Jackie Evancho, Greyson Chance following in Justin Bieber's footsteps? (VIDEO)
Jackie Evancho and Greyson Chance are two young musical sensations who have converted their Youtube channels into marketable brands.
Video frame capture/Youtube
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Justin Bieber isn't the only young artist that has Youtube to thank for his rise to fame.
Jackie Evancho made a splash with an appearance on Oprah's Farewell Spectacular, Monday, but the pint-size singer first made it onto TV by submitting a Youtube video of herself to America's Got Talent. Ever since then it's been a non-stop show-biz whirlwind.
Meanwhile, just a few years older, Greyson Chance first caught Youtubers' eyes when he posted a Lady Gaga cover on the video site. His version of Paparazzi didn't just capture the hearts of his classmates who can be seen in the background of the video - it received some 39 million views on Youtube.
With both Jackie Evancho and Greyson Chance beginning to make names for themselves in the music industry after posting on Youtube, some are asking how their career trajectories may be following fellow teen Youtube sensation, Justin Bieber.
While Jackie Evancho, a soprano opera singer, might have followed in Charlotte Church's footsteps if it were 1998, the industry now has a foundation for all up-and-coming Youtube superstars in the remarkable career path Justin Bieber has taken.
Last May, a month after Chance posted the Paparazzi cover on youtube, Ellen DeGeneres took notice and had Chance flown out to be on her show the next day. Since signing with Ellen's new record label, eleveneleven, Chance, who also inspired the record label's name, has been taken under the wings of A-list managers, Guy Oseary and Troy Carter who have managed Madonna and Lady Gaga. The middle-schooler has been on tour for 2010 and 2011 and has made appearances on the CBS Early Show, Much Music, and again on the Ellen Show.
In 2008, Bieber was courted by heavyweights Justin Timberlake and Usher, while now in 2011, Chance is being managed by heavyweights Oseary and Carter. Evancho has also moved up from having to submit Youtube videos to talent shows - she landed a record deal with Columbia Records.
Bieber was discovered approximately one year after his first videos hit Youtube, and it took less than a year for him to go platinum. If his trajectory is any indication, Chance, who's fans are more similar to Bieber’s, could be in for a wild ride over the next few months.
After Youtube gave Evancho the platform to put her in front of millions of TV viewers, she began releasing albums. She came out with back-to-back albums for the past three years, and became the youngest solo artist to go platinum, selling more than 1 million CDs in 2010, while she was still only 10 years old.
Since appearing on America's Got Talent and touring with the America's Got Talent road show, Evancho has performed in front of President Barack Obama, on The Oprah Winfrey Show and several other talk shows, and at the 2011 NHL Winter Classic. On Monday, she made her second appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show singing the prelude to Over the Rainbow. Evancho appeared on a runway stage in ruby red "Dorothy" shoes for just a minute and a half but made the point that she gets Oprah's stamp of approval.
Watch Evancho perform at Oprah's Farewell Spectacular here, and let us know what you think of her not-so-pint-size voice in comments below.
[Editor's note: the original version of this story misspelled Ellen DeGeneres's name]