When 17-year-old Zach Sobiech -- a high school student diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer -- wrote a song to say good-bye to his friends and family, he wasn't expected to get much attention for it. But to the young musician's surprise, his song went viral -- and last month, he even signed with a performing rights organization.
Following the success of his viral hit “Clouds”, which made waves not just on the Internet but in the music industry, Broadcast Music Inc. signed the singer-songwriter. They wrote on their Website last week, “BMI is honored to have signed Zach Sobiech during a visit he and his family made to BMI’s New York City office on Friday, January 25, 2013.”
Watch the video above and head over to USA Today to read the full story.
The original song was posted to YouTube on December 5, and now has over 2 million views and counting. “Clouds” was written by Sobiech as a good-bye letter for his friends and family after learning that he only had months to live.
Sobiech was diagnosed with osteosarcoma -- a cancerous bone tumor that usually shows up in children -– at the age of 14. The teen turned to music to share his feelings and emotions during this struggle, and has been met with positive reception from fans all around the world who are inspired by his relentlessly positive attitude and astounding talent.
Despite the video’s dramatic spike in page views and Sobeich’s popularity as a songwriter, the teen artist remains humble about his newfound success.
“['Clouds'] was originally written for just my family and others who I love, but it’s meant to raise awareness for childhood cancer because I often think it gets forgotten about," Zach said in an interview with BMI.
Sobiech also told BMI that he’s been inspired by Ed Sheeran’s songwriting, among other artists.
Zach will perform on February 16 at, “Up, Up, Up. A Concert for Zach,” benefiting the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis.
Are you inspired by Zach's story? Would you buy his record? Share your thoughts in the comments or tweet @HuffPostTeen.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that Zach Sobiech signed a record deal at Broadcast Music, Inc. The article was updated to reflect the fact that Sobiech signed with BMI as an official BMI songwriter. BMI is not a record label and is a performing rights organization.
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