Join the club of those who get "Mitch slapped" when hearing him for the first time. I'm a Home Fry, but will proudly admit that I like a lot of what PTX does. Nice reaction.
They have won 3 Grammys, nominated for a 4th and have just been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You have only begun the rabbit hole and enjoy!
This is an A Capella group, which means no instruments. The tall blond guy is Scott Hoying-Baritone; the girl is Kirsten Maldonado, Mezzo-Soprano; the guy with the hat is Mitch Grassi, Counter-Tenor; the bearded guy with the turban is Avi Kaplan, Basso-Profundo; the Beatboxer is Kevin Olusola, Tenor/Cellist/Cellist-Beatboxer. Scott, Kirsten, and Mitch met in a high school in Arlington, TX (between Dallas and Ft.Worth, TX). After graduation, they went to different colleges and majored in music. They got back together for a TV singing competion called "Sing-Off," but 5-person groups were required, so Avi, and Kevin came on-board through referrals. The video was made at the California Mojave Desert.
Pentatonix They won The Sing Off in 2011. They made a guest starring appearance on America′s Got Talent as non−competitors a couple of years after that. The founding members are:- Scott Hoying (tall blond guy, natural baritone but has an impressive five−to−six octave range, can go all the way up to high tenor and down to bass, sings the bass lines when the usual bass singer takes the lead);
Kirstin "Kirstie" (Rhymes with "Thirsty") Maldonado (the only female member, natural mezzo soprano, but can go down to low alto and as high as upper soprano, also can sing in whistle notes that are off the scale); For a time in 2018 between the group’s tours, had the female lead on Broadway in the production of “Kinky Boots”. Mitch Grassi (a true contra−tenor, can hit high notes in his chest voice with ease and go WAY higher in his falsetto, also with ease); Avriel "Avi" Kaplan (dark beard and long hair, true basso profundo, trained as an opera singer, also can go up into the tenor range; and Kevin "KO" Olusola (beatboxer extraordinaire, also is a world−class cellist who plays cello on some of their songs, has a beautiful high tenor voice and gets occasional lead vocal solos as well, graduated pre−med from Yale and speaks several languages including Mandarin Chinese). Kirstie, Scott & Mitch grew up together in Arlington, Texas, and began performing together as children in local youth musical theater. They ended up in high school together and performed in the choir. While there, they formed an a cappella group called The Trio which had several performance videos go viral on UA-cam, most notably a cover of Lady Gaga′s "Telephone". The three of them are best friends and consider themselves to be almost siblings. Scott & Kirstie (who were a class year ahead of Mitch) both graduated high school in 2010 and went their separate ways to different colleges, Scott at USC and Kirstie at Oklahoma. While at USC, Scott joined a USC−based a cappella group called the SoCal VoCals, where he met alumnus Ben Bram, who was now an arranger and vocal coach for the NBC TV show The Sing Off, an a cappella competition show. Ben convinced Scott to get The Trio to audition for the show. The three reunited (Mitch had to skip high school graduation ceremonies to go) in Los Angeles for the audition. They found out that the rules had changed, so they needed at least five members to audition. Ben put them together with Avi (a native of Visalia, California), who he knew from Avi′s performing days at Mount San Antonio College in California. They found Kevin (from Kentucky) through one of his UA-cam videos that had gone viral featuring him playing the cello and beatboxing at the same time, a talent that Kevin coined as "Cello−Boxing". Kevin arrived in Los Angeles literally the day before the audition! Scott came up with the name "Pentatonix" after the pentatonic scale. They performed a re−arrangement of "The Telephone" for the audition and passed, despite having been together as a five−piece group for less that 24 hours! They won The Sing Off that season (all of the performances are available on UA-cam), in which they received a substantial cash prize AND a record contract with Epic Records. They pooled their prize winnings together and all moved to Los Angeles, and all got apartments right next door to each other in the same building. But just a week later, Epic dropped them because the marketing people didn′t think an a cappella group could sell records. Instead of giving up, they were determined and began recording their own songs on UA-cam, hiring Ben Bram as their producer and arranger. These usually consisted of the five of them sitting on a couch and performing cover songs live. Several of the videos went viral, and Sony (the parent company of Epic) decided to give them another chance by placing them on one of their smaller labels, Madison Gate. They released two secular EPs and one Christmas EP on Madison Gate, all of which were strong sellers. But when their cove r of a medley of songs by Daft Punk not only went super−viral, but also won them their first Grammy, they were promoted all the way up to RCA Records, Sony′s top label. They began writing and producing their own songs in addition to their covers, began putting out a Christmas album just about annually (which has become their best−selling genre), and have had multi−platinum album sales, sold−out world tours, and have won two additional Grammys. Avi began getting burned out with all of the touring and heavy recording schedule, was suffering from anxiety and personal problems, and learned that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer in 2017. He announced he was departing from the group and taking some time away from the music industry. Matt Sallee (from Baltimore) joined them in September 2017. He did only become official when they renewed their RCA contract in February 2018, but he recorded with them in September as a featured artist and went on their Christmas tour as a featured artist, as well. When he attended the audition for the group, he had already mastered the Bass part for most if not all their past catalogue. He was successful and has proved that he fits in well with the group. If you think there have been other changes to the line up - look again. This is the ONLY change. Kirstie and Mitch are like chameleons and change looks frequently. After a year away from music, Avi has now returned as a phenomenal solo artist in the Folk/Americana/Roots genre. Ben Bram has been in charge of their production, including arranging and directing from the beginning. He is often referred to as the sixth member. Scott and Kevin are major players in the arrangements, but every member contributes. good watch is "The Recording of Evergreen" where a camera was invited into the studio for the second week of recording/ Also, all members are songwriters for both Pentatonix and their own solo work. Ed Boyer who mixes everything of theirs (even the HWB Livestream) is the one who pulled Ben Bram into the sing off in the first place. They were nominated for a 4th Grammy for their album Evergreen, but didn't win. Kirstie became a new mum which caused a pause in touring after their Evergreen Christmas tour 2021. They have announced that they will have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame to be installed in 2023. Things you need to know because if you get these wrong Pentaholics will come after you with pitch forks and torches! Ha Ha!! 1- There is NO Auto-Tune; what you hear is actually what they sing. They really are that good. One exception is the 90's Dance Medley where Cher used autotune as an effect - so they had to. 2- What produces everything that you hear in the video, you see in the video. If there is an instrument used in the music, you see it on screen. In the 2022 Christmas album, there are some instruments not featured throughout the album. 3- They never release something on video they can’t reproduce with the exact same quality live on-stage.
Really been enjoying your reactions to Home Free and was so happy to see you react to Pentatonix too. They've been together for 12 years (just yesterday became the first a capella group to receive a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame). They do covers and originals and you could literally pick any and have your mind blown. Bohemian Rhapsody is amazing by them or their Daft Punk Medley to begin with 😊 thank you for your great reactions!
old stuff, new stuff, original stuff, cover stuff, literally, their stuff is a testament to all things I personally hold dear. From their career story (Daft Punk is a gas, after winning a contest and the record contract fell through, they did everything from designing the medley, performing it in closet, editing it on the computer, and it went on to garner their first Grammy Another good one to react to is their Aha version, Singapore.
We Pentafries like both groups equally, as they both bring different content to the table. In the big scheme of things, Pentatonix is the “Premier Acapella Group” with three Grammys and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. But it’s only a matter of time until Home Free gets there as well. I hope they both continue to prosper as the years go by!
