Hot on the heels of the release of a brand new EP (conditions of an orphan//), KennyHoopla lands at House of Blues on Friday, September 26th, touring with and opening for Soft Play (get tix here). We caught up with him for some insight into just what all the hoopla is about!
ListenSD: The new EP’s title conditions of an orphan// along with the single “orphan//” honor your mother’s memory. Has making this new music helped remake you after the experience of (as Fat Mike put it) an orphan year? Having felt that loss ourselves, it makes us wonder who the message of “Look Alive” comes from and who it goes out to?
KennyHoopla: It has been the ending of a life chapter and the gateway to the one i’m in right now. The look alive thing was more so just saying to keep your poker face on. I can’t afford to forget where I came from nor the people I love in my life, though tragedy can paralyze us – we must find strength and do what we can.
LSD: We off-the-cuff said “emo shoegaze!” hearing KennyHoopla for the first time and then, gradually, the more often used pop punk descriptor started making sense, along with a blend of indie rock, new wave, and dance-punk. How do you describe your unique musical style? Do you feel beholden to any of the various labels people use to define your sound, for better or worse?
KH: I feel like the soul of my music has almost been indie rock, that has always been the foundation. Even in the sonics of my pop-punk works. It was inspired by then melancholic-ness of midwest-emo and indie rock guitar playing.
LSD: You’re heading out on tour with Soft Play (whose album Heavy Jelly heavily thumps) as they embark on the second leg of their North American tour, including a stop here in San Diego at the House of Blues on Friday September 26, 2025. What are you excited for on this upcoming tour and getting to share the stage with Isaac and Laurie?
KH: I think soft play are going to end up being staples in the lane that they are in and I’m excited to be apart of the ride as well as getting to perform all of my new music!!
LSD: On past tours, your “nonstop energy” generated a “high energy, crowd surfing, mosh pit, and stage jumping” kind of performance. Is that your intent, to give such intensity in a performance such that it demands an equally intense reaction from the audience, or does it just seem to often be their natural reaction?
KH: ehh, not really. Just kind of ends up like that especially when you have to win over crowds. I feel I’m not at a place where I have the biggest fan base or the most respect to where I can be comfortable or idk “laid back” – I’m still fighting to build that family. I’m blessed enough to be in high pressure slots, touring with legendary artists. I can’t afford to really relax since these are once in a lifetime opportunities so I have to treat it like that and literally use my voice and be heard.
LSD: The new EP, conditions of an orphan//, drops on September 19, 2025, just a week before your San Diego show. What’s it like, poised to release this new music and then immediately heading out on tour to perform it for your fans?
KH: I’m lucky because I get to practice these new songs to people who don’t really know me at all on this tour – this music feel more like me than anything else so I’m stoked for this to be a first impression of me to people at the shows.
LSD: You’ve mentioned not growing up in a “scene”, feeling equally at home going to hip hop shows (gasp!) as you were going to punk shows (shudder). How do these and other diverse musical influences contribute to the sound you make today? Are there any direct influences in any of your music that your audience hasn’t keyed in on?
KH: I think hip-hop has this certain story telling that has inspired me as well the beats. I am inspired by the samples and drums – it create this type of dissonance that I love. With punk rock it’s more straight to the point, it’s like exploiting and exaggerating the simplicity and I’m a big fan of that. I think I haven’t gotten to show my love for folk music or pop music that much. I really have so much more in me. I still feel I haven’t really “tried” yet. I’m very excited.
LSD: The key life event behind learning the conditions of an orphan// eventually happens to all of us. In sharing these emotions through your music, what is it you’re giving your audience to take away from the EP and the upcoming shows?
KH: I want my audience to be loud about how they feel – to learn too!
KennyHoopla’s tour with Soft Play is already underway, with the San Diego stop set for Friday. Don’t miss out if you find yourself able to check him out at any of the other tour stops and, of course, we’ll let you know when he comes back to San Diego, hopefully sooner than later!