Scott is actually a baritone, but his vocal range is nuts!! He covers the bass anytime Matt (or previous bass, Avi Kaplan) needs to take lead or do a verse. So him soaring in those high riffs as well as doing bass is massively impressive.
When Matt (bass) takes lead then Scott fills in on bass. Kevin (beatboxer) is also a tenor (can hit higher than Kirstie/Mitch/Matt), plays piano, saxophone, has perfect pitch, is a world-class cellist, appeared twice at Carnegia Hall in his teens, graduated pre-med from Yale, and speaks several languages including Mandarin,. Check out their versions of "Kiss From A Rose" and "O Holy Night", then to see Kevin's skill as a music arranger their version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" an older video when Avi was the bass.
Pentatonix a "brief" background. 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 cover 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. It is an often debated subject among the Pentaholics as to just how soon we introduce the "Beginners Guide" as we don't want to overdo the introduction. This is a compilation of snips of a whole load of songs which PTX have released. It highlights each member with some of their solos and then a brief history in video. It is quite long - 14+ minutes and is a little dated now (Feb 2020) but is a good watch ua-cam.com/video/lDxIfwfCmQE/v-deo.html&pp=ygUdYmVnaW5uZXJzIGd1aWRlIHRvIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D. 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. A 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 have Grammy wins for Daft Punk Medley, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Jolene featuring Dolly Parton. They were nominated for a 4th Grammy for their album Evergreen, but didn't win. Another nomination for Holidays Around the World album in the 2024 list! Kirstie became a new mum which caused a pause in touring after their Evergreen Christmas tour 2021. Mid March 2023 Kirstie has announced that she is engaged to Ben Hausdorff, their videographer. They married 22/04/24! They have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame installed in February 2023. They are the only a capella group with a star! They came 3rd in the 2023 Masked Singer performing as "California Rolls" being unmasked in May 23. 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 official 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. 4. It is "Pentatonix" there is no "The".
so, just to clarify, when the group was formed, their bass was Avi. In 2017 he made the decision to leave the group due to his mother's illness and his difficulties keeping up (emotionally) with the schedule PTX set for themselves. Matt joined the group as the bass at the end of 2017, became an official member in 2018.
Daft punk medley won their first grammy. It's like nothing else acapella. Carol of the bells and sugar plum fairy are acapella with out words! Sound of Silence is awesome.
I'd love to hear more of Pentatonix. So many choices! Some originals, Love Again, Coffee in Bed. Grammy winning Daft Punk Medley, The Prayer, Amazing Grace all are gorgeous!
Because they all have huge ranges and balance/share the lead, Scott and Matt share the duties of bass/baritone. Kirstie & Mitch share the mid/high tones and you'll find that they can sound so similar that it if you close your eyes, you're not sure who's singing. Wholesome, entertaining, appear to be genuinely good, positive people with amazing talent. It's some kind of miracle they found each other and make such beautiful music together. Actually Scott, Mitch and Kirstie have known each other since elementary school and performed together in high school as the trio (video exists :)), the rest is history. Hope you enjoyed it enough to look at more - originals, ballads, pop, rap, serious or fun - and don't forget Christmas!!!!......they can do it all.
They all have massive ranges that allow each to overlap to the other roles to fill in when one is being showcased in a "solo". The arrangement not only allows Matt's bass to soar to higher ranges but you get to enjoy Mitch's usually featured counter tenor to enjoy his chest voice. Scott's usual range is baritone and higher but he is capable of filling in for the bass as needed which you get a hint of this in The Sounds of Silence rendition. Matt does a massive bass drop in this song too
Just subbed for more PTX. They have well over 250 videos of original and cover videos. Scott Hoying( man in the middle) takes over the bass when Matt is singing. He does this fairly consistently. Loved your reaction.💕💕
So, left to right from my view: Matt Sallee, bass and vocal bass (that is, a human voice imitating a string or electric bass); Kirstin Maldonado, alto-soprano; Scott Hoying, baritone (but with an insane range, and takes over the bass line while Matt has his solo); Mitch Grassi, tenor and countertenor - as you no doubt noticed, he and Kirstin can make a dynamite treble section; and Kevin Olusola, beatboxer and tenor (with a lovely crystal-clear falsetto - check out their official video for Amazing Grace; also plays cello: check out the recent Vevo Live performance of Kiss From a Rose). This re-interpretation of their own most famous arrangement was released as a teaser/intro to their always amazing holiday music season and tour. One of the many things that makes Pentatonix stand out are their amazing arrangements, by Ben Bram, with large amounts of input from the group members themselves.
Fun reaction! Yes they had one member change. Their previous bass Avi Kaplan left in 2017, and Matt Sallee filled the position. Also, if you do more PTX music (please do!) know that their label Sony (SME) is notorious for blocking reactions due to the video, so feel free to obscure the music video as needed.
