Savannah Outen

THE STAR SCOOP:
You have a lot of videos on YouTube and you do a lot of really great covers. How do you choose the songs that you cover?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
It depends. A lot of times it’s from all of the requests I get from fans and they always message me and ask me to sing a certain song. But other times, it’s just a song that I’m completely obsessed about, like “Just The Way You Are,” Bruno Mars’ song. I was just – I mean I still am to this day – I was just so obsessed with that song, and I was like, I have to play this for YouTube! A mix of both.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Do you have any plans for what you’ll sing next?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
I’m thinking about a new Katy Perry song, so we’ll see.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Will you do any collaboration videos with either other artists or other people on YouTube?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
Yeah. That’s funny you asked that. I just was in Tampa. There’s a band called Boyce Avenue on YouTube, and they’re super huge. They’ve got so many views and subscribers and stuff. We collaborated and did two videos together. I can’t tell you what song we sang, but they’re pretty popular songs. I’m so excited to to share those with everyone.

I have a duet that I just recorded with one of my best friends, Josh Golden. And we are going to release that pretty soon. It’s a song we both wrote and we’re happy with it. Be looking out for that for sure!

THE STAR SCOOP:
You have some original songs. Have you released original music? Do you plan to release…what’s the scoop on that?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
A couple years ago, I released my first single, and it’s called “Goodbyes.” It was actually the first song I had ever written. It peaked at number 5 on the top 30 countdown on Radio Disney. I had another song that I released called “If You Only Knew.” I did a music video for that song…I did another single called “Fighting For My Life.”

The newest single, “Be Original” was just release a couple weeks ago, and it’s number 21 on the top 30 countdown on Radio Disney. I’m definitely releasing a lot of original music. I love to write. It’s actually a big passion of mine!

THE STAR SCOOP:
Is there anything in particular that inspires the songs that you write?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
Most of the inspiration comes from boys [laughs]. A lot of my friends’ experiences and relationships. I get a lot of inspiration from my fans and just hearing their stories. Different artists like John Mayer and Norah Jones, Sara Bareilles, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera. There’s so many different inspirations.

THE STAR SCOOP:
What kind of guitar do you play and how long have you been playing it for?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
I play a McPherson guitar. It’s seriously like the most beautiful guitar. I love it so much. The sound is just amazing. I have been playing for three years now. I love it so much! It’s definitely my favorite.

But I really want to start playing the drums. I was just at a friend’s house a couple weeks ago and he has this drum set and I kept playing it. I just love the drums, so I want to learn so bad! That’s my goal for 2011.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Did you teach yourself to play the guitar?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
I taught myself [laughs]. But I still don’t know some things. Of course, there’s so much more I need to learn. I think it would kind of mix my brain up if I took a guitar class just because I taught myself and I have all these different techniques and different ways to play. I love playing guitar. It’s awesome!

THE STAR SCOOP:
How would you say that YouTube has changed your life and where do you hope it will take you?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
It definitely has changed my life in the sense where I have so many more opportunities now. I’ve gotten to tour and do concerts and the coolest things ever that I couldn’t even imagine doing a couple years ago. Also, I’ve been able to share my music with people from around the world. I have fan sites from Australia and Switzerland, Brazil. There’s so many different fan sites and places that listen to my music, which is incredible.

YouTube has been awesome and I really hope in the next couple of years that it can just keep growing and it will be on a bigger scale and I can tour around the whole entire world and meet everyone, have sold out tours, have an album released and be nominated for grammys. I just really hope that that happens in the future. I’m loving every second of it right now! YouTube is great. Absolutely amazing.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Tons of people publish covers, put themselves out there. You definitely have some of the most views consistently for all your videos. Do you think there is anything in particular about you that is making you stand out from the rest of the population basically?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
I get this question a lot, and I really don’t know what it is! I think maybe it’s just because my videos are not high class or anything. It’s just me in front of a little camera, in front of my white closet. It’s not this huge production. I’m really chill, hey guys, it’s me, listen to a new cover I’m working on or a song I’m writing.

I get a lot of messages from fans that say, Oh my gosh, I can totally relate to you. You’re such an inspiration and you’re so down to earth…I just think it’s so awesome. I guess that people can just kind of relate to me, I suppose. I also write back to every single person on YouTube and Twitter and Facebook and Myspace. I think the fans love that, that we just have kind of a little online friendship.

I try to be as personable as possible and stay in touch with them. I don’t really know. There’s just so many amazing, talented people on YouTube, so I guess I’m just lucky to be one of the most viewed people. That’s awesome!

THE STAR SCOOP:
You have to wonder with all the success you’ve had, what do your friends think about you being so visible and so well-known on YouTube?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
At first, I didn’t tell anyone, when I was starting out singing. None of my friends knew that I really could sing. I tried to keep that separate. I didn’t really want them to think that, oh, she’s too good for us, or she’s showing off or anything. I kept that a secret.

[It] started growing. People started coming up to me. My friends were saying, wait, are you Savannah7448 on YouTube? That’s you, like, what the heck! I was like, yeah, you know, I just started a YouTube and it’s kind of gotten crazy.

