YouTube lip-syncing sensation Keenan Cahill took a break from living his "Teenage Dream" to sit down with J-14 and give us the exclusive scoop on his videos, his health scare, and of course, Justin Bieber!
J-14: How did you get started on YouTube? What made you want to make a video lip-syncing to Katy Perry?
Keenan Cahill: It was actually my fifteenth birthday. I got a Mac and it had webcam, and at the time, I was really into acting and singing. As for YouTube, at first it was like, "Let's see what happens," and then all of a sudden, it was like, "What if I publicize myself? Try and get myself out there by myself?" I lip-synced one day just to fool around and I did "Teenage Dream." Katy Perry saw it, and she Tweeted it and Facebooked it.
J-14: Will you ever sing instead of lip-sync?
Keenan: I actually did record a single. It's called "Okay Today" and it's about how you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. It turned out great. We gave it to some labels and stuff so hopefully during the summer we'll release it.
J-14: We heard you're doing a song with Justin Bieber! What are you guys planning?
Keenan: It's going to be from his new album, so I don't know. I reached out to him and said, "You're from YouTube, I'm from YouTube. I think it would be really cool to do something together." His manager Scooter contacted us back and said Justin would love to do it. So hopefully in October, everything will pan out!
J-14: You mentioned you wanted to go into acting as well. Is that something you want to eventually start doing?
Keenan: Yeah, definitely TV shows! We're trying to pitch a scripted reality show right now. We have a meeting with ICM and they're very interested. They were like, "We're going to try and get a really good writer for you," so hopefully that will turn out well.
J-14: Can you tell us about the genetic disorder that you've had since birth?
Keenan: I have type 6 Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome [MPS for short]. There are different types - number one being the worst so six is still pretty bad. You have bone deformity and you have a lot of joint problems as you move forward in life. So far, I've had 10 surgeries and heart problems. I actually had a big surgery this summer where they're did an osteotomy. They broke both of my knees and built a shelf for my hip.
Check out Keenan's latest YouTube video, featuring the cast of Glee:
Photo: Courtesy of Dave Graham
