Kevin Olusola facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kevin Olusola
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Kevin Olusola playing the cello at a Pentatonix concert at the USANA Amphitheatre
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| Born |
Kevin Oluwole Olusola
October 5, 1988 Pasadena, California, U.S.
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| Other names | K.O. |
| Alma mater | Yale University (BA) |
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| Years active | 2011–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Leigh Weissman
(m. 2019) |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
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| Instruments |
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| Labels | Madison Gate, RCA |
Kevin Oluwole Olusola, also known as K.O., was born on October 5, 1988. He is an American singer, songwriter, beatboxer, and cellist. Kevin is most famous as the beatboxer for the a cappella group Pentatonix. This group sings without instruments, using only their voices.
After Pentatonix won NBC's The Sing-Off in 2011, they became very popular. They have released many albums and sold millions of records. Their YouTube channel has also gained over two billion views. Kevin Olusola is also known for creating "celloboxing." This is a unique way of playing the cello and beatboxing at the same time. His celloboxing video of "Julie-O" became very popular online in 2011. This video helped him join Pentatonix.
Contents
Kevin's Early Life and School
Kevin Olusola was born in Pasadena, California. His father, Oluwole Olusola, was a psychiatrist from Nigeria. His mother, Curline Paul, was a nurse from Grenada. Kevin's family moved several times when he was young. They lived in Hershey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Eventually, they settled in Owensboro, Kentucky, where Kevin grew up.
Kevin went to Sutton Elementary School. He was in a special math program there. This program allowed him to study advanced math in high school. For his 11th grade, he decided to attend Phillips Academy Andover. This is a well-known boarding school.
Kevin says that Andover taught him to work hard and be determined. He improved his grades a lot there. He also helped with a music program for young string students. He studied Spanish and even went to Costa Rica to practice the language. After Andover, Kevin went to Yale University.
At Yale, Kevin first planned to study medicine. However, he became interested in China. He visited Beijing and later lived there for six months. He also took a break from Yale to study Chinese more deeply. Kevin graduated from Yale in 2011.
Kevin's Musical Journey
Starting Music as a Kid
Kevin's parents noticed his musical talent when he was very young. He started piano lessons at age 4 and cello at age 6. He also learned to play the alto saxophone at age 10. Kevin was very involved in music programs in school and his community. He played in jazz bands, marching bands, and orchestras.
When Kevin was 12, he was chosen as the main saxophonist for a special band. He toured Europe with them for three weeks. He was also the main cellist for the Kentucky State Youth Orchestra. Kevin performed at Carnegie Hall twice. Once, he played piano, and another time, he played alto saxophone for a PBS show.
Developing Celloboxing
While at Yale, Kevin was a main cellist in the Yale Symphony Orchestra. During his junior year, he started thinking about music as a career. He began working on "celloboxing" in Beijing. A teacher suggested he combine his cello playing with beatboxing.
Kevin entered a competition by famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Yo-Yo Ma praised Kevin's unique version of a song. Kevin also started uploading his celloboxing videos to YouTube. He performed for important people and on TV in Beijing. He also collaborated with an American rapper named KorElement.
Joining Pentatonix
In 2010, Kevin worked on his celloboxing version of Mark Summer's "Julie-O." He posted the video online on April 14, 2011. The video quickly became very popular. It was seen by many people around the world.
Around that time, Scott Hoying contacted Kevin. Scott was forming an a cappella group for The Sing-Off TV show. He was impressed by Kevin's beatboxing skills. Kevin joined Scott, Kirstin Maldonado, Mitch Grassi, and Avi Kaplan. They formed Pentatonix.
The group won The Sing-Off on November 28, 2011. This win gave them a recording contract and a cash prize. Pentatonix then moved to Los Angeles to record their first album. Their first album, PTX, Volume 1, was released in June 2012. It quickly became popular on music charts.
After touring, Pentatonix released their second album, PTX, Vol. II, in November 2013. Kevin became more involved in writing songs and producing. He helped write four songs on this album. Their Christmas album, PTXmas, also became a huge hit. One song, The Little Drummer Boy, was one of the highest-charting holiday songs ever.
Pentatonix signed with RCA Records in 2014. They released their self-titled album. Kevin also released his own solo album, The Renegade EP, in early 2015. This album reached number one on the Billboard Classical Albums Chart.
Pentatonix has won several Grammy Awards. They won their first Grammy in 2015 for their Daft Punk medley. In 2016, they won another Grammy for "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy." Their third Grammy came in 2017 for their cover of "Jolene" with Dolly Parton.
Kevin's Family Life
Kevin Olusola is a Seventh-day Adventist. He can speak Mandarin Chinese very well. He started dating Leigh Weissman, a college admissions consultant, in 2017. They met through a friend.
Kevin and Leigh got married on September 19, 2019. They had a two-day wedding ceremony in Simi Valley, California. The ceremony celebrated both of their cultures. Kevin and Leigh have two children. Their daughter was born on April 3, 2021, and their son was born in June 2024.
See also
In Spanish: Kevin Olusola para niños
