Key Takeaways:
- Kevin Olusola’s solo debut, Dawn of a Misfit, fuses classical, Hip Hop and other genres into a bold new sound.
- He spoke on his signature “celloboxing” style during a visit to “The Jennifer Hudson Show.”
- From Yale dorms to global stages, Olusola’s journey is a celebration of identity, resilience and reinvention.
Before he became the Grammy-winning beatboxer for Pentatonix, Kevin Olusola was just a Yale student making odd vocal sounds in his residence hall — until someone overheard him. “Honestly, I didn’t know it was called beatboxing,” he said during a recent appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” “There was a day I was about to [take] a shower... and I heard the acoustics, and I realized it sounds amazing.” But someone else happened to hear him. “He said, ‘That’s beatboxing, man. We need you for our a cappella group.’”
That spur-of-the-moment audition kickstarted a journey that would take him to international stages, viral videos and collaborations with icons like Quincy Jones. But even with mainstream success, Olusola never strayed from what made him different. In fact, he built his entire solo identity around it.
“I’m a part-African, part-Grenadian, cello-playing, Chinese-speaking Kentucky boy,” he told Hudson. “That's my whole life, and I was bullied for all these things that made me, me.” His new solo album, Dawn of a Misfit, embraces that narrative with genre-defying confidence — mixing classical, pop and beat-driven rhythms into something truly his own.
How Kevin Olusola created “celloboxing” and went viral worldwide
One of Kevin’s most jaw-dropping talents is “celloboxing,” a term he coined for playing cello while beatboxing at the same time. It’s a skill that fuses two musical worlds rarely seen in the same room — let alone in the same performer. “I figured this out... in Beijing, China,” he said, explaining how a Chinese teacher challenged him to blend the two during a language immersion program. At first, he was skeptical: “I was thinking about the judgment I was going to get from the classical community.... But I finally realized, in that moment, why am I limiting myself based off of other people’s expectations?”
That question fueled his reinvention — not just musically, but personally. More than a typical album title, Dawn of a Misfit represents a manifesto. “Being a misfit doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re original,” he told Hudson, earning applause from the crowd. The album is a nod to anyone who’s ever felt boxed in by cultural expectations, including his own upbringing. “My dad’s from Nigeria and my mom’s from Grenada,” he said. “They were always supportive of my music but, you know, they wanted me to... be a doctor, lawyer [or] engineer.”
Kevin Olusola’s story should resonates with millions around the world
Since joining Pentatonix, Kevin has helped the group sell over millions of albums, win multiple Grammys and rack up billions of YouTube views. He’s also toured globally and gone viral solo with his cover of “Julie-O” — a moment that made his “celloboxing” an internet sensation.
Now, as a solo artist, husband and father, Kevin is focused on creating music that reflects the totality of who he is. Dawn of a Misfit is more than a creative pivot — it’s a celebration of culture, complexity, and carving your own lane. “The thing that you’ve been counted out for,” he said, “is the exact thing that you’re going to need to change your world.”