This group is the premier a capella group out there. They have 3 Grammys a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many other awards. Loved this reaction and subbed in the hope you do many more. Check out alan-freeman's biopic on the group for more info on them. Suggestions: Bohemian Rhapsody, Evolution of Michael Jackson, Coffee In Bed (original), Daft Punk medley, 90's Dance Medley, Sing (original), Shallow, , Be My Eyes (original), New Rules/Are You That Somebody, Love Again (original), LalaLatch.
Love you, guys! So this is your first-second or second-first reaction to PTX and i subbed for more. Scott, the guy in the middle takes the bass when bassist Matt goes solo.
Great reaction. Thank you. I love Pentatonix. They are amazing. Suggestions for reactions: "Mad World", "Sound Of Silence", "Daft Punk" medley, "Kiss From A Rose", "The Prayer", and "New Rules/Are You That Somebody?".
You should really react "Kiss from a rose" THE LIVE PERFORMANCE. You will definitely be surprised. From a Pentaholic. You should do the sound of silence. TX do much. You are so appreciated. They are on tour now. From a Pentaholic. Greetings from South Africa
They are so amazing! Please react to their version of Seal's "A Kiss From A Rose"....it is stunning!! Also their first Grammy winner "Daft Punk Medley". I could go on and on. They are too good. Remember there are NO instruments being used. If there is one being used you will see it in the video. Kevin (beat boxer) plays a cello on some of their songs. He is so gifted. You don't get to hear it often but he has a beautiful voice too. Great reaction guys! Thank you! Hope you both are doing well. Sending you love from Texas!!❤❤
Pentatonix History…..composed by Alan Freeman updated by Perry Stevenson 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! Oh, yes, the name. Pentatonix is named for the pentatonic scale, which has five (penta) tones just as Pentatonix has five (Penta) singers. In other words, it's a fancier way of saying they're now "The Quintet." 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 acappella 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 cover 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. The 3 Grammys they’ve won include…. (1)Daft Punk for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella…… (2)Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella…. (3) Jolene w/Dolly Parton for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. They were nominated for a 4th Grammy for their album “Evergreen” for Best Traditional Vocal Album. They were also nominated for a 5th Grammy award for their album “Holidays Around The World” for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. They have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame installed in February 2023. THEY ARE THE ONLY ACAPELLA GROUP WITH A STAR!!!! UPDATE: Pentatonix has also done 9 intros for Thursday Night Football based on their original song “sing”. Links for 3 of them are ua-cam.com/video/HrruJptmbKU/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/zTUSB4iwTII/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/e2pvITc9a3U/v-deo.html UPDATE: Pentatonix has done a cameo appearance in the new movie “Candy Cane Lane” starring Eddie Murphy. They are the carolers. UPDATE: Pentatonix sang the National Anthem at the 2023 College Football National Championship game. Link is ua-cam.com/video/fqWY2EUGlgk/v-deo.html UPDATE: They came in 3rd in the 2023 Masked Singer performing as "California Rolls" being unmasked in May 23. UPDATE: The trio of Scott, Mitch, and Kirstie also appeared as guest stars in an episode of the crime drama "Bones." Scott's song, "Light in the Hallway," sung by Avi, was played as the credits rolled. UPDATE: Pentatonix was featured in the movie "Pitch Perfect 2" as a Canadian a Capella group. Kirstie became a new mum which caused a pause in touring after their Evergreen Christmas tour 2021. Mid March 2023 Kirstie has announced that she is engaged to Ben Hausdorff, their videographer. UPDATE…Kirsten and Ben got married 04/24/24. It is an often debated subject among the Pentaholics as to just how soon we introduce the "Beginners Guide" as we don't want to overdo the introduction. This is a compilation of snips of a whole load of songs which PTX have released. It highlights each member with some of their solos and then a brief history in video. It is quite long - 14+ minutes and is a little dated now (Feb 2020) but is a good watch ua-cam.com/video/lDxIfwfCmQE/v-deo.html&pp=ygUdYmVnaW5uZXJzIGd1aWRlIHRvIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D. Things you need to know because if you get these wrong “Pentaholics” will come after you with pitch forks and torches! Ha 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 auto-tune as an effect - so they had to. 2- What produces everything that you hear in the video, you see in the official 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 know you guys from TW reactions. Welcome to my other favorite band! I've been following these guys for 12 years and ice seen then 10 times. They're the real deal and INSANE live
There are 3 big differences in the group between the original Hallelujah music video and this live version: 1) As you noticed, the bass singer changed from Avi Kaplan to Matt Sallee. Avi left the group in fall 2017 and Matt joined them as a "featured artist" for their 2017 Christmas tour, joined permanently in early 2018 after making his way through a nationwide audition process as PTX looked for a new bass singer. Avi has been performing his own music and touring as a solo artist, and his music is well worth a look/listen to see if you would like to hear more - his first and probably most well known video is Change On the Rise. 2) Kirstin has gone back to her natural hair color here, rather than the blonde you saw her in the original MV. And she's colored her hair several times in the past, so other MVs will often have her with different (usually blonde) hair colors. In previous tours, she's often worn wigs, so don't count on her being a brunette every time you see her! She and Mitch are known as the chameleons of the group, because often they look so different people aren't sure it's really them. 3) Speaking of Mitch (high tenor) - here he's got the short hair and mustache that he seems to have adopted for the last several years, rather than the really short hair (growing it out from shaved) from the original MV, but his hair style and facial hair (or lack thereof) has often changed, going from blonde to shaved to mullet to hair like today, and from clean-shaven to beard-and-mustache to mustache alone like today. So with Kirstin and Mitch, just remember that there has only been one change in the group members, and if you have to ask if it's Kirstin or Mitch - it is!
