Peter James Hollens (born March 4, 1980) is an American singer/songwriter, producer and entrepreneur. He has been involved with ''

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

'' music since 1999 when he and Leo da Silva founded the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

's ''a cappella'' group, On The Rocks, known as the first official collegiate ''a cappella'' group in Oregon. He regularly releases new music videos to his

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel. With over 5 million followers and 2.7 million subscribers, his content has received over a billion total views since 2011.

Career

Hollens was born on March 4, 1980, in

Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 cen ...

to James and Deborah (Melone) Hollens. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

in Vocal performance. Since his graduation from the University of Oregon, Hollens has become involved with collegiate ''a cappella'', including recording, producing, and judging ''a cappella'' competitions throughout the United States. In 2010, he participated in

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's ''

The Sing Off ''The Sing-Off'' was an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It debuted on NBC on December 14, 2009, and was produced by Sony Pictures Television and Outlaw Productions, with Mark Burnett's One Three Media (for a ...

'', working with music director

Deke Sharon Deke Sharon (born December 12, 1967) is an American singer, arranger, composer, director, producer and teacher of a cappella music, and is one of the leaders and promoters of the contemporary a cappella community. He has been referred to as "th ...

and receiving acclaim from

The Sing-Off ''The Sing-Off'' was an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It debuted on NBC on December 14, 2009, and was produced by Sony Pictures Television and Outlaw Productions, with Mark Burnett's One Three Media (for a ...

judges

Shawn Stockman Shawn Patrick Stockman (born September 26, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as a member of the vocal group Boyz II Men. In addition to Boyz II Men, Stockman was a member of the group Black Men United ...

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...

and

Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...

for solo performances leading his group, On The Rocks. They were eliminated 6th out of the 10 groups performing. Hollens records and produces from his home studio in Eugene, Oregon, and also has recorded for

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

and

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

. Hollens's recordings include tracks for " The Sing-Off Season 2-Greatest Hits" as well as many collegiate ''a cappella'' albums for such groups as On the Rocks, Divisi, Cornell's Chordials, the Duke's Men of Yale and the

Whiffenpoofs The Yale Whiffenpoofs is a collegiate a cappella singing group. Established at Yale University in 1909, it is the oldest such group in the United States. The line-up is completely replaced each year: the group is always composed of rising senio ...

. He has also recorded Sing-Off Season 2 winners, Committed, the Backbeats, and the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning group

The Swingle Singers 270px, The Swingles at the Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten, Germany">Kirchzarten.html" ;"title="Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten">Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten, Germany on 29 June 2019 The Swingles are a v ...

. In 2011, he started his own

channel, mostly posting music videos with multi-tracked a cappella covers. Repeatedly teaming up with other artists, he frequently collaborates with

Lindsey Stirling Lindsey Stirling (born September 21, 1986) is an American violinist, songwriter, and dancer. She presents choreographed violin performances, in live and music videos found on her official YouTube channel, which she created in 2007. Stirling pe ...

and Taylor Davis. As of March 7, 2020, his channel has over 2.46 million subscribers. To support his musical endeavors, Hollens joined the newly founded crowdfunding platform

Patreon Patreon (, ) is a membership platform that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service. It helps creators and artists earn a monthly income by providing rewards and perks to their subscribers. Patreon charges a co ...

in 2013. In an interview in March 2017 he mentions he's become an adviser for Patreon. In 2012 he released his first album. In 2014 he signed a deal with

Sony Masterworks Sony Music Masterworks (Sony Masterworks) is a record label, the result of a restructuring of Sony Music's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known as Sony BMG Masterwor ...

; later he considered this a mistake and cut ties with the label in 2015. Hollens released a self-titled album on October 27 of that year. In 2015, he performed guest lead vocals for

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

's album ''

No Pier Pressure ''No Pier Pressure'' is the tenth studio album by American musician Brian Wilson, released April 7, 2015 on Capitol Records. Originally planned as a follow-up to the Beach Boys' 2012 reunion album '' That's Why God Made the Radio'', ''No Pier ...

