Country music artist and Dover native Kenzie Wheeler recently signed with Five 5 Management, led by another area native in Cliff Brown.
Wheeler recently shot into the national spotlight with a second place finish on NBC’s The Voice, but his musical career traces its roots back to his hometown. From singing at Tampa’s Performing Arts Center in elementary school as a member of Hillsborough’s All-County Chorus, to karaoke showcases at Uncle Mike’s in Plant City, to headlining a sold out show at Orlando’s House of Blues in 2018, all roads have led to this moment for Wheeler.
Brown is not only the founder and one of eight partners with Five 5 Management and Five 5 Studios, a music studio located in Yboy City, but he is also a talented producer. Brown — along with his Grammy Award-winning production team J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League — has produced for artists that include Mary J. Blige and Usher, has contributed on albums from artists that include Young Jeezy and The Game and has shared the bill with artists that include The Weeknd, 21 Pilots and Maroon 5, among others. Brown’s relationship with Wheeler began as the producer for his debut album Dover in 2018.
With both Wheeler and Brown hailing from the Plant City area, they opted to hold a small signing party at Johnson’s Barbecue.
“We just had a little signing party,” Brown said. “We were going to do it in Downtown Tampa but we thought, because I’m from Plant City and with Kenzie being from Plant City, that we would regroup and do everything local here, so we decided to do it at Johnson’s Barbecue. What better place than Plant City to come and eat and come together. We did it here and we want to do as much for Plant City as we can.”
Now signed, Wheeler has an upcoming show at the Dallas Bull in Tampa on Friday, Aug. 27 before heading across the country to perform at a number of shows in Oklahoma, Michigan and Indiana.
Brown believes that with the resources available at Five 5 Studios and their independent label Five 5 Records, they can compete with any major record label. And with Wheeler now a part of their team, Brown sees the young country singer’s potential being sky high.
“I think that he could be a staple name in country music for the rest of his life because his voice is so authentic,” Brown said. “So what we’re trying to push for him is, continue to be yourself, don’t change with the fads and the times and how music goes, just continue to be who you are and write music. Our plan is for Kenzie to be putting out records and charting and having a No. 1 hit and touring all over the country and all over the world, so I think the sky’s the limit.”
If you want to see Wheeler perform at the Dallas Bull this month, general admission tickets are available for $20 at www.dallasbull.com.