Their covers are amazing and their originals are even better! Some originals to try are Sing, Love Again, Can't Sleep Love, and so many more. Pentatonix are the GOAT of acapella. They brought acapella to the mainstream and breathed new life into this art form. In so doing, they paved the way for other acapella groups like Home Free and Voiceplay to rise in popularity and achieve success. PTX is a deep and amazing rabbit hole to jump down with over 300 songs in their catalog, fantastic solo projects from all the members, four Grammy nominations with three Grammy wins and just yesterday the first acapella band to have a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star. Thanks for a great reaction! Hope to see many more PTX reactions!
They've been together since 2011...and YES - they do original works (superb) along with covers. They just got a star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame...so yeah, they're BIG.
You probably know Bohemin Rapsody by Queen. Check out Pentatonix doing a cover of that song. its amazing and all voices. Pentatonix does not do covers, they do upgrades .lol
With all the cool horror stuff behind you, you would LOVE their cover of "Making Christmas" from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and their cover of Aha! by Imogen Heap (a kind of The Strangers Prey at Night-esque vid) which you later need to watch the live version of from The Star Vista in Singapore for some batcrap insane performances).
They won the Sing Off the year before Home Free. They do covers and originals. They have 3 Grammy wins for Daft Punk Medley, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies and Jolene performed with Dolly Parton. Enjoy the rabbit hole. They do a vast range of styles.
The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy ... has no words, and Pentatonix uses no instruments ... Daft Punk, the first Grammy, and I really like 90's dance music medley
Dude, you didn’t say much through this reaction, but it was one of the realist reactions I’ve seen in a while. Your face and eyes said more than I think you probably would have needed to. Excellent reaction man. 🙏🏽🙏🏽
Thanks for sharing your reaction with us! You hit the nail on the head right off the bat - they are all exceptionally gifted, but they blend together to make the whole even greater than the parts. Lol, get ready - PTX fans are called Pentaholics, and they will flood you with views, info, and song requests. We're a pretty nice bunch, just more than a little enthusiastic :-) We love new reactors because then we get to enjoy our first listen to ALL the songs all over again through you. Welcome 🥰
How refreshing to come across someone who actually *listens* to the piece in its entirety and then gives the reaction - Far too many lately find it necessary to stop the video every fourth or fifth bar to inject their far too often just "oohs" and "ahs" or commentary about Mitch's hat or Kirsten's appearance and they miss so many little grace notes and nuances in the flow of the song that add so much - So kudos to you - That said, while this isn't my favorite from the Pentatonix catalog, I do like it and think it's probably the best place to start in getting to know them as it shows both their individual abilities and how beautifully they come together to make their own brand of magic - I look forward to enjoying more of your reactions to this and, perhaps, other performers -
They indeed have original music. Favorites of mine are: Sing Love Again Be My Eyes Water (no official video but seen in popspring performance) Cracked (also in popspring performance)
Can I add to that list of originals? Coffee In Bed Run To You The Lucky Ones Happy Now Anchor ( no video, but a visualizer is available) Side ( visualizer only) Petals (visualizer only) Love Me When I Don't That's all I can think of right now.
They do a ton of covers and their own stuff. They have almost 300 numbers to check out! Check them out live at Popspring 2016 Live. They do 3 originals and the Michael Jackson evolution.
The drums and beat would be Kevin their beatboxer and human 808 and the bass would be covered by the first two gentlemen that sang, Scott the tall blond and Avi with the beanie hat. Scott is classified as a baritone but has unreal range low to high and Avi is a basso profundo.
@6:20 Most of that was done by the guy at the end. He was stomping and smacking his chest and was overall the bass for this song. He did the bass vocals for the first two refrains but mainly keeping the beat as the bass. It was all him.
Avi Kaplan, classically trained bass and second soloist has left the group and now has his own solo career. Here is a studio cut from his album released close to a year ago. Avi Kaplan When I'm a Fool (Kaplan) ua-cam.com/video/LE24UTH3pmQ/v-deo.html
I always enjoy people’s reactions to this video. The way their mouths just drop and they don’t even bother picking them up. They’re that enamored with this. A beautiful song song by an amazing group! It’s rare to find both. And this group managed to do so and kept doing so… The emotions are real with this video!
Welcome to the long winding road of Pentatonix, you are in for the journey of your life 😊 Pentatonix never ceases to amaze me, at just how incredibly talented they are, and take their voices to newer levels, we have never heard before.....there is something so special about their ability, to tell the songs story, allowing us to listen with a new perspective, and hear & feel emotions, we may not have heard from the original artist 💖💖💖 Not only their voices, but their delivery is also their gift!
Scott, Mitch and Kirstie have been together since school. They added Avi (bass) and Kevin (primarily beatbox) just before competing on (and winning) The Sing-Off, because the show required a minimum of five members. That's the lineup you see here. The only change since then is that Avi left the group amicably and has been replaced by Matt. There are two Live versions of Hallelujah on their channel, an older one with Avi and a newer one with Matt. The Avi one is pretty much comparable to this lip-synced studio version. In other words, they don't do a whole lot of processing. They try to keep the commercial recordings faithful to what they really sound like. Also, on that live version, you can clearly see where Avi hands off the bassline to Scott in Verse 2. There are no instruments in their music, unless they're clearly shown in the vids. Like Kevin uncorking his cello, or a guest artist like Lindsey Stirling on violin.
In my humblest opinion, this song was written for this band and the writers just were way ahead of their time. I’ve never heard it sang better. PTX have never sang a song better. One word for this performance…WOW!
maybe not better, but different. these 2 versions are also superbe, in my opinion: ua-cam.com/video/4hjgkvuKES8/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/1VlVpHgeNjs/v-deo.html
PTX is the Beatles of A cappella, They are the first A cappella group - to win a Grammy, the first to have 20 million subscribers, the first to have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. React to Popspring 2016 ( it has 3 originals and one cover)
Welcome to the world of PTX! You should definitely check out their Grammy winning Daft Punk Medley! They also have an incredible version of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Pentatonix has their own signature which they add to each song. I consider their covers as an upgrade and they cover almost every genre. I hope you jump down the rabbit hole. You will be amazed, astonished, perplexed, blown away and Mitch slapped, possibly all in one song. I look forward to seeing a lot more of your reactions to Pentatonix. Also Home Free and Voice Play hopefully.
No, never too late to get started. Came for the Mitch-slap! Btw, record company is famous for blocking reactor's videos...may want to play with opacity, put a logo or pause every so often. Tho there's often no rhyme or reason for the block. If You react to PTX, the pentaholics will come!
I really like Home Free a lot but for me Pentatonix is the big dog in the neighborhood! A really cool one is their collaboration with Dolly Parton covering "Jolene" with her.
Welcome to your PTX journey. Just dont stop after one. Try Bohemian Rhapsody....Sound of Silence....Can you feel the love tonight or 90's dance medley next. Thanks for sharing and stay safe.
Welcome to Pentatonix! The PTX fans are here, now, lol. Yes, they do fantastic originals, of which there are many. Their catalog is sorta in thirds, covers, originals, and Christmas music. I like to suggest the live recording "Popspring 2016" to new reactors because it includes three original songs plus their incredible "Evolution of Michael Jackson," and it gives you a real feel for what they are capable of live. Three of them knew each other as children and sang together as a trio in high school, but as Pentatonix as a band, it has been 11 years or so. Great reaction!
