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

Damiano David is in the kitchen! From illegally busking in Rome with his band, Måneskin, to launching his powerful solo career, Damiano opens up about his emotional new record, the relationship between music and fashion, and his thoughts on that iconic “Rock and Roll never dies” moment at Eurovision. He shares stories about writing 72 songs for his debut album “Funny Little Fears’, working with Labrinth, and the differences in writing songs in English vs. Italian. Plus, he plays “Silver Lining Them Up,” a high-stakes elimination showdown where he chooses the next artist he’ll collaborate with.

Episode Breakdown:

• 00:00 - The hosts recap their week, including a Counter Melodies–inspired drink and singing with Rachel Zegler.

• 02:00 - Welcome Damiano David! The hosts introduce the Grammy-nominated artist and his upcoming solo album.

• 04:00 - Damiano shares his basketball-to-band pipeline and the origin of Måneskin.

• 05:30 - Illegally busking in Rome. The police came 2–3 times a day, but the band just circled the block and kept playing.

• 07:20 - Damiano’s Disney debut. He chats voicing “Jeffrey” in the Italian dub of Cruella and fills us in on his acting ambitions.

• 08:45 - Old Hollywood inspiration. Damiano explains why he’s drawn to classic tailoring and crooner-era aesthetics.

• 10:00 - Fashion and fast fashion. Why Damiano avoids fast fashion and how his personal style evolved with his solo era.

• 12:00 - Clothes and songwriting. The connection between mixing fashion pieces and musical influences.

• 12:40 - 72 songs, 14 made the album. Damiano talks about writing over 70 songs and the sounds that didn’t make the cut.

• 14:15 - The song he fought for. Why he insisted on including “Tango” on the album despite label hesitation.

• 15:30 - Born With a Broken Heart vs. Silver Lines. Where each song fits in the sonic direction of Fine Little Fears.

• 16:00 - Labyrinth collab backstory. Damiano wrote “Born With a Broken Heart” on day two of his first writing sessions.

• 16:45 - The songwriting rule. “We don’t leave the room until the song is done”—even if it takes all night in Joshua Tree.

• 17:30 - The realest collaborators. Damiano names his tight circle of trusted co-writers, including Sarah Hudson and Jason Evigan.

• 18:25 - Writing in English vs. Italian. Why writing in English helps him express raw emotion without overthinking phrasing.

• 20:00 - “I’ll lick your tears.” The now-iconic lyric from “Next Summer”—and why the room let him keep it.

• 21:30 - Rock and roll isn’t dead. Damiano clarifies his viral quote and explains why pop has always been a part of his sound.

• 23:20 - Will Måneskin return? Damiano shares how the band is on indefinite hiatus—but in a good way.

• 25:00 - Inside the industry. Why Damiano refuses to “live” in the music industry, even while working in it.

• 26:45 - How he stayed grounded. Launching at 16, his proudest achievement is keeping his head on straight.

• 27:15 - What to expect from tour. No two cities will be the same. Each crowd’s energy will shape the night.

• 28:00 - Game time: Silver Lining Them Up. A rapid-fire round of ultimate dream collabs—from Benson Boone to Bruno Mars to Taylor Swift.

• 31:00 - Where to find Damiano. Tour info, social handles, and where to stream Fine Little Fears.

Follow Damiano’s Journey:

Stream the new singles and pre-save Fine Little Fears, out May 16, at damianodavid.com (https://www.damianodavid.com/) and follow him @damianodavid on all socials.

Socials: Follow the hosts for more fun content!

@AnthonyGargiula

@JonathanTilkin

@CounterMelodiesPod

Listen and Watch:

https://tinyurl.com/CounterMelodiesPod

Credits:

Executive Producer/Showrunner/Editor: Louis Gargiula

Consulting Producer: Renee Colvert

Scott Hoying of Pentatonix is in the kitchen! From singing on Star Search to winning The Sing-Off, Scott shares his incredible journey and the experience of building a Grammy-winning a cappella empire. He opens up about his solo music, creative anxiety, queer joy, and a heartfelt behind-the-scenes story of his wedding day with Christina Perri. Plus, the ultimate pop star test: can Scott correctly guess which iconic artists once sang a cappella?

Episode Breakdown:

• 00:00 - He’s here! Scott Hoying joins the show. Anthony and Jonathan fangirl immediately

• 5:00 - Scott, Jonathan, and Anthony chat the Snow White premiere, working with Rachel Zegler, and meeting Jon M. Chu

• 12:00 - Scott’s beginnings. Texas, Star Search, and Maren Morris

• 14:00 - How Pentatonix got their start

• 17:45 - Winning The Sing-Off and immediately losing a record deal

• 20:00 - PTX takes their momentum to YouTube

• 21:15 - Working with Dolly Parton

• 24:00 - Working with Tori Kelly

• 25:30 - Posthumous work with Whitney Houston

• 27:00 - PTX Christmas albums and tours

• 30:00 - Producing for Brittany Broski

• 33:30 - Scott’s dream producing projects

• 35:00 - Christina Perri officiating and singing at Scott’s wedding

• 36:45 - Mel Robbins, bowling, and Sabrina Carpenter singing Justin Beiber

• 39:40 - A surprise guest drops by (hint: our first “pod dog!”)

• 41:45 - Chatting Scott & Mark’s children books

• 43:30 - “Rose Without The Thorns” and Grammy-Award nominations

• 47:00 - Game time! “Land of the Free, Home of the Rank”: Scott blind-ranks the most iconic National Anthems

• 55:00 - Final thoughts and where you can find Scott online!

Follow Scott’s Journey:

Listen to Parallel and find Scott on all socials at @ScottHoying!

Socials: Follow the hosts for more fun content!

@AnthonyGargiula

@JonathanTilkin

@CounterMelodiesPod

Listen and Watch:

https://pods.to/countermelodies

Credits:

Executive Producer/Showrunner/Editor: Louis Gargiula

Consulting Producer: Renee Colvert