Greyson Chance: The truth & nothing but

MANILA, Philippines - Greyson Chance was back in the Philippines last Nov. 10 to 12 to promote his new EP, Truth Be Told Part 1. He had two separate live shows at the Ayala Malls — Market! Market! and Trinoma — that were both on Nov. 11. Greyson sang all the songs on his new EP, as well as Unfriend You, delighting the screaming fans that packed both venues.

On Monday, we were finally able to interview Greyson in person. (We had two phone interviews with him a few months back.)

Greyson, you’ve been to the Philippines three times already, first in 2011 then last April and now, you’re here again! So what has been your most fun experience here in the Philippines?

“I would say my most fun experience… I would say last time I got to ride a jeepney, and I thought that was really cool, that was really fun and I just started off coming here and experiencing a new, different culture.

Yesterday (Nov. 11), you had two shows, so that must have been pretty hectic.

“ It was very hectic, I’m not going to lie. I saw the schedule and I was like ‘Oh my God, this is gonna be crazy!’ But the shows went very, very well.”

So what’s the craziest part about being on a promo tour?

“I think it’s just the long hours, and it’s just — I never, I never thought that many people would want an interview. But, you know, I just really enjoy talking to the press, and getting my message across... Because I want my fans to see something, and I want them to get a good feeling out of it. And I want them to say, ‘Ah, I understand that, I understand that.’ And so I think it’s really important.”

Now that you’ve sung your new tracks onstage, which song on Truth Be Told Part 1 do you most enjoy singing live?

“I think probably one of my favorites to sing live would be Take My Heart. It’s very, very special to me, and as you guys saw yesterday, I preach through it a lot. I say, ‘Don’t you hate it when people judge you for how much money you have?’ I kinda go a little bit crazy.”

We heard you like pranking people. So, what’s the prank that you’re most pleased with?

“I love ‘silly string.’ I love ‘silly stringing’ somebody, and I do it quite frequently. And then yesterday, I was actually signing and somebody brought me a can, and I was so excited and so I was gonna spray it up in the air and it was just like, it was no string, it was just kind of a lot of, just air. I was just trying to shake it, trying to get it out, and nothing came.”

There are many singing competitions on TV now. We are wondering if you watch any? Or what do you think about them?

“Probably one of my favorites would be The Voice. I love The Voice a lot, and American Idol and The X Factor are really fun, too. So much drama this year, especially in X Factor, it’s like whoa! But I really love The Voice a lot.”

In the song Leila, there is a part that goes “this feels a lot like love.” Have you ever really been in love?

“No, I don’t know if I have, and I don’t know if anyone can say they’ve been, because nobody really knows what it is. But I definitely think there have been feelings, wherein I’ve been attracted to another person, for sure.”

So, as a follow-up, are you the type of person who’d tell somebody how you feel or do you just keep it to yourself?

“I’m very confident. And that has been a good thing sometimes, and it’s not been that good of a thing sometimes.”

So for your new EP, of course, you say it’s more stripped down and your first album was more pop. So who or what inspired you to make this type of music?

“I felt like I just grew up a little bit, you know, and it wasn’t really a decision, it just kinda happened. And I think it felt more natural and I think it felt better, and I’m just very proud of it.”

Yeah, we love it.

“Oh, thank you.”

You say that you have more of a connection with this EP and that it came from your heart. So can you tell us something that you’ve realized or learned about yourself by working on this music?

“I would say, I’ve learned that… I think I had to dig really deep to write this EP, and I think I’ve learned that I have more things in here (touches heart) than I think that I have. The EP is very conceptual. There’s a big concept and big messages and big themes, and I think that it wasn’t really around for the first record. So I’ve learned that I have that, and I have that energy.”

So what part about making music is the most important to you?

“I would say it’s definitely (about making the) connection, and making something that people can listen to and really understand and get.”

You wrote all the songs on your EP. Did you write them all in the studio, or were there times when you were in the restaurant or on the plane, and you got some inspiration?

“ I was just in Max’s Restaurant and I got (sings) You Might Be The One (laughs). There were definitely some times. You know, it depends with each song. I think there were definitely times where I came into the studio and it kinda just happened. A lot of ideas come from random things.

“(For) one of the songs, Sunshine and City Lights, we were in this really tiny studio and we were telling each other, I don’t know how it came up, but they were telling me stories about how they used to sneak out and how they got into a lot of trouble. And I started telling them stories about how I sneak out today and do this and that. So we were kinda laughing all about it and one of them said ‘Yeah, I just, I miss my youth… I kinda fell in love with it back then.’

“And this just sparked this whole idea of never letting somebody go, and letting them know that they need to try to just take off this energy, this stress off them and just fall in love with their youth.”

Okay, so let’s end with a “Quickfire.”

“I like quickfires!”

Favorite superhero?

“Spider-Man.”

Last song you listened to?

“Oh, that’s a good one. Oh, oh, oh! Fall Creek Boys Choir by James Blake and Bon Iver.”

Coffee or tea?

“Coffee.”

Favorite movie?

“Oh, that’s hard. Perks Of Being A Wallflower.”

Pet peeve?

“People who don’t understand jokes.”

Going out or staying at home?

“Going out.”

Jedi or wizard?

“Jedi. So much cooler.”

Name a poster in your room?

“The Beatles.”

Ah, so John Lennon or Paul McCartney?

“Oh man, that is the toughest one… Uh… Paul, because I met him.”