“The Story Behind Gay Singer Steve Grand’s “All-American Boy””

There’s a story?

Did someone dig up his underwear modeling photos for DNA? No. The fact that a gay porn star is starring in his awful music video? No. His 2-year-old YouTube channel where he performed as “Steve Starchild“? No. The story is that Steve Grand is gay, which everyone already knew, and it’s been…not that big of a deal? I’m confused. What’s the story?

Buzzfeed investigates:

It’s the 4th of July, and two days ago, the 23-year-old singer and Chicago native released his first music video, an independently produced pop-country love song, “All-American Boy,” about one gay man’s unrequited love for a straight man.

Actually, Steve Grand has released multiple music videos, but who’s counting. Also: If “All-American Boy” is country, Johnny Cash is spinning in his grave.

But as the video uploaded to YouTube, he tells BuzzFeed, he obsessed over how the world — especially his church, where he works as a wedding and funeral singer — might respond to its same-sex content. “I had no idea what people were gonna think,” Grand says. “I had no idea how people were gonna respond. I couldn’t sleep.”

He couldn’t sleep!

The video wasn’t necessarily Grand’s coming out. He’d done that officially years earlier, but doing this was a terrifying act of vulnerability. “It’s me coming out as totally myself and just standing naked before the world,” he says.

A hot gay underwear model making a music video is now a terrifying act of vulnerability. This is where we’re at, folks.

Despite the risk and fear, Grand says it was something he felt compelled to do.

What was at risk? What was there to fear?

“I think that we’re at a time now where there’s no room to be anything but totally honest and totally who you are,” he says. “I decided this is who I’m gonna be to the world. Just my true, raw self. I’m putting it all out there.”

Well, aren’t we all? And aren’t we tired of people “putting it all out there”? Can we not hold anything back? Aren’t we tired of people who think other people should pay attention to them just because they’re being themselves? You’re not lying about who you are, so…congratulations?

“My sexuality hasn’t been a secret for a long time,” he says. …  [H]is family and friends have been overwhelmingly supportive throughout the process of making his video. “[My mother’s] proud of me, and she’s been looking at the comments and she’s so touched and she’s so moved,” he says. “She’s come such a long way.” He’s still waiting to see how his church, where he sings, will respond. “I’m not sure what’s gonna happen now that this is all out in the open. That was just another sacrifice I had to make because that was a big chunk of my income.”

Talented musicians like Rufus Wainwright, Jake Shears, George Michael, Melissa Etheridge, Ricky Martin, Elton John, KD Lang, Boy George, and even Adam Lambert didn’t have to launch their music careers by talking about their sexuality because they didn’t need to. Steve Grand, whose talent and music is perfectly unremarkable, obviously does. That coupled with the fact that he has amazing abs makes him incredibly brave and inspiring, doesn’t it?

Here’s Steve Grand a.k.a. Steve Starchild in 2011:

 

18 thoughts on ““The Story Behind Gay Singer Steve Grand’s “All-American Boy”””

  1. Be fair Zach. All those singers and musicians you mentioned didn’t mention their sexuality til long after they became famous or in some cases superstars. With the exception of Adam Lambert who was outed while still on American Idol which he eventually lost and came in at second place. Unfortunately talented gay musicians are still being forced by record labels and managers to keep their sexuality secret so they don’t hurt their chances at making it big. The stakes are much higher for an unknown trying to make it in the music industry to make their sexuality known. You forgot to mention 2013 Grammy winner rapper Frank Ocean who also came out after he had a hit album.

  2. “Talented musicians like Rufus Wainwright, Jake Shears, George Michael, Melissa Etheridge, Ricky Martin, Elton John, KD Lang, Boy George, and even Adam Lambert didn’t have to launch their music careers by talking about their sexuality because they didn’t need to.”

    Most of openly gay artists such as Ricky Martin, Elton John George Michael came out of the closet as gay when they no longer feel the need to sell records. Elton John and Boy George claimed to be bisexual not gay for years and Elton was at one time married to a woman. Ricky Martin and George Michael portrayed themselves as heterosexual in their songs and music videos. Homophobia still exists widely, and you are being naive if you think it is low on the list of barries in the music industry. There is an evident lack of openly gay artists on US top40 and there are hardly any openly gay artists on major labels in the first place. That’s because if you’re openly gay you’re not gonna get a major label record deal, at least not in the US. Also, the US music industry is far more accepting of gay/bi females than gay/bi males. Not only is the music industry homophobic towards the concept of male-male sexuality in its protagonists, it is also sexist in its homophobia, discriminating far more against men than against women. You don’t have to support Steve Grand, but you should acknowledge that he is ballsy enough to be so open about his sexuality before his career is even established. He is trying breaking the barriers for himself and for others and that’s not an easy task for a young gay man when there’s still so much hate, homophobia, bigotry and ignorance out there.

    1. I agree 100% Homophobia is still rampant in the music industry towards gays. Basically the record labels lay down the law and that is to keep your sexuality quiet until after you get a hit record and a fan base. I think Steve Grand should at least get some recognition from within the gay community for his bravery, regardless of what you think of his music. He has a tough road ahead of him and this is uncharted territory for a gay singer/musician to come out so early on. Frank Ocean is the most recent example of a gay singer who came out only after his album became a big hit and he won 2 Grammys this year.

  3. Ricky Martin? The same Ricky Martin that came out of the closet to revive his comatose career? Let’s not even get into the word “talented” being in the same sentence as Ricky Martin lol. I also hope were not going to pretend Adam Lambert didn’t completely avoid everything regarding sexuality during his Idol run and then go on a (gay) sexual frenzy in his first televised performance.

  4. You secretly love him, don’t you Zach? And this is your equivalent of pulling his pigtails on the playground and running away.

  5. The country music industry is notorious for being homophobic; he may be using his sexuality to try and gain publicity for his efforts, but it’s still an uphill battle for him to make it in that world. So yes, there is a story here. It’s a shame the amount of venom he’s getting on this site for it.

  6. This guy is an amateur unsigned artist who put a video up on YouTube that some writers at Buzzfeed in need of a story latched onto. I’m not sure why he’s being raked over the coals here for being jettisoned into the spotlight as the inadvertent subject of someone elses fluff piece of journalism.

      1. agreed, honestly can you people just leave these guys the fuck alone? They are only here to put bare of their talents to the world and all thesword can do is critic? We should be supporting our fellow brother, if the straights are going to ridicule him, what makes any of us any better.

        Seriously and outing Taylor from Fratmen? Zach, you probably don’t have the balls or body to show off on Fratpad and therefore expressing your frustration and hate towards somebody else who can.

        Sad.

  7. Don’t blame the guy for someone else’s poor journalism, though, he’s a run-of-the-mill performer, but so are most others you gladly advertise

  8. I LOVE Steve Grand, and Loved Steve Starchild too. Love All American Boy and Love his cover of You and I. Great Story! Thanks

  9. I’m more bored with the author of this piece, Zach – what’s the problem? Why are you having issues with Steve Grand? Let the cute abs sing in peace – or do better yourself :)

  10. Well, at the very least, Brent Corrigan should appreciate the let up as you seem to have (at least temporarily) found a new target for your patented “mean girl” routine.

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