Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Kenny P., 30, of Nashville, auditioned with “Hello, It’s Me” by Todd Rundgren. As the performance neared its end, both Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton turned around. Despite Blake’s praise of his hat, his mustache and his vocal firepower, Kenny opted to join Team Gwen.

His background: He says he comes from a musical family. His dad plays guitar and sings. His grandfather plays the accordion and tried to teach Kenny, who admits he didn’t practice much. Kenny went on to become a member of a punk band and some rock bands. He now plays country six nights a week in Nashville. He and his wife resided in the Cleveland area until 2015 when they moved to Nashville so Kenny could pursue music more seriously. In addition to his wife sacrificing a well-paying job in the move, they moved into a tiny house, just 291-square feet, according to The Voice website, and they share it with their two pet dogs.

What the show didn’t show:

* The P is short for Pengal.

* Kenny P. comes from a bluegrass family and has been singing with his cousins and sisters all his life, according to his bio on The Voice website.

* From age 13 through the end of high school, he was part of The Singing Angels, which he describes as a semi-professional choral group, 300 members strong.

* He was a member of four choirs in high school. “It was really all I ever aspired to be,” he says of singing. “That was my main passion.”

* He attended Arizona State University to study music theater and opera. While in college, he performed in a band with another Ohio native called Ohiowa.

* After moving back to Ohio after college in 2008, he also played in a family band for about six years and began hosting jam sessions at a local tavern.

* He’s a former member of Collage, a party and dance band based in Cleveland that performs a mix of rock, pop and dance covers.

* On a Nitty Gritty from Music City podcast, Kenny P. says he’s been playing guitar for about 17 years but has always been more of a singer than a guitar player. His parents bought him his first guitar when he was 13.

* During the same interview, Kenny explains he and his wife visited Nashville several times, always had a great time and ultimately decided to build the tiny house so they could move to Nashville in an attempt to take Kenny’s music to “the next level.”

* He released a six-song debut solo EP called “Holy Hell” in July 2015. The title track is particularly good. You can check out it and “No Time for Living When You’re Dead” below.

Keeping up with Kenny:
Twitter: @KennyPCleveland
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube

“Holy Hell” (from the EP by the same name)

“No Time for Living When You’re Dead” (from the “Holy Hell” EP)