MANILA, Philippines — The world has witnessed Greyson Chance grow from a young boy with a powerful voice to a man whose songs have touched the hearts of millions.
Many Filipinos consider themselves among the fortunate ones to witness this musical magic in person, with Greyson visiting the Philippines eight times across his young 15-year-career.
His most recent visit earlier this month was a two-night show at San Juan's Teatrino Promenade for his "Gold" tour.
The 28-year-old singer-songwriter sat down for an intimate talk with Philstar.com to share that latest news about him since his last visit to the country six years ago.
Greyson started by calling the "Gold" tour different from past runs because of a health scare he suffered at the start of the year. He was hospitalized due to a collapsed lung, which the singer-songwriter said gave him a new perspective.
"I got signed to my first record label 15 years ago and gone through so much in this industry and through my life and career. There's always been this desire to achieve more, to be better, to always be looking for the next thing," the 28-year-old singer said.
Fast forward to today, Greyson believes in being more present and feel more connected to the current moment.
The artist pointed out that people attending his concerts are fans who have grown up with him, "They've lived through different chapters of their life. They've gone through different relationships, ups and downs, all listening to this music in the same way that I have been writing it, and that's really special."
While he never took such thoughts for granted, Greyson admitted he might not have had the time and appreciation to realize it, a correction he is now seeing through.
Philstar.com asked Greyson if this mindset has translated on stage and in recent releases, and he described the "Gold" tour as a celebration of every chapter and album in his career.
Greyson shared that the inclusion of some of the setlist's songs would be unimaginable to a past him, again crediting a perspective shift.
"I have albums and huge things online of that whole period and for a long time I kind of cringed, I was like 'I want to move past from that,'" he continued. "Now I want to celebrate it because I think it was so cool what I was able to pull off as a kid."
He rose to fame in 2010 when his cover of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" went viral, leading to singles like "Waiting Outside the Lines," "Unfriend You," "Hold On 'til the Night," "Take a Look at Me Now," and "Sunshine & City Lights" — all before he turned 15 years old.
The singer referenced his newly released track "Savanna" where the opening verse goes "I still got time to add some lines to my face" as an internal voice reminding him to keep striving and not give up.
"I still have time to evolve, I still have time to grow because in music it's constant rejection, and I've been going through that since I was a kid," he added.
Philstar.com then asked Greyson if his approach to music has changed, and the artist answered in the absolute affirmative, and that it would continue to do so.
"I'm less focused on how successful things are, I'm more focused on honesty within the work and making sure that I'm putting things out that I feel are going to be worth it when I'm gone," Greyson said, quipping he didn't intend on sounding morbid.
"That at the end of the day, fans and I can look back and be like, 'Man, that was authentic, that was true.'"
Greyson acknowledged he would be "playing the game" in the past to compete against other pop stars, a mindset he no longer has time and energy for, instead devoting it to the studio and letting music direct him.
He added that such realizations only came recently, "I'm finally learning to have more compassion towards myself as as a kid."
The singer admitted blaming himself multiple times for different decisions or outcomes, only to remind himself he was just a 14-year-old that still managed to do well.
Going forward, Greyson believes he will pick up steam as he feels very inspired to put out music.
"No signs of stopping, I will always be the person that I think I'll go until I can't anymore, until the wheels fall off," Greyson ended.