This one moves me to tears regularly, and that's without Shrek! At this point, I'm totally blown away by their artistry. More incredible songs than you can shake a stick at; it's quite a rabbit hole. Mostly covers, but more and more originals lately. I'll suggest you check out Daft Punk Medley, Havana, Can't Hold Us, Mary Did You Know. . . just for starters.
For a totally different side of PTX, check out their rendition of Daft Punk (the first of three Grammy wins)! And they just received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame yesterday!
I think you should react to Daft Punk and Bohemian Rhapsody - they do a lot of covers but also have a few of their own songs floating around - as you react to this group you will notice changes in Kirsten and Mitch (the little guy in the big hat) and you will think they are new to the group but nope, they just like to change their appearance - they were very young here and the two songs I think you will enjoy experiencing is this same 'first group' who won The Sing Off back in about 2011 - today's group has only one change - Avi, the guy here with the beard chose to break away and do his own thing a few years back and Matt stepped in - we also have Scott who is the first singer in this song, and then Kevin who is the very talented beatboxer - the entire group joins in to make 'the sounds' when they are not singing - quite a show to watch - look for the Pentaholics to start buzzing around - now that you have opened that door to your first reaction, we tend to swarm! LOL 😅😂🤣💖
This m favorite rendition of this song by Pentotonix. I played this song and video for my 18 year old son who was murdered. The entire funeral home was in awe,tears. Bruce was a very loved son,brother,friend and team athlete. ❤️
Simply put, I love your reaction. To see the Mitch slap reaction made me smile. I had the same reaction when I first heard them. Please check out many many more from PTX. Looking forward to more from you.
Avi Kaplan ( the second vocalist) does some lovely solo stuff in the folk genre. Scott and Mitch (the first and last singer) also did a little project called Superfruit. Super fun Funky music.
Pentatonix is probably best known for their Christmas recordings. They have released a holiday album every year for more than 10 years, and they are hugely popular because they take songs that get overdone during the holidays and make creative arrangements that retain the original appeal but add surprising details that make the song sound fresh. They also have several albums with covers of pop songs from various decades, in styles from Motown to 90's pop divas to EDM and K- and J-pop. And they have two albums of original songs where they work with experienced pop producers to get a variety of current pop sounds.
They do originals, covers, mashups, evolutions, medleys, etc. Many consider their covers to be upgrades. Pop and Christmas are their specialties, however they do pretty much any genre including rock and classical. Some 300 videos or audios are available. They have gold and platinum albums, Grammies, and a recent star on the Hollywood walk of Fame. They only been around just over a decade...which may explain why many have yet to know of them.
Please check out more of them. All of their songs are amazing. I could listen to them all day. Kevin does play the cello and Scott plays the piano but they play only in a few songs. Also the bass singer Avi is the only member that has left the group. He was replaced by Matt. They are both amazing. You will not be disappointed.
Discovered Pentatonix a couple of yrs back and wow! You’re looking for the bass in the background but no. Just incredibly talented vocalists/beatboxing although Kevin (the beatboxer) does play instruments also. Brilliant Cellist, rapper, songwriter. Another fab reaction!
Thanks for not once stopping this sacred beauty of a song and saving your welcomed comments until the end. I know that's not always the case. But in this case, many thanks.
The other question have been answered, I think, but Pentatonix have around 300 songs at this point and around 50 of them are originals. They have 2 all-original albums plus at least 1 original on each cover album... their first all-original album was #1 on the Billboard charts (the second was unfortunately released during Covid), not bad for what a lot of people derisively refer to as a cover band. Also worth noting that only a couple (2, I think) of their originals don't have any of the band with writing credits. One was written by Chris Martin of Coldplay and the other was written by Dianne Warrick and performed a single time live by Cher before eventually making its way to them. The rest are all written by members with industry co-writers.
Welcome to the Pentatonix rabbit hole! I see others have filled you in on the group info so I'll just note that I subscribed in the hope that you really do explore this group. I've not heard a bad song/cover from them yet, so choose whatever seems good to you from their massive catalogue of stuff.
Three of them found each other in high school and this incarnation was put together for competion on the show The Sing-Off maybe 7 or 8 years ago. They won that and have been unstoppable since. They have both covers and originals in their repertoire. They have very recently been given a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Subscribed for PTX. Pentaholic from the very beginning. So I think of them as my kids, as many of us do. They say you shouldn’t pick a favorite child. I have 4 daughters and I will admit I have a favorite, but I’m not telling. 🤭 Anyway with pentatonix I will admit that I love my baby boy Mitch. I can’t hear his voice without it touching me. I see you’ve already fallen into the rabbit hole. Looking forward to this journey with you. Greetings from Southern California. 👋🏼
They startd twelve years ago with a win of the acapella s television competition shoow The sing-Off. They weree 19(3 of them. 21 and 23) They have been together twelve yearas won three grammies are considered one of the best, if not the best a capella band in the world. There has been one change Avi their bass left in 2017 and was replaced by Matt Sallee. They all have huge rabges in their voices fout to six octaves. They also write and compose music.They have a huge catalog over 200 songs. all great
Nice reaction! Pentatonix precede Home Free and Home Free were inspired by them. Pentatonix won the third series of the Sing Off competition in 2011 and Homefree won the 4th season. Scott (tall, blonde baritone), Mitch (dark hair, wearing the hat, has the crazy high notes counter tenor) and Kirstie have known each other since they were 8. They grew up in Texas and sang in high school together. Avi is the only member of the group who left in 12 years. He left in 2017, amicably for personal reasons and was replaced by Matt Sallee, who is fantastic. You might think there are different group members because Mitch and Kirstie change their look up a lot but it's always just them! They found Kevin (incredible beatboxer, cello player also tenor) and Avi (bass, looks like Jesus!) when they entered The Sing Off as they needed at least five members. The prize was a Sony record contract but Sony dropped them after a couple of weeks as they didn't think an a cappella group was marketable. A They went their own way, started a UA-cam channel and 12 years, many successful albums, sell-out world tours, three Grammys and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame later and I think it's safe to say they proved Sony wrong! They are best known for their covers and Christmas music but their original songs are fantastic and much under-rated. They have a huge catalogue including many different styles including pop, rock, EDM, rap, hip hop, world music - something for everyone! They don't record anything in a studio that they can't sing live so they don't use autotune (except in their 90s dance medley when they do Cher's I believe because she was known for using it for effect on that track), they also don't record any of the members singing two or more times, they really do sound that full with just five members - as you can tell from any of their live music. For PTX newbies I'd recommend their Daft Punk Medley (they won their first Grammy for that and the video was made for around $400 in a closet and Kevin's kitchen! It's insane how they make their voices sound like electronic effects), Bohemian Rhapsody (Brian May loves this one!) and any of the evolution of medley videos (my favourites are Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Ariane Grande). For originals try Love Again (if you like EDM), Sing, Run to you, Can't sleep love or Coffee in Bed. Enjoy!
Hadn't Home Free been touring the small shows (state fairs, etc) for years before The Sing-Off? That's what I understood from their self-intro on the show, so I doubt they were preceded by PTX. Though inspiration could go both ways.
