How Kevin Olusola Became a Core Sound of Pentatonix
By Movieguide® Contributor
Pentatonix beatboxer Kevin Olusola recently shared about the tug that he felt on his heart that resulted in him making a career out of music.
Olusola never had plans to go into music full-time. Growing up, he played the cello and for fun, he learned how to “cello box – beatboxing while playing the cello. However, his plan was always that he would go into medicine after graduating from college.
During his junior year of college, two music-related opportunities opened up. The first was a competition hosted by Yo-Yo Ma, Celebrate and Collaborate with Yo-Yo Ma, which he entered with a cello and beatboxing piece. The other was an opportunity to open for KRS-One, who is one of the grandfathers of hip-hop. Olusola would do raps with him while cello boxing.
It was during this time that he felt God tug at his heart. Even though he had always planned to go into medicine, he felt like God was seriously asking him to go into music instead.
“I think You’re absolutely crazy,” Olusola said to God. “This doesn’t make any sense, but I can’t deny that I feel like You’re leading me here. I don’t know if it’s forever, but I know I at least have to follow this right now. You’re going to have to do it because I literally have no idea how to pursue a career in music. I feel unprepared. I don’t feel as trained. But Lord, here I am. I trust You.”
Although Olusola had no idea how he would enter the music industry, he gave the trajectory of his life over to God and trusted that He would make a way. After submitting to God’s will, Olusola felt God’s peace over him and he knew that God would take care of everything.
After his senior year, Olusola started posting videos of himself cello boxing. He also committed himself to learning “Giulio,” one of the music pieces that got him interested in the cello in the first place. He recorded himself playing the piece and went viral after posting it to the internet. Because people had never heard of cello boxing before, he started getting calls from places like The New York Times, who wanted to do pieces on him.
He also got a call from three kids in Texas – Scott, Mitch and Kirstie – who were about to compete on a TV show called THE SING-OFF. They were an a cappella group who were looking for a bass and a beatboxer to round out their sound.
Olusola initially declined their offer to join their group, but they convinced him to at least join them for their audition for the show. When they were accepted onto the show, Olusola agreed to go on with them.
When the group came together to sing for the first time, they were amazed by how new and fresh their a cappella sounded. They knew their sound was good, but they didn’t realize it was something special until they received a massive standing ovation after their first performance on THE SING-OFF.
They were amazed because they had just met each other, but their sound melded together in such an amazing way.
“I don’t think any of us knew that it was going to lead to all this,” Olusola said. “We’re five such different people in such a beautiful way. That’s what makes the sound interesting. We’re bringing our different ideas of musicality to make one joyful noise.”
The group’s popularity exploded from there. Since 2011, the group has earned three GRAMMYs, a couple of platinum albums and multiple world tours.
Olusola’s success is a testament to God’s power. He had no idea where God would take him when he decided to give over his life, but God used his talent to bring him to a place that he could never have imagined.
“If God Almighty is the one that has put the plan in place for you to be successful so that His glory is known,” Olusola said. “You better believe that God will create a way for you to have success not just in your career, but also in your family, also in your health.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Olusola:
Kevin Olusola, one of five members in the award-winning acapella group Pentatonix, said that he sings because of his faith in Christ.
Pentatonix, which has sold over 10 million copies of their album, performed on BYUtv’s “Christmas Under the Stars” special this year. Some of the Pentatonix’s most popular songs are renditions of Christmas songs.
For Olusola, his love for Christmas goes beyond the music.
“Christmas is about the story of Jesus. So for me, Christmas, if we’re thinking about who He was, it’s about service,” Olusola told the Christian Post. “Christ was a service-oriented human, and God as well.
“So I think that’s what we always think about, especially when I’m on tour,” he continued. “This is an opportunity to serve so many families who, especially during COVID, have not had an opportunity for live music, and there’s so much joy in that space whenever you perform. So that’s what I think about. It’s just a time of service.”
Although Pentatonix’s members come from different backgrounds and have other belief systems, Olusola said that he joined the group because of his Christian faith.
“Faith is the reason I’m in Pentatonix. Legitimately. I grew up a Christian; my dad’s from Nigeria, my mom’s from Grenada,” he explained. “My mom grew up Seven-Day Adventist, my dad shortly became one as well. So I grew up a Sunday Adventist. I think for me, I became a serious believer in Christ whenever He asked me to go into the music industry.”
