Kevin Olusola

Kevin Olusola
Kevin_Olusola_(42077235010)
Kevin Olusola playing the cello at a Pentatonix concert at the USANA Amphitheatre
Born
Kevin Oluwole Olusola

(1988-10-05) October 5, 1988 (age 36)
Pasadena, California, U.S.[1]
Other namesK.O.
Alma materYale University (BA)
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • beatboxer
  • cellist
  • record producer
  • rapper
Years active2011–present
Spouse
Leigh Weissman
​
(m. 2019)​
Children2
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Beatboxing
  • cello
  • saxophone
  • vocals
LabelsMadison Gate, RCA[1]
Member ofPentatonix, Triptyq
Websitekevinolusola.com

Kevin Oluwole Olusola, also known as K.O., (born October 5, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter, beatboxer, and cellist. Olusola is best known as the beatboxer of the a cappella group Pentatonix.[2] After the group won NBC's The Sing-Off in 2011, they released eleven albums, which have sold over 2 million records,[3] and have amassed more than two billion views on their YouTube channel.

Olusola has also been identified as developing the art of "celloboxing" (playing cello and beatboxing simultaneously).[4] His celloboxing version of Mark Summer's "Julie-O" went viral in April 2011, which led him to become involved with Pentatonix. Olusola has performed at classical musical festivals such as the Amsterdam Cello Biennale and the Kronberg Academy Festival, opened the TED Conference in Vancouver, and was chosen by Quincy Jones to represent him in concert at the 2012 Montreux Jazz Festival on the same program as Bobby McFerrin and Chick Corea.[5]

  1. ^ a b Copley, Rich (November 30, 2011). "Owensboro native relishes victory on 'Sing Off' TV show". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  2. ^ "Pentatonix Official Website". Ptxofficial.com. November 3, 2013. Archived from the original on February 8, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  3. ^ "Pentatonix Signed to RCA Records". The Hollywood Reporter. May 13, 2014. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  4. ^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia (December 3, 2012). "Bach, Beatboxed : Deceptive Cadence". NPR. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  5. ^ Nebehay, Stephanie (July 2, 2012). "Quincy Jones brings jazz prodigies to Montreux stage". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2014.