Lady Gaga phones 12-year-old YouTube star

A 12-year-old boy who became a hit on YouTube with his cover version of Lady Gaga's Paparazzi has received a phone call from the pop star.

Greyson Chance has had more than 10m hits on YouTube for his piano rendition of the hit single.

He was appearing on Ellen DeGeneres' US chat show when Lady Gaga phoned in to wish him luck.

"Keep following your dreams and work really hard and stay away from girls and be focused!" she advised.

Chance's video was recorded at a talent show in Edmond, a suburb of Oklahoma City, on 12 April.

The youngster uploaded it to Facebook and, a couple of weeks later, YouTube, where it garnered several thousand views.

Its popularity suddenly exploded this week after being featured on Perez Hilton's website.

His performance also caught the attention of DeGeneres' producers, who flew him to Los Angeles to take part in the chat show.

Chance said he had been learning piano for three years, but had never received vocal coaching.

And he admitted his popularity had increased since becoming an internet phenomenon. "I've gotten a couple of numbers and made some new friends," he grinned.

Lady Gaga told Chance he was "so sweet and so talented".

"I was so excited that you covered Paparazzi," she added.