This is a DEEP rabbit hole. I'll let other Pentaholics fill you in on their history. Here are a couple of their OG's: "Love Again" came early on and in my opinion never got the appreciation that it should have: ua-cam.com/video/F80FsZDTgn0/v-deo.html Kirsty (Kirstin Maldonald) has written some excellent songs that are more recent. Here's a link to "Be My Eyes" ua-cam.com/video/mnPU7_iff8Y/v-deo.html (there's a melody line reminiscent of Orinoco Flow, but is NOT a copy). She also wrote this one, "Love Me When I Don't" ua-cam.com/video/IbKkFnnxkEk/v-deo.html Enjoy! (Sony Music is aggressively protective, so be careful)
New subscriber, Pentatonix brought me here and I am hoping you will continue with more of them. To hear different facets of their talents, try Can’t Hold Us, Come Along, Imagine, Bohemian Rhapsody, Sound of Silence, 90s Dance Medley and their Daft Punk medley. My favorite of their originals lately has been Anchor. It’s easy to forget there are no instruments, they sound so rich and full even without them. I liked your reaction very much. Peace from Ohio …
It is all their voices or personally created sounds (in Kevin's case). The group has been together since performing on 'The Sing Off' a televised acapella competition show along the lines of America's Got Talent back in 2011. The 5 on this video are the group that won that competition: Scott Hoying (the blond) sings baritone and covers base when Avi is singing. Avi Kaplan (with the beard and knit cap - the one that makes your bones vibrate when he hit his really low tones) is a classically trained basso profundo who has the unique ability to produce two vocal sounds at the same time. During his time with the group, he also added vocal percussion. He left the group amicably in 2017 to spend more time with his family. Kirstin Maldanado is a mezzo soprano who can really belt out those high notes without sounding strained or screechy. Mitch Grassi (in the hat - the one that delivered your first Mitch-Slap) is a contra tenor who actually has an amazing 6 octave range (6+1, actually!). Last, but certainly not least, is Kevin Olusola, their beat boxer, can create some truly amazing sounds that you would swear are instrumental or mechanical, but it's all him. He is a classically trained musician who has performed in Carnegie Hall (on piano and saxophone) and is also a talented cellist, credited with creating "celloboxing" (playing the cello while beatboxing). The newest member of the group is Matt Salee, who took over the bass roll upon Avi's departure. Some people think there have been more members, but Mitch and Kirstin change their looks frequently, so are sometimes not recognized for who they are. They do mostly covers (generally improvements, actually), a lot of Christmas music and do have some originals as well. They put an album of original songs out in 2021 (The Lucky Ones)
Enjoyed your reaction to pentatonix. Love Ptx! Can't wait till your next reaction on their videos. They have so many to choose from. There all great! Start with Bohemian rhapsody,Daft punk, 90's dance melody,Havana, and their latest prayers for this world.
New here and a diehard Pentaholic! Great reaction! You've picked an amazing rabbit hole to go down. Some other covers to check out are Daft Punk, Can't Hold Us, Sound of Silence, Imagine, Bohemian Rhapsody, Mad World, Radioactive (You'll be introduced to Kevin's cello-boxing), The Prayer, plus lots more. For an original song of theirs definitely check out Love Again For something a little different from them...they collaborated with Todrick Hall on Wizzard of Ahhh's These are just a few you need to check out. Welcome to the Pentaholics family!
Just subbed because I always love watching a new reactor to PTX. They have a huge following and we are called Pentaholics. PTX has done a lot of covers (they own Christmas with their creativity) but they do have their original songs. Sound of Silence, Daft Punk, Imagine (one of my favs), Shallow, Evolution of Michael Jackson and Rihanna and Beyoncé. The guy in the hat is Mitch and he’s my favorite. When he started singing, I saw your head rear back and you had an unbelieving expression on your face…..YOU GOT “MITCH SLAPPED.” 💕
They do a lot of covers, but yes, they do have original music. Their album The Luck Ones is all original music. Just an FYI, in 2017 the bass singer (dark beard) left the group. Matt Sallee then joined. That is the only change in the line-up.
Hallelujah was composed by the late great Leonard Cohen. It is said that Pentatonix did his favorite cover of his song. Don't stop now, Pentatonix (PTX) has so much more to offer. Try "imagine", for one. It is amazing!!!
When they do covers, they often do mashups. They do song called La La Latch that is a cover of two Sam Smith's songs. The do a song they call Daft Punk Medley which has 8 different Daft Punk songs is a mashup. They have new one called Prayers for the World which is shows their growth as performers. The group does all types of music from pop to K-pop to Christmas with a twist. They have three Grammys. Their arrangements are insane. Enjoy your ride down the rabbit hole.
You have so much amazing music to listen too. They do both covers and originals. They have been together since 2011, but Kirstie, Scott and Mitch have known each other since childhood and performed in high school musicals together. They added Avi, the bass and Kevin, the beat boxer (and amazing cellist) for the SingOff in 2011. Kirstie and Scott were in college and Mitch was a senior in high school. Avi left the group in 2017 and Matt joined. Listen to Daft Punk, Bohemian Rhapsody, Imagine, Sounds of Silence to start. Any of their Christmas music and originals like Coffee in Bed, Sing, Kid on Christmas and Prayers for this world.
We are sure that there are no instruments involved, because they pull off the same show in their live concerts. There are even several UA-cam videos that prove this! 😀
Join the club of those who get "Mitch slapped" when hearing him for the first time. I'm a Home Fry, but will proudly admit that I like a lot of what PTX does. Nice reaction.
4:22
You are a PENTAFRY!
Please stop saying Mitch slapped ffs
@@aduncaroo Why ffs?
@@aduncaroo It's part of the Pentaholic vocabulary.
Welcome to the wondrous world of Pentatonix. You'll never regret it.
They have won 3 Grammys, nominated for a 4th and have just been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You have only begun the rabbit hole and enjoy!
Came for the "Mitch Slap" did not disappoint! Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole! 💖
Such a wonderful rabbit hole to be down!
This is an A Capella group, which means no instruments. The tall blond guy is Scott Hoying-Baritone; the girl is Kirsten Maldonado, Mezzo-Soprano; the guy with the hat is Mitch Grassi, Counter-Tenor; the bearded guy with the turban is Avi Kaplan, Basso-Profundo; the Beatboxer is Kevin Olusola, Tenor/Cellist/Cellist-Beatboxer. Scott, Kirsten, and Mitch met in a high school in Arlington, TX (between Dallas and Ft.Worth, TX). After graduation, they went to different colleges and majored in music. They got back together for a TV singing competion called "Sing-Off," but 5-person groups were required, so Avi, and Kevin came on-board through referrals. The video was made at the California Mojave Desert.
Pentatonix
They won The Sing Off in 2011. They made a guest starring appearance on America′s Got Talent as non−competitors a couple of years after that.
The founding members are:-
Scott Hoying (tall blond guy, natural baritone but has an impressive five−to−six octave range, can go all the way up to high tenor and down to bass, sings the bass lines when the usual bass singer takes the lead);
Kirstin "Kirstie" (Rhymes with "Thirsty") Maldonado (the only female member, natural mezzo soprano, but can go down to low alto and as high as upper soprano, also can sing in whistle notes that are off the scale); For a time in 2018 between the group’s tours, had the female lead on Broadway in the production of “Kinky Boots”.
