Walking through the halls of Oshkosh North High School, you’ll see hundreds of kids wearing KennyHoopla merch, and it’s all due to the fact that now-famous music artist Kenny Beasely used his Oshkosh roots to create a successful international music career after graduating from Oshkosh North.

Kenneth La’ron, better known as KennyHoopla, is a 25 year old singer/songwriter from Oshkosh, Wisconsin who graduated in 2014. While he no longer resides here, Hoopla credits his time spent as a Spartan for his success.

 “I think that North definitely played a role in how I am today,” he says .“The boredom of the Fox Valley has been a big inspiration for my music. There’s something that’s so raw about Oshkosh. The people are just real.”

 Most known for his songs “Estella” and “How Will I Rest in Peace if I’m Buried by a Highway,” Hoopla is taking the world and the stage by storm with his alternative sound and thoughtful lyrics. 

Born on August 5, 1997, La’ron was raised in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, living with his mother and siblings. In high school, La’ron was a part of a breakdancing club here at North. He stated that he was generally a quiet kid and more of a loner. Whether it was from boredom or teenage angst, La’ron decided to try something new: music. 

“The hardest part was accepting that doing something new is going to be embarrassing,” La’ron says.

With over 10 million views, four tours in a year, and 800,000 monthly Spotify listeners, La’ron’s steady growth has led him to collaborate with many other famous artists, such as Yungblud, Machine Gun Kelly, and Travis Barker of Blink182. La’ron has formulated a new sound in alternative music, even being called “the leader of pop-punk’s new generation” by Kerrang, a British weekly magazine devoted to all things alternative. 

“Survivors Guilt: The mixtape” is the most recent album made by La’ron, produced by Barker. Topping in the billboard 20, Survivor’s Guilt has been a big part of La’ron’s journey, and he had a very special way of writing the songs. 

“I definitely start with the lyrics. The rest just kinda flows,” La’ron says. 

Not everyone from Oshkosh with a little love—and talent—for music makes it to the big time. For those hoping to find success, La’ron has some words of advice.

“My advice to anyone who’s trying to make it somewhere in music is to just go for it. It’s only embarrassing if you let it be. Just kinda be true to yourself, this is the new rockstar.”