Steve Grand

Steve Grand, born February 28, 1990, is an American singer, songwriter, and model from Lemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He gained widespread recognition as an internet celebrity in July 2013 when the self-funded music video for his song "All-American Boy" went viral on YouTube. His rapid rise to prominence led to appearances on national media outlets, including Good Morning America and CNN, as well as a musical career spanning original studio albums, national and international performances, and active involvement in the LGBT equality movement.

Grand grew up in Lemont and began writing music at eleven years old. He drew early inspiration from his father, who shared personal stories associated with music, helping Grand realize the lasting impact of songwriting. After graduating from Lemont High School, Grand attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, for a year before enrolling at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He later left college to pursue his music career full-time.

Before achieving musical success, Grand worked as a model under several pseudonyms, appearing as a cover model for Australia's DNA magazine in 2011. He played piano at four Chicago-area churches and local venues such as The Joynt, while uploading cover songs to YouTube under the name Steve [Starchild]. On July 2, 2013, Grand released the self-produced music video for "All-American Boy," which he financed using his credit card for $7,000. The video garnered over one million views in eight days, leading to his television performance debut on WLS-TV's Windy City Live and recognition on Out magazine's "Out100" list.

Following his initial breakthrough, Grand released the follow-up singles "Stay" in 2013 and "Time" in 2014. To fund his debut full-length album, *All-American Boy*, he launched a Kickstarter campaign that raised $326,593 from 4,905 backers, reaching its original goal in a single day. The album was released on March 24, 2015. During this time, Grand toured extensively at Gay Pride Festivals across the United States, performed at the WorldPride Toronto 2014 opening ceremonies, and traveled to Austria and Latvia in June 2015 as an Arts Envoy for the U.S. State Department.

In March 2016, Grand co-wrote and released the duet "Look Away" with singer-songwriter Eli Lieb, accumulating over one million YouTube views. He made his acting debut in December 2017 on the web series *Falling for Angels* and completed summer performance residencies at the Art House in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in 2017 and 2018. Grand released his second studio album, *Not the End of Me*, on July 6, 2018, which peaked at number ten on the Billboard independent charts.

Alongside his creative projects, Grand has supported numerous LGBT advocacy groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN, Bailey House, and the Anti-Violence Project. On a personal level, Grand came out as gay at age 19 after struggling with acceptance during his youth, and he publicly shared his commitment to sobriety in December 2015.