He’s here! Kevin Olusola of Pentatonix is in the kitchen! From beatboxing in a dorm shower to winning three GRAMMYs with Pentatonix, Kevin shares his incredible journey of combining cello and beatboxing into a genre-bending career. He opens up about immigrant expectations, viral YouTube beginnings, how Yo-Yo Ma changed his life, and presenting Ed Sheeran with his Grammy-Award alongside Stevie Wonder. Plus, Kevin gives an exclusive peek into his upcoming solo album Dawn of a Misfit and competes in Anthony and Jonathan’s ultimate beatboxing challenge.
Episode Breakdown:
• 00:00 – Episode Trailer
• 01:00 – Listener shoutouts! The hosts read glowing reviews from fans and reveal their Uber rating drama.
• 05:00 – Welcome Kevin Olusola! The best intro ever (with a “crash out” pun), and Kevin returns the love.
• 07:00 – Wikipedia connections. Kevin and Jonathan realize their paths crossed years ago at Quincy Jones’s office, and Jacob Collier’s wiki page gets a name-drop.
• 09:00 – Musical beginnings. Piano at 4, cello at 6, saxophone at 10—and Carnegie Hall by college.
• 11:00 – Discovering perfect pitch. Kevin plays “House of the Rising Sun” by ear at age 3, and his dad takes notice.
• 13:00 – The birth of cello boxing. It all started with a Mandarin-speaking professor in Beijing.
• 15:30 – The beatboxing origin story. From annoying his dad to an acapella discovery in a shared dorm shower.
• 17:00 – The immigrant dilemma. Kevin explains how cultural expectations almost kept him from a music career.
• 18:00 – Grammy joke of the year. After performing with Stevie Wonder, Kevin’s dad hits him with a savage comment.
• 19:30 – YouTube beginnings. Kevin starts posting videos after getting support from Yo-Yo Ma and KRS-One.
• 24:00 – Going viral with “Julie-O.” A year of perfecting one video leads to his Pentatonix discovery moment.
• 25:30 – The Pentatonix call. Kevin gets a mysterious audition request... from Ben Bram and Scott Hoying.
• 27:00 – The first rehearsal. Kevin meets the group, hits Roscoe’s, and sings “Telephone” for the first time.
• 30:00 – Sing-Off champions, then dropped. The band wins big—only to be dropped by their label days later.
• 31:00 – The YouTube strategy. Their manager pushes them to go all-in on YouTube—and he was right.
• 32:45 – The Christmas pivot. “Little Drummer Boy” saves the day and leads to their RCA deal.
• 34:00 – Collab favorites. Kevin names his favorite collaborators (Tori Kelly, Kelly Clarkson, Stevie Wonder) and shares why Tori’s vocals are impossible to comp.
• 37:30 – The Stevie Wonder moment. Stevie hits a note so perfectly, Kevin literally stops singing.
• 39:30 – Behind-the-scenes magic. Kevin talks about rehearsing with Matt Sallee and how their friendship powers the rhythm section.
• **41:30 – Dawn of a Misfit. **Kevin opens up about his solo debut, what “misfit” means to him, and the intention behind the project.
• 43:30 – His version of “Crazy.” Kevin breaks down his cinematic Gnarls Barkley cover and the emotional storytelling behind it.
• 45:00 – Miss Rachel! The inside story on how Kevin landed a spot on Songs for Littles—and why it’s his daughter’s favorite credit.
• 47:15 – Game time: Beatbox the Clock. Can Kevin recreate famous beats in under 10 seconds? From “Billie Jean” to “Shake It Off,” he brings the heat.
• 53:00 – Anthony’s theme park beatbox fail. A very questionable “Crazy in Love” moment from Orlando.
• 55:00 – Bonus beatbox tips. Kevin teaches the inward K-snare and reveals how he breathes through performances.
• 56:00 – Final plug: Dawn of a Misfit. Kevin shares his hopes for the record and where to find it.
Follow Kevin’s Journey:
Pre-save Dawn of a Misfit (out May 9) and follow Kevin at @kolusola on all platforms.
Socials:
@AnthonyGargiula
@JonathanTilkin
@CounterMelodiesPod
