In April 2010, an unpolished recording captured a sixth-grade school music event in Edmond, Oklahoma, that would soon travel far beyond its original setting. Twelve-year-old Greyson Chance sat at a piano to sing Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,” trading the song’s electronic-pop production for an earnest voice and acoustic keys. The video eventually reached nearly 74.7 million views by September 2026.
Chance attended school in Edmond and reshaped the hit written by Lady Gaga and Rob Fusari for Gaga’s debut album, The Fame. As he later explained on television, he had taken piano lessons for three years but had never received formal vocal training. Instead of attempting to copy the studio version, the sixth grader delivered a dramatic, percussive performance that held the room.
The recording was uploaded to Chance’s YouTube channel on April 29, 2010, at 00:47 UTC, though time differences led contemporary American reports to date the posting to April 28. Within 16 days, CBS reported the video had surpassed nine million views. In the background, other pupils sat behind him. Looking back at the girls seated nearby, one viewer joked, “Every girl went home and wrote his name with hearts around it in their journal.”
The online surge quickly carried Chance to national television. On May 13, 2010, he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he sat down for an interview and played his piano arrangement. During the broadcast, he received an unexpected telephone call from Lady Gaga, who offered him encouragement and praised his musical instincts. Experience the whirlwind television appearance where the young musician performed live and received a surprise phone call from Lady Gaga.
That appearance turned internet interest into a professional recording opportunity. DeGeneres launched her new eleveneleven record label and signed Chance as its first artist. By late 2010, he had released his debut studio single, “Waiting Outside the Lines,” moving from an Oklahoma school stage to official studio releases in just a few months.
Using global totals compiled as of November 2010, YouTube ranked the clip third among the most-watched videos uploaded that year, excluding major-label music videos. Years later, viewers continue returning to the performance, and many still remember being captivated when the clip first went viral. As one YouTube viewer commented, “16 years later we’re still coming back to watch!” By September 12, 2026, the school recording had accumulated 74,685,943 views and 732,183 likes.