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 |
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| Labels | Madison Gate, RCA |
Kevin 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. After his group won The Sing-Off TV show in 2011, they released many albums. These albums have sold over 2 million copies. Their YouTube videos also have more than two billion views!
Kevin also created a cool music style called "celloboxing." This means he plays the cello and beatboxes at the same time! His video of "Julie-O" (where he celloboxed) became super popular in 2011. This video helped him join Pentatonix. He has performed at big music events like the Amsterdam Cello Biennale. Kevin also opened the TED Conference in Vancouver. Famous musician Quincy Jones even picked Kevin to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
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. His parents met at Loma Linda University. They later moved to Owensboro, Kentucky, where Kevin grew up.
Kevin started school at Greater Philadelphia Junior Academy. His family then moved to Owensboro. He went to Sutton Elementary School. He was in a special math program there. This program allowed him to study advanced math early. For his 11th grade, Kevin went to Phillips Academy Andover.
Kevin says that Andover taught him to work hard and be disciplined. He improved from an average student to a high-achieving one. He helped lead a music program for young string students. He also practiced his Spanish skills. He even traveled to Costa Rica to study Spanish for four weeks. After Andover, Kevin chose to go to Yale University.
At Yale, Kevin first planned to study medicine. He completed all the classes needed for medical school. He started as a music major. But he changed his major to East Asian Studies. This happened after he visited China on a special trip. He lived in Beijing for six months during his second year. He also took a year off to study Chinese in Beijing. While at Yale, Kevin worked for a non-profit group. He also worked at the Yale Law School library. He graduated from Yale in 2011.
Kevin's Musical Journey
Starting Music: 1988–2010
Kevin's parents noticed his musical talent when he was only six months old. They decided to enroll him in music lessons. He started playing the piano at age 4. He began the cello at age 6. At age 10, he started playing the alto saxophone. He was very involved in music programs in Owensboro, Kentucky. He played in jazz bands, marching bands, and orchestras.
When Kevin was 12, he was chosen as the main saxophonist for the United States Collegiate Wind Band. He toured Europe with them for three weeks. He was also the main cellist for the Kentucky State Youth Orchestra. He won a top award at the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts. Kevin performed as a soloist and in a piano trio at Carnegie Hall. He won the American Fine Arts Festival to perform there. He also performed a second time on alto saxophone for a PBS TV show called "From the Top at Carnegie Hall."
While at Yale, Kevin was one of the main cellists for the Yale Symphony Orchestra. He also played chamber music. During his third year, he started thinking about music as a career. This was when he began working on "celloboxing" in Beijing. One of his teachers suggested he combine cello and beatboxing. He was a runner-up in a competition by famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Yo-Yo Ma called Kevin's music "inventive and unexpected."
Kevin's pre-med mentor, C. Brandon Ogbunu, helped him decide to pursue music. He told Kevin that medicine would always be an option. After doing research at Yale, Kevin moved to Beijing. He kept practicing his celloboxing skills there. He started uploading celloboxing videos to his YouTube channel. He performed for the U.S. Ambassador in Beijing. He also performed on Beijing Television. He met an American rapper named KorElement in Beijing. They made YouTube videos together. They also performed at the American Pavilion for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
Pentatonix: 2010–Present
After studying in China, Kevin spent the summer of 2010 working on his celloboxing version of Mark Summer's "Julie-O." He continued to improve it throughout the year. He decided to use it to audition for music schools. He eventually chose to enroll at the Berklee College of Music. During his last semester at Yale, Kevin filmed the "Julie-O" video. He posted it online on April 14, 2011. Within two weeks, the video became very popular. It went viral and received praise from around the world.
When his video became famous, Kevin was contacted by Scott Hoying. Scott was impressed by Kevin's musical talent and beatboxing. Scott was forming a group with Kirstin Maldonado, Mitch Grassi, and Avi Kaplan. They wanted to compete in season three of NBC’s The Sing-Off. Scott asked Kevin to join them. Kevin met the group the day before their audition. That's how Pentatonix was formed.
After filming the show, Kevin briefly played cello for the band Gungor. He then returned to Pentatonix for the show's finale. The group won The Sing-Off on November 28, 2011. This win gave them a recording contract with Sony Music Entertainment. They also received a $200,000 cash prize. The band quickly moved to Los Angeles. They recorded their first album with producer Ben Bram. Their first collection of songs, called an EP, was PTX, Volume 1. It was released on June 26, 2012. It reached number 14 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It sold 20,000 copies in its first week. They went on tour in fall 2012. They released their Christmas EP, PTXmas, on November 13, 2012.
After their 2013 tour, Pentatonix went back to the studio. They worked on their second EP, PTX, Vol. II. Kevin became more interested in writing songs and producing music. He learned how stomping and clapping could make their a cappella songs sound even better. Kevin helped write four songs on the album. These songs were Natural Disaster, Love Again, Hey Momma/Hit the Road Jack, and Run to You. The album came out on November 5, 2013. It reached number ten on the Billboard 200 chart. It sold 31,000 copies in its first week.
The Christmas album was re-released on November 19, 2013, as the "Deluxe Edition." It included two new songs. One of these, The Little Drummer Boy, became very popular. It reached number one on the "Holiday 100" chart. It became one of the highest-charting holiday songs in Billboard history. Pentatonix signed a deal with RCA Records in 2014. They released their self-titled album. Kevin also released his own solo EP in early 2015. It was called The Renegade EP. It reached number one on the Billboard Classical Albums Chart.
On February 8, 2015, Pentatonix won their first Grammy Award. They won for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for their Daft Punk medley. On February 15, 2016, they won their second Grammy in the same category. This was for their version of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy." This song was on their holiday album, That's Christmas to Me. On February 12, 2017, Pentatonix won their third Grammy. They won for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. This was for their cover of "Jolene," which featured Dolly Parton.
Kevin's Family Life
Kevin Olusola is a Seventh-day Adventist. He can speak Mandarin Chinese very well.
On September 16, 2019, Kevin married Leigh Weissman. She is a college admissions consultant. They had both traditional Nigerian and American wedding ceremonies. Kevin and Leigh met through a friend in 2017. They have two children together. Their daughter was born on April 3, 2021. Their son was born in June 2024.