Mitch Grassi (a true contra−tenor, can hit high notes in his chest voice with ease and go WAY higher in his falsetto, also with ease);
Avriel "Avi" Kaplan (dark beard and long hair, true basso profundo, trained as an opera singer, also can go up into the tenor range; and
Kevin "KO" Olusola (beatboxer extraordinaire, also is a world−class cellist who plays cello on some of their songs, has a beautiful high tenor voice and gets occasional lead vocal solos as well, graduated pre−med from Yale and speaks several languages including Mandarin Chinese).
Kirstie, Scott & Mitch grew up together in Arlington, Texas, and began performing together as children in local youth musical theater. They ended up in high school together and performed in the choir. While there, they formed an a cappella group called The Trio which had several performance videos go viral on UA-cam, most notably a cover of Lady Gaga′s "Telephone". The three of them are best friends and consider themselves to be almost siblings.
Scott & Kirstie (who were a class year ahead of Mitch) both graduated high school in 2010 and went their separate ways to different colleges, Scott at USC and Kirstie at Oklahoma.
While at USC, Scott joined a USC−based a cappella group called the SoCal VoCals, where he met alumnus Ben Bram, who was now an arranger and vocal coach for the NBC TV show The Sing Off, an a cappella competition show. Ben convinced Scott to get The Trio to audition for the show. The three reunited (Mitch had to skip high school graduation ceremonies to go) in Los Angeles for the audition.
They found out that the rules had changed, so they needed at least five members to audition. Ben put them together with Avi (a native of Visalia, California), who he knew from Avi′s performing days at Mount San Antonio College in California. They found Kevin (from Kentucky) through one of his UA-cam videos that had gone viral featuring him playing the cello and beatboxing at the same time, a talent that Kevin coined as "Cello−Boxing".
Kevin arrived in Los Angeles literally the day before the audition! Scott came up with the name "Pentatonix" after the pentatonic scale. They performed a re−arrangement of "The Telephone" for the audition and passed, despite having been together as a five−piece group for less that 24 hours!
They won The Sing Off that season (all of the performances are available on UA-cam), in which they received a substantial cash prize AND a record contract with Epic Records. They pooled their prize winnings together and all moved to Los Angeles, and all got apartments right next door to each other in the same building.
But just a week later, Epic dropped them because the marketing people didn′t think an a cappella group could sell records.
Instead of giving up, they were determined and began recording their own songs on UA-cam, hiring Ben Bram as their producer and arranger. These usually consisted of the five of them sitting on a couch and performing cover songs live.
Several of the videos went viral, and Sony (the parent company of Epic) decided to give them another chance by placing them on one of their smaller labels, Madison Gate. They released two secular EPs and one Christmas EP on Madison Gate, all of which were strong sellers.
But when their cove r of a medley of songs by Daft Punk not only went super−viral, but also won them their first Grammy, they were promoted all the way up to RCA Records, Sony′s top label.
They began writing and producing their own songs in addition to their covers, began putting out a Christmas album just about annually (which has become their best−selling genre), and have had multi−platinum album sales, sold−out world tours, and have won two additional Grammys.
Avi began getting burned out with all of the touring and heavy recording schedule, was suffering from anxiety and personal problems, and learned that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer in 2017. He announced he was departing from the group and taking some time away from the music industry.
Matt Sallee (from Baltimore) joined them in September 2017. He did only become official when they renewed their RCA contract in February 2018, but he recorded with them in September as a featured artist and went on their Christmas tour as a featured artist, as well. When he attended the audition for the group, he had already mastered the Bass part for most if not all their past catalogue. He was successful and has proved that he fits in well with the group.
If you think there have been other changes to the line up - look again. This is the ONLY change. Kirstie and Mitch are like chameleons and change looks frequently.
After a year away from music, Avi has now returned as a phenomenal solo artist in the Folk/Americana/Roots genre.
Ben Bram has been in charge of their production, including arranging and directing from the beginning. He is often referred to as the sixth member. Scott and Kevin are major players in the arrangements, but every member contributes. good watch is "The Recording of Evergreen" where a camera was invited into the studio for the second week of recording/
Also, all members are songwriters for both Pentatonix and their own solo work.
Ed Boyer who mixes everything of theirs (even the HWB Livestream) is the one who pulled Ben Bram into the sing off in the first place.
They were nominated for a 4th Grammy for their album Evergreen, but didn't win.
Kirstie became a new mum which caused a pause in touring after their Evergreen Christmas tour 2021.
They have announced that they will have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame to be installed in 2023.
Things you need to know because if you get these wrong Pentaholics will come after you with pitch forks and torches! Ha Ha!!
1- There is NO Auto-Tune; what you hear is actually what they sing. They really are that good. One exception is the 90's Dance Medley where Cher used autotune as an effect - so they had to.
2- What produces everything that you hear in the video, you see in the video. If there is an instrument used in the music, you see it on screen. In the 2022 Christmas album, there are some instruments not featured throughout the album.
3- They never release something on video they can’t reproduce with the exact same quality live on-stage.
I have been a Pentaholic since discovering their Amazing Grace cover In 2021. Thanks for this post, I learned some things I did not know.
They received their star yesterday! I watched the live stream ceremony
Damn, dude! That’s like a PTX bible splainer. Will be returning for reference often.
Best quick rundown ever
You have to have this where it’s easily copied and pasted now lol. I’ve seen it on almost every first time reaction where people have questions.
Really been enjoying your reactions to Home Free and was so happy to see you react to Pentatonix too. They've been together for 12 years (just yesterday became the first a capella group to receive a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame). They do covers and originals and you could literally pick any and have your mind blown. Bohemian Rhapsody is amazing by them or their Daft Punk Medley to begin with 😊 thank you for your great reactions!
old stuff, new stuff, original stuff, cover stuff, literally, their stuff is a testament to all things I personally hold dear. From their career story (Daft Punk is a gas, after winning a contest and the record contract fell through, they did everything from designing the medley, performing it in closet, editing it on the computer, and it went on to garner their first Grammy Another good one to react to is their Aha version, Singapore.
We Pentafries like both groups equally, as they both bring different content to the table. In the big scheme of things, Pentatonix is the “Premier Acapella Group” with three Grammys and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. But it’s only a matter of time until Home Free gets there as well. I hope they both continue to prosper as the years go by!
Popspring 2016 has 3 original songs and The evolution of Michael Jackson well worth a watch, all live
Their covers are amazing and their originals are even better! Some originals to try are Sing, Love Again, Can't Sleep Love, and so many more. Pentatonix are the GOAT of acapella. They brought acapella to the mainstream and breathed new life into this art form. In so doing, they paved the way for other acapella groups like Home Free and Voiceplay to rise in popularity and achieve success.
PTX is a deep and amazing rabbit hole to jump down with over 300 songs in their catalog, fantastic solo projects from all the members, four Grammy nominations with three Grammy wins and just yesterday the first acapella band to have a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star.
Thanks for a great reaction! Hope to see many more PTX reactions!
They've been together since 2011...and YES - they do original works (superb) along with covers. They just got a star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame...so yeah, they're BIG.
You probably know Bohemin Rapsody by Queen. Check out Pentatonix doing a cover of that song. its amazing and all voices. Pentatonix does not do covers, they do upgrades .lol
With all the cool horror stuff behind you, you would LOVE their cover of "Making Christmas" from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and their cover of Aha! by Imogen Heap (a kind of The Strangers Prey at Night-esque vid) which you later need to watch the live version of from The Star Vista in Singapore for some batcrap insane performances).
