First Posted: 3/31/2015
It’s a cold ass night in March and snow is still falling from the sky, but Brand and Kohner Rice of Dallas are finding warmth in knowing that while they’re still recording their first full length album, “Pop Star,” they’re already faced with the possibility of opening the 2015 iHeart Radio Music Festival in Vegas later this year —and then some. The brotherly pop duo known as Kohn just received some of the best news of their lives today when they were named one of 25 finalists in Macy’s iHeartRadio Rising Star contest.
“We were so surprised and super excited,” Kohner said. “If we win this contest, we’ll be the only opening act for a huge music festival; and we’ll perform on the iHeartRadio float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.”
Kohner said the duo submitted two of their songs for consideration about six months ago, never expecting to hear anything back.
Kohn made the list with other finalists including Trevor Moran from Los Angeles, California; Maddi Jane from Chicago, Illinois; and Rachele Lynae from Kodiak, Alaska.
“There’s even finalists from Sweden, London and Switzerland. These people are not only from around the country; they’re from around the world. Kohn is one of 25 artists in the world, and that’s a huge honor,” Kohner said.
Kohn says their competition is tight, and they can’t help but admit they’re a little intimidated.
“As excited as we were when we found out today that we were finalists, we also got stressed. The winner is based on votes. Some of the finalists have a huge following as famous YouTube cover artists or from bigger cities with large fan bases. We’re just two brothers from Dallas, Pennsylvania,” Kohner said.
Kohn isn’t giving up without a fight though, campaigning for support from the community via social media.
Votes can be cast now through April 21, by visiting macys.iheart.com.
