Steve Grand is a singing phenomenon. I first heard of him from his rendition of Mariah Carey’s holiday song, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” It’s a lovely, homoerotic video of a committed couple which can be viewed on YouTube. His new album, “All American Boy,” has been seen by nearly five million viewers on YouTube, and has been purchased by legions of fans.  And that’s only a small part of his meteoric celebrity. Steve Grand is now appearing – live – in the New Jersey/New York/Pennsylvania metro area this month. I was able to speak to him recently, and this is what he had to say about his past, what’s happening now, and his outlook for the future.

Ralph Malachowski: You have a very thorough profile in Wikipedia. If you could talk about your childhood: what led you to music; the people around you; and how you dealt with leaving home.

Steve Grand: I first was exposed to playing an instrument when my family moved into a new home. My parents bought an old, upright piano. I was fascinated by it, and so I started taking lessons at around age five or six. I started playing the guitar when I was older, as I think many other young men do, around the years I was becoming a teenager. I began writing music at age eleven to try to come to terms with a lot of issues all of us have, of growing up, making sense of the world.

I’ve spoken a lot about my coming out when I was young. I came out unintentionally by telling a few friends I was gay when I was thirteen. They then told my parents. Being Catholics, they sought counseling for me, mostly because they really didn’t understand what being gay meant. They had this idea that being gay would be a terrible tragedy for me, so I saw a psychologist for five years. No, it wasn’t one of those situations where I was tortured, but as soon as I was 18, I left Chicago, my hometown, to find myself and to find out how to go about making a life for myself with my music.

RM: is that why you went to Nashville? To get into the music business?

SG: Yes. I learned as much as I could, and then it was time to move on. At first, I used my credit cards to finance some recordings, and later I went to Kickstarter. The Kickstarter campaign was wildly successful. Contributions came in that more than exceeded our expectations, and that was a good thing since it enabled us to do more than we initially expected.

RM: Along the way, you were a model. Many of your photos from that time are quite sexy. Do you regret having done some of those photo shoots?

SG: No way! In no way do I regret anything that I did. It was a part of the journey I needed to take, and that has now ended. I am on a new path.

RM: Speaking of new paths, how is your relationship with your parents these days? Do you have any brothers and sisters? How are they reacting?

SG: I am on great terms with my mom and dad. They are very supportive and happy for my current success. Yes, I have a brother and sister. One older brother who is in the pharmaceutical business, and a younger sister who works in insurance. I keep in touch with them. They are very happy for me.

RM: Speaking of happiness, you will be making many of your fans happy by appearing in person later in February, first in New York City, then Asbury Park, followed by The Rrazz Room in Philadelphia on February 26, and then the following day at the Rrazz Room in New Hope at the Raven on Saturday, February 27. And we see something else … February 28 happens to be your birthday. How do you plan to spend your birthday?

SG: I really don’t know. I’m not the kind of person who makes a big deal of birthdays. I will probably spend it with a few friends. You know, I’ll be twenty six! That’s getting old. It’s a lot closer to thirty than to twenty, so it makes me think twice.

RM: What does 2016 and beyond hold in store for you? A new album? Will you be touring? I’m sure your fans will want to know.

SG: There is a new album that I’m working on. It doesn’t have a title. I don’t like to talk about it since it’s still in the early stages. I’m encouraged by the great welcome that my video, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” enjoyed with the public in December. (According to announcements, “We Are the Night,” a new Steve Aude remix is due February 19.)  My music is available on all the usual outlets, Google Play, Amazon, i-Tunes, etc. We’ll see what this year will bring our way. I may be moving away from Chicago to Los Angeles. It may be a good career move, but I also like the idea of leaving the cold weather behind as well.

RM: Are there any final thoughts for your fans in Philadelphia, New Hope, and Asbury Park?

SG: I’m looking forward to meeting and greeting my audience at every venue. I hope that there will be “meet and greet” opportunities. I will do my best to give my fans great music to enjoy.

Steve Grand will appear at the Rrazz Room in New Hope and in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.therrazzroom.com/

Info HERE.