I can never get enough of this song. Also check out The Prayer. Such talented people.
Go easy on him he just started!! 😂
They won the Sing Off the year before Home Free. They do covers and originals. They have 3 Grammy wins for Daft Punk Medley, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies and Jolene performed with Dolly Parton. Enjoy the rabbit hole. They do a vast range of styles.
The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy ... has no words, and Pentatonix uses no instruments ... Daft Punk, the first Grammy, and I really like 90's dance music medley
Check out their cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine”. It bought tears to my eyes.
Yes!!! My favorite of theirs
1 Hollywood walk of fame star, 3 Grammys, 200+ Christmas, covers, and originals. 12 years together
Say Something is one of their best covers and Kevin plays the cello!!
Dude, you didn’t say much through this reaction, but it was one of the realist reactions I’ve seen in a while. Your face and eyes said more than I think you probably would have needed to. Excellent reaction man. 🙏🏽🙏🏽
Welcome! We Pentaholics are a friendly bunch...except for that one guy Toronto. Enjoy the genius of these wonderful singers and...people!
Leonhard Cohen wrote Hallelujah and shortly before his passing, he heard the Pentatonix version. He loved it.
The last singer is Mitch Grassi a counter-tenor; recorded to sing 6 Octaves higher than most people worldwide!
It is always worthwhile to watch a first-time listener as they get "Mitch-slapped" by Mitch Grassi's angelic counter-tenor for the first time.
Thanks for sharing your reaction with us! You hit the nail on the head right off the bat - they are all exceptionally gifted, but they blend together to make the whole even greater than the parts.
Lol, get ready - PTX fans are called Pentaholics, and they will flood you with views, info, and song requests. We're a pretty nice bunch, just more than a little enthusiastic :-) We love new reactors because then we get to enjoy our first listen to ALL the songs all over again through you. Welcome 🥰
How refreshing to come across someone who actually *listens* to the piece in its entirety and then gives the reaction - Far too many lately find it necessary to stop the video every fourth or fifth bar to inject their far too often just "oohs" and "ahs" or commentary about Mitch's hat or Kirsten's appearance and they miss so many little grace notes and nuances in the flow of the song that add so much - So kudos to you -
That said, while this isn't my favorite from the Pentatonix catalog, I do like it and think it's probably the best place to start in getting to know them as it shows both their individual abilities and how beautifully they come together to make their own brand of magic - I look forward to enjoying more of your reactions to this and, perhaps, other performers -
Daft Punk, The Prayer, Mary Did you know, Say Something just a few of my favorites.
They indeed have original music.
Favorites of mine are:
Sing
Love Again
Be My Eyes
Water (no official video but seen in popspring performance)
Cracked (also in popspring performance)
Can I add to that list of originals?
Coffee In Bed
Run To You
The Lucky Ones
Happy Now
Anchor ( no video, but a visualizer is available)
Side ( visualizer only)
Petals (visualizer only)
Love Me When I Don't
That's all I can think of right now.
I would also include some of their solo work. Scott's "Mars" is just stunning!!!
You will love their cover of The Sound of Silence...they crush it.
They do have there own music..."Coffee in Bed" is my favorite
Someone said that Pentatonix don’t do covers, they do upgrades. I think that is very true. Welcome to us, the Pentaholics!
They sound even better in person
They do a ton of covers and their own stuff. They have almost 300 numbers to check out! Check them out live at Popspring 2016 Live. They do 3 originals and the Michael Jackson evolution.
That beat boxing is all Kevin. He is a musical genius.
The drums and beat would be Kevin their beatboxer and human 808 and the bass would be covered by the first two gentlemen that sang, Scott the tall blond and Avi with the beanie hat. Scott is classified as a baritone but has unreal range low to high and Avi is a basso profundo.
@6:20
Most of that was done by the guy at the end. He was stomping and smacking his chest and was overall the bass for this song. He did the bass vocals for the first two refrains but mainly keeping the beat as the bass. It was all him.
Bohemian Rhapsody....Amazing Grace....sound of silence. Just a few but too many to list
You just heard angels singing!
Avi Kaplan, classically trained bass and second soloist has left the group and now has his own solo career.
Here is a studio cut from his album released close to a year ago.
Avi Kaplan
When I'm a Fool (Kaplan)
ua-cam.com/video/LE24UTH3pmQ/v-deo.html
I always enjoy people’s reactions to this video. The way their mouths just drop and they don’t even bother picking them up. They’re that enamored with this.
A beautiful song song by an amazing group!
It’s rare to find both. And this group managed to do so and kept doing so…
The emotions are real with this video!
Welcome pentatonix world enjoy it like us
Welcome to the long winding road of Pentatonix, you are in for the journey of your life 😊 Pentatonix never ceases to amaze me, at just how incredibly talented they are, and take their voices to newer levels, we have never heard before.....there is something so special about their ability, to tell the songs story, allowing us to listen with a new perspective, and hear & feel emotions, we may not have heard from the original artist 💖💖💖 Not only their voices, but their delivery is also their gift!
Pentatonix also does a beautiful cover of Amazing Grace.
Scott, Mitch and Kirstie have been together since school. They added Avi (bass) and Kevin (primarily beatbox) just before competing on (and winning) The Sing-Off, because the show required a minimum of five members. That's the lineup you see here. The only change since then is that Avi left the group amicably and has been replaced by Matt.
There are two Live versions of Hallelujah on their channel, an older one with Avi and a newer one with Matt. The Avi one is pretty much comparable to this lip-synced studio version. In other words, they don't do a whole lot of processing. They try to keep the commercial recordings faithful to what they really sound like. Also, on that live version, you can clearly see where Avi hands off the bassline to Scott in Verse 2.
There are no instruments in their music, unless they're clearly shown in the vids. Like Kevin uncorking his cello, or a guest artist like Lindsey Stirling on violin.
In my humblest opinion, this song was written for this band and the writers just were way ahead of their time.
I’ve never heard it sang better. PTX have never sang a song better. One word for this performance…WOW!
maybe not better, but different. these 2 versions are also superbe, in my opinion: ua-cam.com/video/4hjgkvuKES8/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/1VlVpHgeNjs/v-deo.html
PTX is the Beatles of A cappella, They are the first A cappella group - to win a Grammy, the first to have 20 million subscribers, the first to have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. React to Popspring 2016 ( it has 3 originals and one cover)
Welcome to the world of PTX! You should definitely check out their Grammy winning Daft Punk Medley! They also have an incredible version of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Pentatonix has their own signature which they add to each song. I consider their covers as an upgrade and they cover almost every genre. I hope you jump down the rabbit hole. You will be amazed, astonished, perplexed, blown away and Mitch slapped, possibly all in one song. I look forward to seeing a lot more of your reactions to Pentatonix. Also Home Free and Voice Play hopefully.
No, never too late to get started. Came for the Mitch-slap! Btw, record company is famous for blocking reactor's videos...may want to play with opacity, put a logo or pause every so often. Tho there's often no rhyme or reason for the block.
If You react to PTX, the pentaholics will come!
I really like Home Free a lot but for me Pentatonix is the big dog in the neighborhood! A really cool one is their collaboration with Dolly Parton covering "Jolene" with her.
You should watch them live- they are incredible. :). welcome to the PTX rabbit hole...
