Spencer Sutherland Will Forever Live Off the High of His Fans: ‘I’ll Never Need to Take a Drug’ (Exclusive)

“All my friends that were going away to college and there I was making Maroon 5 covers in my basement trying to catch traction somehow,” the singer jokes to PEOPLE

Spencer Sutherland has always had a flair for the dramatic.

“I’ve always been into everything theatrical,” Sutherland, 31, tells PEOPLE in a recent interview. “My love of music began when I heard Elvis for the first time. I would always try to dress like him when I went to school.’

At the same time, the Ohio native set his eyes on the likes of legendary performers such as David Bowie and Elton John, a trait that certainly stood out in the Columbus suburb he was born and raised in by the friends who had their eyes firmly on a future that included getting a job, getting married and getting a white picket fence. 

“I just felt trapped [in Ohio] because I was surrounded by all my friends that were going away to college and doing something,” remembers Sutherland, who competed on the UK version of The X Factor back in 2017. “And there I was making Maroon 5 covers in my basement trying to catch traction somehow.” He laughs, adding, “So yeah — I’ve always been a little different.”

It’s these differences that continue to set Sutherland apart on a path that finds him at one of the most successful points of his career. In fact, things are going so well that Sutherland admits he is having a hard time believing it all. “I feel like even artists a lot bigger than me deal with that too,” admits Sutherland, who went viral in 2024 via his hit song “Alive.” “I guess that comes along with being an entertainer. It happens a lot. You just never know.”