Talk show host and American Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres has just announced the launch of her own record label. The first artist on the bill? 12-year-old “Paparazzi” YouTube star Greyson Chance.
Greyson Chance was launched to stardom at the tender age of 12 after he posted a video of himself singing Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” in a talent show on YouTube. Ellen DeGeneres stumbled on the clip and immediately booked Chance on her talk show. The Greyson Chance “Paparazzi” video has now garnered more than 30 million views worldwide.
Elle DeGeneres fell hard for the miniature Justin Bieber; she decided to launch a record label just to sign Greyson Chance as the first artist. “Greyson… inspired me to start a record label called eleveneleven,” DeGeneres said. “He is my first artist, and we are making a record together.”
On the Ellen DeGeneres show Wednesday, Chance said his sudden fame “really just hasn’t sunken in yet. It has been two weeks, and it still hasn’t sunken in yet. It’s awesome.”
Ellen DeGeneres isn’t the only high profile powerhouse to get behind Chance. Madonna‘s manager, Guy Oseary, and Lady Gaga‘s manager, Troy Carter, have signed on to co-manage the young singer.
DeGeneres plans to use her new record label to promote the careers of other artists she finds through her show. We can’t help but wonder if we might be seeing a few American Idol castoffs in the label’s future?
>> Previously:Â American Idol Last Night: The Final Performances