With fans in everyone from John Mayer to Zach Braff, it's easy to see how a person could get bigheaded. However, while chatting over dinner in a downtown Vancouver restaurant (even though there wasn't much eating involved: "I don't wanna spit on you." he joked, "If I chew and eat, I'll gleek.") it was refreshing to see that Gavin DeGraw is anything but.

The New Yorker has an album, Chariot, which was recently certified platinum. He has been headlining sold-out shows all over North America, and he has been christened the "next great thing" by none other than Clive Davis, who is to music what The Donald (Trump, for those of you who have been living under a rock) is to real estate. Not too shabby for someone who claims to be just "a honky from the mountains."

DeGraw, who has often been compared to the likes of legends Stevie Wonder and Billy Joel, still seems surprised and taken aback by the praise he receives from his peers in the industry, as well as from his fans. "I appreciate those sorts of accolades," he admits, "but I don't have any expectations for myself, I'm not looking to be the next big anything. I don't want to have that hype around me because people tend to think that if there is hype, then it's just hype. I want to prove it on my own."

Yet, judging by the sold out crowd at The Vogue, he already has. From singing about lost loves to how "people find each other more attractive and more likeable when they get drunk with each other," DeGraw's poignant lyrics, quirky sense of humour, and undeniable talent made for an out-of-this-world show. Does he ever feel vulnerable, putting himself and his lyrics on stage for everyone to see? "Always," replies DeGraw, a smile peeking out from underneath his signature messenger boy cap, "but that's the fun of it. See, the good part about writing your own songs is that you are taking a personal risk. Someone will judge you."

A self described "bar culture musician," DeGraw is anything but your typical, pre-made, pre-packaged, and pre-refrigerated pop tart on the rise. "I don't need somebody around me answering questions for me or editing what I say, because they're afraid I'll say the wrong thing," he stresses, "I want to say the wrong thing here and there. I don't feel like blending in like everybody else - I know I'm different from everyone else. I make a conscious effort not to lie about my f**kin opinions." It's this passion and reasoning that has carried this talented musician this far in his career, and from the looks of it, it will only take him farther.