Steve Grand's 'American' Success Story: Kickstarter-Funded Debut Album Arrives on Charts

Singer-songwriter Steve Grand -- who scored a hit viral video in 2013 with “All-American Boy” -- arrives on the April 11-dated charts with his Kickstarter-funded debut album. All American Boy bows at No. 47 on the Billboard 200, No. 27 on Top Album Sales and No. 3 on Independent Albums. The set sold 10,000 copies in the week ending March 29, according to Nielsen Music.

All American Boy arrived on Grand’s own Grand Nation imprint and is distributed by Brody Distribution Group (through RED).

“I’m blown away! My fans have done it again,” says Grand. “I have believed in this record, and now it’s clear a lot of other people do too. Putting out an album has been my longtime dream, and to have it do so well in just its first week is phenomenal.”

It’s the first chart entry for the artist, who has collected nearly 4 million views for his self-financed “All-American Boy” video. The clip featured Grand in a gay-themed storyline that was inspired by the out artist’s own life. When the video went viral, the unsigned Grand also didn’t have a manager or publicist, but quickly found himself getting news coverage from BuzzFeed, ABC’s Good Morning America, the Associated Press and Billboard.

The success of the video led to the still-indie Grand setting up a Kickstarter campaign to fund his debut album. The appeal generated $327,000 from 4,905 backers and is the fourth-most-funded music project in Kickstarter history, behind campaigns from Amanda Palmer, Carman and TLC.