Welcome to your PTX journey. Just dont stop after one. Try Bohemian Rhapsody....Sound of Silence....Can you feel the love tonight or 90's dance medley next. Thanks for sharing and stay safe.
Welcome to Pentatonix! The PTX fans are here, now, lol. Yes, they do fantastic originals, of which there are many. Their catalog is sorta in thirds, covers, originals, and Christmas music. I like to suggest the live recording "Popspring 2016" to new reactors because it includes three original songs plus their incredible "Evolution of Michael Jackson," and it gives you a real feel for what they are capable of live. Three of them knew each other as children and sang together as a trio in high school, but as Pentatonix as a band, it has been 11 years or so. Great reaction!
Kevin is the beatboxer and actually plays the cello, piano, drums and I believe trumpet
thank you, Leonard Cohen, for writing this iconic hymn........
Would love to hear more Pentatonix reactions.
This one moves me to tears regularly, and that's without Shrek! At this point, I'm totally blown away by their artistry. More incredible songs than you can shake a stick at; it's quite a rabbit hole. Mostly covers, but more and more originals lately. I'll suggest you check out Daft Punk Medley, Havana, Can't Hold Us, Mary Did You Know. . . just for starters.
For a totally different side of PTX, check out their rendition of Daft Punk (the first of three Grammy wins)! And they just received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame yesterday!
I think you should react to Daft Punk and Bohemian Rhapsody - they do a lot of covers but also have a few of their own songs floating around - as you react to this group you will notice changes in Kirsten and Mitch (the little guy in the big hat) and you will think they are new to the group but nope, they just like to change their appearance - they were very young here and the two songs I think you will enjoy experiencing is this same 'first group' who won The Sing Off back in about 2011 - today's group has only one change - Avi, the guy here with the beard chose to break away and do his own thing a few years back and Matt stepped in - we also have Scott who is the first singer in this song, and then Kevin who is the very talented beatboxer - the entire group joins in to make 'the sounds' when they are not singing - quite a show to watch - look for the Pentaholics to start buzzing around - now that you have opened that door to your first reaction, we tend to swarm! LOL 😅😂🤣💖
YOUR in for a treat and im HERE for the mitch slap😂😂👍👍
This m favorite rendition of this song by Pentotonix. I played this song and video for my 18 year old son who was murdered. The entire funeral home was in awe,tears. Bruce was a very loved son,brother,friend and team athlete. ❤️
Simply put, I love your reaction. To see the Mitch slap reaction made me smile. I had the same reaction when I first heard them. Please check out many many more from PTX. Looking forward to more from you.
There is a live version from PTX Christmas special that sounds exactly the same, just not a production version. Check it out on the side.
Avi Kaplan ( the second vocalist) does some lovely solo stuff in the folk genre. Scott and Mitch (the first and last singer) also did a little project called Superfruit. Super fun Funky music.
Pentatonix is probably best known for their Christmas recordings. They have released a holiday album every year for more than 10 years, and they are hugely popular because they take songs that get overdone during the holidays and make creative arrangements that retain the original appeal but add surprising details that make the song sound fresh. They also have several albums with covers of pop songs from various decades, in styles from Motown to 90's pop divas to EDM and K- and J-pop. And they have two albums of original songs where they work with experienced pop producers to get a variety of current pop sounds.
They do originals, covers, mashups, evolutions, medleys, etc. Many consider their covers to be upgrades. Pop and Christmas are their specialties, however they do pretty much any genre including rock and classical. Some 300 videos or audios are available. They have gold and platinum albums, Grammies, and a recent star on the Hollywood walk of Fame. They only been around just over a decade...which may explain why many have yet to know of them.
It's been said that they don't do covers, they do upgrades!
Please check out more of them. All of their songs are amazing. I could listen to them all day. Kevin does play the cello and Scott plays the piano but they play only in a few songs. Also the bass singer Avi is the only member that has left the group. He was replaced by Matt. They are both amazing. You will not be disappointed.
Discovered Pentatonix a couple of yrs back and wow! You’re looking for the bass in the background but no. Just incredibly talented vocalists/beatboxing although Kevin (the beatboxer) does play instruments also. Brilliant Cellist, rapper, songwriter. Another fab reaction!
Great reaction! One of my favourites is "My Favourite Things".
Thanks for not once stopping this sacred beauty of a song and saving your welcomed comments until the end. I know that's not always the case. But in this case, many thanks.
The other question have been answered, I think, but Pentatonix have around 300 songs at this point and around 50 of them are originals. They have 2 all-original albums plus at least 1 original on each cover album... their first all-original album was #1 on the Billboard charts (the second was unfortunately released during Covid), not bad for what a lot of people derisively refer to as a cover band. Also worth noting that only a couple (2, I think) of their originals don't have any of the band with writing credits. One was written by Chris Martin of Coldplay and the other was written by Dianne Warrick and performed a single time live by Cher before eventually making its way to them. The rest are all written by members with industry co-writers.
Great reaction. Subscribed! No instruments, all voices.
Welcome to the Pentatonix rabbit hole! I see others have filled you in on the group info so I'll just note that I subscribed in the hope that you really do explore this group. I've not heard a bad song/cover from them yet, so choose whatever seems good to you from their massive catalogue of stuff.
Three of them found each other in high school and this incarnation was put together for competion on the show The Sing-Off maybe 7 or 8 years ago. They won that and have been unstoppable since. They have both covers and originals in their repertoire. They have very recently been given a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Subscribed for PTX. Pentaholic from the very beginning. So I think of them as my kids, as many of us do. They say you shouldn’t pick a favorite child. I have 4 daughters and I will admit I have a favorite, but I’m not telling. 🤭 Anyway with pentatonix I will admit that I love my baby boy Mitch. I can’t hear his voice without it touching me. I see you’ve already fallen into the rabbit hole. Looking forward to this journey with you. Greetings from Southern California. 👋🏼
Yes all Acapella no instruments you need to see them live
Love love love
They startd twelve years ago with a win of the acapella s television competition shoow The sing-Off. They weree 19(3 of them. 21 and 23) They have been together twelve yearas won three grammies are considered one of the best, if not the best a capella band in the world. There has been one change Avi their bass left in 2017 and was replaced by Matt Sallee. They all have huge rabges in their voices fout to six octaves. They also write and compose music.They have a huge catalog over 200 songs. all great
Nice reaction! Pentatonix precede Home Free and Home Free were inspired by them. Pentatonix won the third series of the Sing Off competition in 2011 and Homefree won the 4th season. Scott (tall, blonde baritone), Mitch (dark hair, wearing the hat, has the crazy high notes counter tenor) and Kirstie have known each other since they were 8. They grew up in Texas and sang in high school together.
Avi is the only member of the group who left in 12 years. He left in 2017, amicably for personal reasons and was replaced by Matt Sallee, who is fantastic. You might think there are different group members because Mitch and Kirstie change their look up a lot but it's always just them!
They found Kevin (incredible beatboxer, cello player also tenor) and Avi (bass, looks like Jesus!) when they entered The Sing Off as they needed at least five members. The prize was a Sony record contract but Sony dropped them after a couple of weeks as they didn't think an a cappella group was marketable. A
They went their own way, started a UA-cam channel and 12 years, many successful albums, sell-out world tours, three Grammys and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame later and I think it's safe to say they proved Sony wrong! They are best known for their covers and Christmas music but their original songs are fantastic and much under-rated. They have a huge catalogue including many different styles including pop, rock, EDM, rap, hip hop, world music - something for everyone! They don't record anything in a studio that they can't sing live so they don't use autotune (except in their 90s dance medley when they do Cher's I believe because she was known for using it for effect on that track), they also don't record any of the members singing two or more times, they really do sound that full with just five members - as you can tell from any of their live music.
