Gray eventually settled in Georgetown , Texas , as a preteen , where he remained for the rest of his teenage years . Gray 's life in small-town Texas inspired much of his art and music . Conan Gray was accepted to UCLA , and he moved to an apartment in Los Angeles , California in September 2017 . As recalled in his Draw My Life video , " I like to think of my life in pieces . It 's been picked up and moved and rearranged , so many times , that you can barely even tell it 's been lived in the same lifetime . " Conan Gray 's YouTube channel has about 1.4 million subscribers . He began creating videos at age nine , and created his official channel in 2013 . Gray 's vlog content centers heavily on his life in small-town Texas , and he is often hailed for his appreciation of Americana-related nostalgia . Gray recorded music , showed his art , and created other videos for his vlog , with more than twenty-five million views by 2017 . While he grew up in Texas , Gray went on to attend UCLA in order to study filmmaking . Soon after he started his classes , he took a hiatus from school to pursue a music career . He was awarded the 2019 Shorty Award for Best YouTube Musician . In October 2018 , Gray released the single " Generation Why " on Republic Records , which has been described as a rallying call to millennials and a sharp rebuke to criticisms levied against them . In November 2018 Gray released the EP Sunset Season , including the first single " Idle Town " , which received thirty million Spotify streams , and twelve million YouTube views . It also includes the track " Crush Culture " , a semi-autobiographical anti-love song that critiques the Founder generation . Gray set up a North American tour in support of the EP , which reached number two on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart . As a performer , Conan Gray was an opening act for Panic ! at the Disco , and played concert festivals such as The Great Escape in addition to touring nationally
2019 Shorty Award
11th Shorty Awards
Conan Gray