Just eight days later, "All-American Boy" had more than 1 million views. On July 2, 2013, Grand uploaded a music video for his song " All-American Boy" to YouTube-producing it himself at a cost of US$7,000. However, Grand wanted to release original music. He also performed cover songs, including hits by Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, One Direction and Journey, and uploaded these to YouTube under the name Steve. He played piano at four Chicago-area churches and at various clubs in Chicago, most notably The Joynt in downtown Chicago, until 2013. Prior to launching his musical career, Grand modeled under a number of pseudonyms he was a cover model for Australia's DNA magazine in 2011 with a photo session shot by photographer Tom Cullis. From that point on, I knew that's what I wanted to do in life, create something so real and beautiful that it stays with its listener forever." 2011–2015: Career beginnings and All American Boy He made me realize the lasting power of music - how a great song can take you back to the moment you first heard it. He would listen to a song and tell stories about what each song meant to him: where he was in life, who he was dating, what car he was driving. Grand told QVegas: "But it was Dad who got me started. Grand cites a wide range of musical influences, including: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Billy Joel, Blink-182, Green Day, Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Lady Gaga and Fall Out Boy. He then returned to Chicago to enroll at the University of Illinois and later left to focus on his musical career. After graduating from Lemont High School, Grand attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, for a year. Grand started writing music when he was 11 years old. Grand grew up in the town of Lemont, Illinois, which he has "lovingly described as one of the 'blandest suburbs outside of Chicago'." 1.3 2016–2018: Not the End of Me and acting.1.2 2011–2015: Career beginnings and All American Boy.