'' on the song "Our Special Love". In 2016, Hollens teamed up with Home Free, the winners of ''The Sing-Off'' Season 4, to record an all-vocal arrangement of the hymn "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

". ''"I had the absolute honor of working with'' Home Free ''on this one,"'' Hollens states in a video message at the close of the song's YouTube release. ''"I love these guys, they are so talented and fun. We have worked together once before on a video called'' "'' 19 You + Me''". Hollens debuted on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in the show "Home For the Holidays, Live on Broadway" which was presented November 17 to December 30, 2017, at the

August Wilson Theatre The August Wilson Theatre (formerly the Guild Theatre, ANTA Theatre, and Virginia Theatre) is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 245 West 52nd Street (Manhattan), 52nd Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown ...

. On December 12, 2017, he was a guest on

The Piano Guys The Piano Guys is an American musical group consisting of pianist Jon Schmidt, cellist Steven Sharp Nelson, videographer Paul Anderson, and music producer Al van der Beek. Originating in Utah, they gained popularity through YouTube, where in ...

live stream called 'Light The World Christmas Concert with The Piano Guys and Friends', in which he made a comment that he is in "Home For the Holidays, Live on Broadway" and would be getting a cab to the theatre.

Personal life

Hollens is married to

Evynne Hollens Evynne Hollens ( Smith) is a female vocalist who lives and works in her native Eugene, Oregon. She was one of the co-founders of the University of Oregon’s female a cappella group, Divisi, with which she sang for five years. Her name is the fir ...

(née Smith), co-founder of the a cappella group Divisi. Evynne has her own YouTube channel, posting music videos, occasionally collaborating with her husband. She co-wrote a musical called "''Milagro''", which was first performed in 2018. The couple performed in their first Broadway show, ''Home for the Holidays'', in November 2017. They have two sons named Ashland (born 2014) and Saylor (born 2018).

Discography

Awards and nominations

, - , 2013 ,

Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards The Contemporary A Cappella Society (of America), or CASA, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to fostering and promoting a cappella music of all styles around the world. CASA was founded in 1991 by Deke Sharon in San Francisco just ...

, Best Song By A Solo Performer , " Shenandoah" on Covers Vol. 2 , , , - , 2014 , Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards , Best Song By A Solo Performer , "

I See Fire "I See Fire" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2013 film ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'', where it was played over the closing credits. ''The Hobbit (film series), The Hob ...

" , , , - , rowspan="3" , 2015 , Game Audio Network Guild Awards , Best Game Music Cover/Remix , "

Baba Yetu "Baba Yetu" (Swahili language, Swahili: "Our father, Our Father") is the theme song for the 2005 video game ''Civilization IV''. It was composed by Christopher Tin and performed by Ron Ragin and the Stanford Talisman. For its re-release in Tin's ...

" (

Civilization IV ''Civilization IV'' (also known as ''Sid Meier's Civilization IV'') is a 4X turn-based strategy computer game and the fourth installment of the ''Civilization'' series, and designed by Soren Johnson under the direction of Sid Meier and his vid ...

) feat. Malukah , style="background: #F4F2B0" , , , - , rowspan="2" ,

, Best Folk/World Song , "

Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair "Black Is the Color (of My True Love's Hair)" (Roud 3103) is a traditional ballad folk song known in the US as associated with colonial and later music in the Appalachian Mountains. It is believed to have originated in Scotland, as it refers to ...

" feat.

Avi Kaplan Avriel Benjamin Kaplan (born April 17, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his basso profondo range and for his tenure as the vocal bass of the a cappella group Pentatonix from 2011 to 2017. As a part of the group, he rele ...

, , , - , Collaborative and Solo Performer Awards/Best Pop/Rock Song , "

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

" feat.

Sam Tsui Samuel Tsui (born May 2, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter and video producer. He rose to fame as an internet celebrity known for doing covers and musical medleys of songs by pop artists. He has since released original songs and expanded t ...