For PTX newbies I'd recommend their Daft Punk Medley (they won their first Grammy for that and the video was made for around $400 in a closet and Kevin's kitchen! It's insane how they make their voices sound like electronic effects), Bohemian Rhapsody (Brian May loves this one!) and any of the evolution of medley videos (my favourites are Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Ariane Grande).
For originals try Love Again (if you like EDM), Sing, Run to you, Can't sleep love or Coffee in Bed.
Enjoy!
How was Home Free inspirere by PTX?
Hadn't Home Free been touring the small shows (state fairs, etc) for years before The Sing-Off? That's what I understood from their self-intro on the show, so I doubt they were preceded by PTX. Though inspiration could go both ways.
@@kisili7319 HF has been touring since the Early 2000, when Scott and Kirstie was tweens.
@@hellefur7861 That's what I thought. Thanks for the clarification.
@@kisili7319 - I didn't know that, but I'm sure you're right. I just remember hearing Homefree say they were inspired by PTX. ❤️
Thank you for listening all the way thru before commenting. You did it the way it was supposed to be done. The whole experience is the thing.
This is a DEEP rabbit hole. I'll let other Pentaholics fill you in on their history. Here are a couple of their OG's: "Love Again" came early on and in my opinion never got the appreciation that it should have: ua-cam.com/video/F80FsZDTgn0/v-deo.html Kirsty (Kirstin Maldonald) has written some excellent songs that are more recent. Here's a link to "Be My Eyes" ua-cam.com/video/mnPU7_iff8Y/v-deo.html (there's a melody line reminiscent of Orinoco Flow, but is NOT a copy). She also wrote this one, "Love Me When I Don't" ua-cam.com/video/IbKkFnnxkEk/v-deo.html Enjoy! (Sony Music is aggressively protective, so be careful)
Check out their live version "Hallelujah - From A Christmas Special". You can really pick out all their sounds being made.
Check out their live Christmas version of this song!
It sounds even better!
New subscriber, Pentatonix brought me here and I am hoping you will continue with more of them. To hear different facets of their talents, try Can’t Hold Us, Come Along, Imagine, Bohemian Rhapsody, Sound of Silence, 90s Dance Medley and their Daft Punk medley. My favorite of their originals lately has been Anchor. It’s easy to forget there are no instruments, they sound so rich and full even without them. I liked your reaction very much. Peace from Ohio …
If you wanna blow your mind, check out 'Sound of silence'. They won a contest which started their careers.
It is all their voices or personally created sounds (in Kevin's case). The group has been together since performing on 'The Sing Off' a televised acapella competition show along the lines of America's Got Talent back in 2011. The 5 on this video are the group that won that competition: Scott Hoying (the blond) sings baritone and covers base when Avi is singing. Avi Kaplan (with the beard and knit cap - the one that makes your bones vibrate when he hit his really low tones) is a classically trained basso profundo who has the unique ability to produce two vocal sounds at the same time. During his time with the group, he also added vocal percussion. He left the group amicably in 2017 to spend more time with his family. Kirstin Maldanado is a mezzo soprano who can really belt out those high notes without sounding strained or screechy. Mitch Grassi (in the hat - the one that delivered your first Mitch-Slap) is a contra tenor who actually has an amazing 6 octave range (6+1, actually!). Last, but certainly not least, is Kevin Olusola, their beat boxer, can create some truly amazing sounds that you would swear are instrumental or mechanical, but it's all him. He is a classically trained musician who has performed in Carnegie Hall (on piano and saxophone) and is also a talented cellist, credited with creating "celloboxing" (playing the cello while beatboxing). The newest member of the group is Matt Salee, who took over the bass roll upon Avi's departure. Some people think there have been more members, but Mitch and Kirstin change their looks frequently, so are sometimes not recognized for who they are.
They do mostly covers (generally improvements, actually), a lot of Christmas music and do have some originals as well. They put an album of original songs out in 2021 (The Lucky Ones)
Enjoyed your reaction to pentatonix. Love Ptx! Can't wait till your next reaction on their videos. They have so many to choose from. There all great! Start with Bohemian rhapsody,Daft punk, 90's dance melody,Havana, and their latest prayers for this world.
New here and a diehard Pentaholic! Great reaction! You've picked an amazing rabbit hole to go down. Some other covers to check out are Daft Punk, Can't Hold Us, Sound of Silence, Imagine, Bohemian Rhapsody, Mad World, Radioactive (You'll be introduced to Kevin's cello-boxing), The Prayer, plus lots more.
For an original song of theirs definitely check out Love Again
For something a little different from them...they collaborated with Todrick Hall on Wizzard of Ahhh's
These are just a few you need to check out. Welcome to the Pentaholics family!
Just subbed because I always love watching a new reactor to PTX. They have a huge following and we are called Pentaholics. PTX has done a lot of covers (they own Christmas with their creativity) but they do have their original songs.
Sound of Silence, Daft Punk, Imagine (one of my favs), Shallow, Evolution of Michael Jackson and Rihanna and Beyoncé.
The guy in the hat is Mitch and he’s my favorite. When he started singing, I saw your head rear back and you had an unbelieving expression on your face…..YOU GOT “MITCH SLAPPED.” 💕
Love your format of just listening to the song! Awesome!
I'm positive that you can be positive.
They do a lot of covers, but yes, they do have original music. Their album The Luck Ones is all original music.
Just an FYI, in 2017 the bass singer (dark beard) left the group. Matt Sallee then joined. That is the only change in the line-up.
Hallelujah was composed by the late great Leonard Cohen. It is said that Pentatonix did his favorite cover of his song. Don't stop now, Pentatonix (PTX) has so much more to offer. Try "imagine", for one. It is amazing!!!
When they do covers, they often do mashups. They do song called La La Latch that is a cover of two Sam Smith's songs. The do a song they call Daft Punk Medley which has 8 different Daft Punk songs is a mashup. They have new one called Prayers for the World which is shows their growth as performers. The group does all types of music from pop to K-pop to Christmas with a twist. They have three Grammys. Their arrangements are insane. Enjoy your ride down the rabbit hole.
You have so much amazing music to listen too. They do both covers and originals. They have been together since 2011, but Kirstie, Scott and Mitch have known each other since childhood and performed in high school musicals together. They added Avi, the bass and Kevin, the beat boxer (and amazing cellist) for the SingOff in 2011. Kirstie and Scott were in college and Mitch was a senior in high school. Avi left the group in 2017 and Matt joined. Listen to Daft Punk, Bohemian Rhapsody, Imagine, Sounds of Silence to start. Any of their Christmas music and originals like Coffee in Bed, Sing, Kid on Christmas and Prayers for this world.
Pentatonix is the pinnacle of a cappella
Mitch-slap!
They mostly do covers but they do some original stuff too. Check out their cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. Yes, it’s a cappella and it works perfectly.
We are sure that there are no instruments involved, because they pull off the same show in their live concerts. There are even several UA-cam videos that prove this! 😀