Steve Grand may be the next upcoming country/pop music star, and by the way he’s a gay man!

While he is not the first gay country musician, “All-American Boy” is notable for how normal, and timeless, he makes this homosexual tale of unrequited young love seem: it’s as American as the 4th of July!

The video, made on a shoestring budget of $7,000 with a maxed-out credit card, was uploaded on July, 2, 2013 and within a week had over 500,000 views.

That says a lot about progress! Check out this interview for more on Steve’s new perspective on the All-American Boy.

(Compare to, say, Kenny Chesney’s “American Kids.”)