, , , - , rowspan="2" , 2016 , Game Audio Network Guild Awards , Best Game Music Cover/Remix Award ,

Assassin's Creed Syndicate ''Assassin's Creed Syndicate'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. It was released on October 23, 2015, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on November 19, 2015, for Microsoft Windows. It is th ...

– "Underground" , , , - ,

, Collaborative and Solo Performer Awards/Best Song By A Solo Performer , " Now We Are Free" , , , - , rowspan="3" , 2017 , rowspan="3" , A Cappella Video Awards , Outstanding Collaborative Video , "

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

– An Acappella Medley" , , rowspan="3" , , - , Outstanding Special Effects , "Hobbit Drinking Medley" , , - , Best Musical / Soundtrack Video , "Hamilton – An Acapella Medley" , , - , rowspan="2" , 2018 , rowspan="2" , A Cappella Video Awards , Best Folk/World Video , " Desert Rose" , , rowspan="2" , , - , Best Holiday Video , "

Carol of the Bells "Carol of the Bells" is a popular Christmas carol, with music by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1914 and lyrics by Peter J. Wilhousky. The song is based on the Ukrainian folk chant " Shchedryk". The music is in the public domain; Wil ...

" feat.

BYU Vocal Point BYU Vocal Point is a nine-member, male a cappella group at Brigham Young University (BYU). Founded by two students, Bob Ahlander & Dave Boyce, in 1991, Vocal Point is under the direction of Emmy award-winning director and former member, McKay Cro ...

One Voice Children's Choir One Voice Children's Choir (originally known as the 2002 Winter Olympic Children's Choir and Studio A Children's Choir) is an American children's choir in Utah. The group was founded by children and Masa Fukuda in 2001 after he composed the son ...

, and

BYU Men's Chorus Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

, , - , rowspan="2" , 2019 , rowspan="2" , A Cappella Video Awards , Outstanding Collaborative Video , "

From Now On From Now On may refer to: Film * ''From Now On'' (1920 film), an American film of 1920 * ''From Now On'' (film), a 2007 Portuguese film directed by Catarina Ruivo Music Albums * ''From Now On'' (Jaki Graham album) or the title song, 1989 * ''Fro ...

" , , rowspan="2" , , - , Outstanding Special / Visual Effects , "

Tightrope Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

" , , - , rowspan="4" , 2020 , rowspan="4" , A Cappella Video Awards , Outstanding Collaborative Video , " Hands of Gold & Rains of Castamere" , , rowspan="4" , , - , Outstanding Video Editing , "

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...

vs.

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

" , , - , Best Country Video , "

Take Me Home, Country Roads "Take Me Home, Country Roads", also known simply as "Country Roads", is a song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver about West Virginia. It was released as a single performed by Denver on April 12, 1971, peaking at number two o ...

" , , - , Best Show Tunes / Soundtrack / Theme Song Video , "The Lion King vs. Aladdin" , , - , rowspan="5" , 2021 , rowspan="5" , A Cappella Video Awards , Outstanding Collaborative Video , "Prince of Egypt" Peter Hollens ft. BYU Vocal Point , , rowspan="5" , , - , Outstanding Costume / Makeup , "Epic Halloween Medley" Peter Hollens , , - , Best Folk / World Video , "Fire and Rain" Peter Hollens ft. Tim Foust , , - , Best Humor Video , "The Epic Hand Washing Parody" by Peter Hollens , , - , Best Show Tunes / Soundtrack / Theme Song Video , "Epic Dreamworks Impressions Medley" Peter Hollens ft. Brian Hull ,

References

External links

*
Official Web Store
*
Peter Hollens Patreon Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollens, Peter Musicians from Ashland, Oregon University of Oregon alumni Songwriters from Oregon Living people Musicians from Eugene, Oregon Music-related YouTube channels Writers from Ashland, Oregon 1982 births American YouTubers YouTube channels launched in 2011 Businesspeople from Eugene, Oregon