showing off all that flesh.
katbox80
He’s the new face of country music AND shows no signs of steroid abuse.
No more redneck hicks.
@Niall: He’ll probably backtrack and say he “still fancies girls” to garner greater success.
@SF Native: He used to be an underwear model, a good one at that, which is where all those body shots come from.
*Twinky underwear models are… a joke.
Cam
Interesting that the bigotry runs so deep that he can get over a million hits and still not have a major record label.
katbox80
@Cam: But in 24 hours? WOW.
He sold out of the $5000 option as well.
If only I liked country music….
CCTR
Congratulations Steve! Good music!
MusicEsMiVida
Not my preferred type of music, but I am so happy for him. He is a great singer!
Faulk
This is really amazing, and i’m really happy for him. Can’t wait to hear the Album in May. 🙂
balehead
He’s already said he is bi…..
katbox80
@balehead: o.O?
Really?
All I see is gay, gay, GAY.
Tracy Pope
@balehead: Haven’t read that interview… Though many about being gay.
zeus2116
I don’t understand what the hype is all about. His voice is whiney and his songs are for pre-teen girls
Cam
@balehead:
And once again you make a comment but provide no link.
robirob
Wow. He is really working the social media to his advantage. Congrats.
MK Ultra
Good for him. He’s got the talent and the looks!
csmingus
Leave it to the Gay Internet Trolls to rip this man apart instead of praising him to not only pursuing what he wants to do, but to take a risk in what he believes in and have it pay off. Yeah he was an underwear model years ago but now he’s a singer. People change careers all the time and instead of harboring on the past why don’t you support the future? Just a thought.
Steve’s better off as an indie artist since he’ll have more control over his career and he’s already proved that people are interested in him with no media push after All-American Boy was released.
There really needs to be a way to vote down the negative comments, like Yahoo! has setup, because it’s really tiring seeing the constant negative comments from the Gay Internet Trolls to relentlessly badger.
stadacona
There will never be an openly gay man totally accepted by the popular music industry or general music listeners because 99% of popular music lyrics are about love and sex. All the gay men in music who willingly (Ricky Martin) or unwillingly came out (George Michael) saw their careers die. Older gay men in music played bisexual at first (Boy George, Freddie Mercury, Elton John) to keep their careers alive. Coming out as a gay man right from the start is a ticket to irrelevance (Adam Lambert, that lesbian country singer). One way to beat the system is to be in a band..such as the lead singer of Jethro Tull, two N’Sync’ers, etc.
sportyguy1983
Goes to show that looks trumps actual talent when it comes to raising money. And he is a rising country star? He is a sensation? I asked one of my sister-in-laws that is a HUGE country music fan and she has never heard of him. Looks like some gay media outlets are trying to hype someone lacking much sing talent but is dripping with amazing good looks.
KJ
Perhaps it’s not important, since genre lines are rather blurred at times, but Steve does not identify himself as a country artist. That was a media thing.
Alan down in Florida
Things are changing in country music. This year Shane McAnally, an openly gay man with husband and children who had minor success as a solo artist while still in the closet, won two Grammys this year – one as a co-writer on Kacie Musgraves Country Song of the year Merry Go Round (along with Kacie and openly lesbian Brandi Clark). He won the second Grammy as co-producer of Kacie’s Country Album of the year Same Trailer Different Park. He was featured in an article in Entertainment Weekly in which he has been quoted as saying that he has never had a problem in Nashville with being openly gay. Even TV’s Nashville soap opera has a secondary storyline about a closeted young singer.
scotshot
@B Damion: @SF Native: @stadacona: An underwear model can’t make it? Ever hear of Channing Tatum? What about that Soccer guy – what’s his name?
alterego1980
@zeus2116: But most pop-country songs are adolescent. The lyrics are always whoa-is me, and easy enough for the reddest of red-necks to understand. In that sense, his song is right on Q. This is not a critique, just an observation.
aquatarkus
@stadacona: “Ian Anderson” The Lead Singer/Founding Member/Flutetist/Guitarist/Songwriter/Arranger/ For Jethro Tull Is Not Gay, or Bi-Sexual,or At The Least I’ve Never Heard This Before…And I have too agree with sportguy1983 if it weren’t for Mr. Grand’s looks no one would care…Too truly make it in any genre’ of music it takes a whole lot of luck,and talent…
litper
@balehead: right-winger dog-f*cker and homophobe!
litper
@Cam: she’s a right-winger troll, one of aliases of jimbryant
Goforit
@zeus2116: OMG All this time I thought I was a 63 year old man! Now you tell me that I am a pre teen girl? Boy, I guess that explains a lot. Grow up and learn that your opinion is not necessarily the end all and be all of what everyone’s opinion should be.
Lazycrockett
All three songs show his ability to make different music styles and do it pretty well. Hes already at 125,000.00 so more power to him. As a fan and a supporter I wish him all the best. Then again I have a soft spot for gay artist and not the “Divas” the gays run to.
Goforit
@stadacona: Your recollection of the facts seems to differ from mine. Ricky Martin’s singing career in the US was over long before he came out. Though he is still going strong in Latin America. George Michael’s career ended when he unsuccessfully sued his music company. The bathroom sex thing and subsequent outing happened long after that. I do not recall Boy George, Freddie Mercury or Elton John playing the Bi card. (not that we even want Elton on our team any more) Lambert hasn’t been around long enough to know if he deserves a career. And if you are referring to K. D. Lang as that “lesbian country singer” she had quite a career before coming out in homophobic Nashville 25 years ago. Times have changed since then if you haven’t noticed.
Papi Bear Bob
I think I was just called a pre teen girl ! I’m not an internet troll either! I loved Steve’s singing right away. The lyrics were relevant. Those of you who don’t agree…. Didn’t your mothers teach you if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it? There are names for guys like you too.
B Damion
@scotshot
You need some dick dude…really.
Daniel-Reader
I think this is great. He seems like a sincere performer and it is refreshing to see that crowdsourcing gives the audience a chance to back talent the audience likes rather than having to default to whatever happens to be out there. Very cool. And who complains about other people looking good and having success? You have to be really bitter not to be happy for other people’s good fortune.