Texas-born and raised Donovan started singing at the age of two and horseback riding at five. Growing up on a farm in Conroe, Texas Donovan spent his summers working on his grandfather's farm and singing in the choir with his Grandmother. Both allowed him to discover his love of performing and motivated him to earn a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance from Kansas State University. Born with a mother who plays the organ and a father who sang in the choir, Donovan was surrounded by music at home. In High School, he won 1st place in the Texacoma Regional NATS Competition in 2008 and was a soloist with the Ft. Worth Orchestra. In college, he received 1st place in the West Central Regional NATS Competition in 2011 and was a semi-finalist for the reality show "The Glee Project." In 2011, Donovan also released his first single "I Could Be Ya Man" on iTunes and received more than 2,000 views for the music video on YouTube.