Of course, some people were supportive. Others were not. I found out who my true friends were but now being in the business, I’ve met a lot of really good friends and good people. It’s awesome to have friends who are in the business, because they really understand what’s going on.

But at the same time, it’s awesome to have friends in my hometown, POrtland, because they’ve known me for so long. Most of the friends are super supportive. Of course there is going to be some haters, but you just gotta brush them off and forget about them.


THE STAR SCOOP:
Anything else you want people to know about you?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
Hmm. More about me…[laughs]. I’m 5’4. I wish I was taller but I’m not! Funny fact: I used to be on a jump rope team. I love to dance. I’ve actually posted a couple videos of me dancing just for fans to see another passion of mine, that I don’t just like singing and playing guitar.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Is there anything you want to say directly to your fans and to all the people who watch you on YouTube?

SAVANNAH OUTEN:
Yeah! I say this all the time but just thank you, thank you, thank you so much for all of your guys’ support. It means the world to me. Your letters and your fan mail, all of the sweet little gifts and scrap books you guys make, it’s just incredible. It’s so surreal to have fans and fan sites, but I love you guys and appreciate all of your support. Please vote for “Be Original” on Radio Disney!

- THE STAR SCOOP

Not only does Miley Cyrus serve as Savannah Outen’s role model, but the budding pop princess has her eye on the superstar poptart’s TV beau!

Interviewed on WZAP Radio, Savannah - though unattached at the moment - dishes about what she desires in a guy.


"That just made my life. I was like, She knows who I am!" Savannah (above) says of Miley's Radio Disney nod.
“I am single with a capital ‘S.’ It’s so much better to be single. When you have a boyfriend, it’s so much drama,” the 16-year-old songbird, whose YouTube channel boasts 4.2 million views, tells host Zachary Sang.

“But I really like guys who are musical, or if they play the drums or guitar. And I like guys who wear sweater vests. Ha!

“Two years ago, when I was a freshman in high school, there was this guy… I was not very into him, but I was like, ‘Oh, I really like guys who wear sweater vests’ - just joking around. And the next day he shows up to school and he’s wearing a sweater vest.

“I was like, ‘Awww, that’s so sweet - but you’re just a friend,’” adds the Goodbyes singer.

Later in the show, Savannah confesses to her crushes, who include The OC’s Adam Brody and Justin Timberlake. (”But he’s really old,” she notes of JT.)


"He's soooooo adorable," Savannah tells us of Drew (above). "He wears a really cool scarf."
Those dudes don’t hold a candle, however, to the hunk she mentions next.

“Did you see the new Hannah Montana episode - I cannot believe I’m saying this - the one where she has to choose between Cody Linley [who plays Jake Ryan] and the other guy?

“OK, I’m madly in love with that Jesse guy. His name’s Drew Roy in real life. And I like him a lot.”

Later still, Savannah reveals that though she has never met the Miley, the Hannah Montana star recently made her day:

“Miley mentioned me on Radio Disney… She was saying that she never really heard my music before but she was going to check me out when she got home.

“I thought that was really cool. She thought I was cute!”

“I would love to have just a little part of Miley’s fame,” adds Savannah. “I would love to be like her, to follow in her footsteps. We’ll see.”

To hear Savannah’s full interview, click here.
- Zachary Sang

Savannah Outen, a singing talent already featured on Disney radio, is poised to become the breakout teen pop idol of 2009. This 15-year-old Oregonian was discovered on YouTube after she posted a series of videos of herself singing cover songs by popular artists such as Fergie and Rihanna.

Her young voice is natural and expressive, and ranges "from powerful and pure to disarming and emotive," according to Keith Thomas from Levosia Entertainment, who recently signed her to a recording contract1. So much talent in one person had to be discovered, and it is not surprising that the Internet provided the exposure and the catalyst to get discovered, and it will provide the publicity and marketing machine to Savannah Outen's rise into a soon pop star sensation. The Internet is where all the potential fans are, and soon in droves they will flock to Savannah Outen's MySpace page to get the latest scoop and to hear sound clips from her newest songs.

But think Disney. Savannah Outen is on the same meteoric rise as Miley Cyrus once was, and it shouldn't be too long before Disney developes a TV show around her considerable talents and her unique personality. She can sing, play the guitar, dance, and she can act, and she still has the innocence gathered from a small town life in Oregon far away from Hollywood or the recording industry which appeals to the masses; this is a winning combination for the millions of pre-teen and young teenage fans looking for their next role model to emulate. Savannah Outen will become big business. Expect her name and face everywhere in 2009. Expect carefully crafted music and merchandising. Expect her to be one of the most searched for persons on the Internet.

She has already recorded songs called "Goodbyes" and "Unlock the Door," which are getting featured and heavily played on Disney radio (additionally "Goodbyes" is now available on I-Tunes). Already on her MySpace page she has had over 200,000 total sample plays of these two songs, and on YouTube she has more than 33,000 subscribers. She is busy working on her first album, to be produced by Levosia Entertainment. She says that she will be writing new songs this summer and that her first CD should be released by the end of this year. Appearances on MTV won't be far off. And a TV show and millions of adoring fans are sure to follow.

Hannah Montana, watch out for Savannah.
- S.Harbold