Peter Hollens

Singer, songwriter, producer, educator, and all-round entrepreneur Peter Hollens is a champion of a cappella singing dating back to his days at the University of Oregon, where he founded the college a cappella group On the Rocks in 1999 with Leo da Silva. Known initially for his work on YouTube as an a cappella cover artist, Hollens released a pair of debut cover albums in 2012, and eventually inked a deal with Sony, which released his eponymous major-label debut in 2014. Subsequent offerings saw Hollens tackle film and holiday music, and in 2017 he made his Broadway debut alongside his wife, Evynne Hollens, in Home for the Holidays. Hailing from Ashland, Oregon, Hollens earned a degree in vocal performance from the University of Oregon, where he became active on the college a cappella circuit, producing, recording, and judging competitions. He started his own YouTube channel in 2011, posting music videos with multi-tracked a cappella vocals, often with collaborators Nick Pitera, Lindsey Stirling, Mike Tompkins, Sam Tsui, Tyler Ward, George Watsky, Alex G, and Hollens’ wife, Evynne Hollens. His subscriber list grew rapidly, reaching some 750,000 by the summer of 2014. Hollens worked from his home studio in Eugene, Oregon, producing recordings for On the Rocks, Divisi, Cornell's Chordials, the Duke’s Men of Yale, the Whiffenpoofs, Committed, the Backbeats, and the Swingle Singers, among others. He released two debut albums under his own name, Covers, Vol. 1 and Covers, Vol. 2, in 2012, after which he signed a recording deal with Sony Music Masterworks in 2014, which released the self-titled Peter Hollens album in the fall of that same year. For his next project, Hollens shifted his focus to the world of Middle Earth with Misty Mountains: Songs Inspired by the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Released in early 2016, the album featured a cappella arrangements of songs by Enya, Neil Finn, composer Howard Shore, and other music related to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film franchise. Capping off another big year, Hollens returned several months later with A Hollens Family Christmas, his first holiday-themed LP. Hollens had another busy year in 2017, making his Broadway debut and releasing a third volume in his popular covers series. In 2018 he issued another full-length LP, Legendary Folk Songs, which saw him take on 14 classic English, Irish, and American folk pieces. ~ Steve Leggett