Thanks for your reaction! Yes, you are right that they have a different Bass singer, Matt Salle, in this newer one. Avi Kaplan was their previous bass singer but he left the group because the touring demands for him were overwhelming and he wanted more family time since his mother was quite ill at the time. Avi has more of a Folk music style and was more of a Bass Profundo than Matt (You saw Avi as a featured guest in Home Free cover of "Ring Of Fire" and Avi Kaplan has his own solo music channel). Matt has a Pop/R&B/Gospel style that in my opinion is better suited to Pentatonix style and direction the group wanted (don't get me wrong- I love Avi too and am happy that he is better able to balance his touring vs family life and write and perform his own songs that he has written. You may want to check out "Change On The Rise" on Avi solo channel.) Pentatonix has the best Christmas music and tours during the Christmas season as Voice Play are the kings of the Halloween season. I am really enjoying your journey down the acapella rabbit hole and look forward to more of your reactions.
The more *complete* back story for #Pentatonix: Kirstin, Mitch, and Scott all grew up in Arlington, Texas. All of them were involved with community musical theater as children, and Mitch met both Scott and Kirstin there (separately) when they were still pre-teens, and became friends with each of them. However, Scott and Kirstin didn't meet each other until they were fourteen and in the same high school class. All three were choir geeks (duh), and they quickly became best friends in high school. And if you're wondering what was in the water in Arlington in the early 1990s that three such remarkably talented people should all be born in such proximity, you aren't the only one. There was some kind of singing contest to meet the stars of _Glee,_ and the three of them wanted to enter, so they formed a trio which they named "The Trio." (I know; not very imaginative. They're somewhat better with that now.) They lost the contest, but they kept The Trio together anyway; they performed at school functions and occasionally on local television. Pentaholics still refer to these three as "the trio," and the trio is the heart of Pentatonix. Kirstin and Scott were a year ahead of Mitch; they graduated in 2010, when Mitch was still in eleventh grade, and both went away for their freshman year of college. Kirstin went to the University of Oklahoma (with a full ride scholarship!), and Scott went to the University of Southern Califonia. Scott is a very outgoing person, so he immediately began looking around for extracurricular activities where he could meet people and make new friends, and he found an award-winning amateur a cappella group named SoCal VoCals, which he joined. While there he met a former member named Ben Bram, who at the time was a coach on NBC's a cappella competition show named _"The Sing-Off."_ A cappella groups would audition for the show, and those that passed appeared throughout the season. There was a panel of three judges, all professional musicians, who would critique each performance. Along the way some groups would be eliminated, narrowing the field, and at the end of the season viewers would be invited to vote on a winner. The winning group would receive $200,000 and a recording contract with Epic, a minor subsidiary of Sony, the show's sponsor. Scott was intrigued. He thought The Trio could be competitive, and if they could get a recording contract they could have a career doing what they most loved, with the people they most loved. So he talked to Kirstin, who thought his idea had promise, and at the end of their first year of college the two of them headed back to Arlington to be there for Mitch's graduation and to talk with Mitch about Scott's idea. Meanwhile, back in Arlington Mitch had been having a very difficult year. His best friends weren't there, and as an out-of-the-closet young gay man with an unusually high voice he was being seriously bullied. And unfortunately, since the bullying was ostensibly for his voice he was quickly developing the notion that there was something wrong with his voice and that no one would want to hear him sing. So when Scott presented his idea Mitch was on board; it was a way to get away from the bullies. He had doubts about his ability to carry his weight in the group, because of the bullying, but he was willing to try, and if Scott and Kirstin said they could win, well, maybe they could. So with everyone agreed, Scott called Ben Bram to find out how to arrange for an audition, and this is where they met their first setback. _The Sing-Off_ had a size requirement; the minimum size allowed was five. The Trio needed two new members and a new name. They were stumped. Ben suggested that they'd profit from adding a rhythm section: a bass and a beatboxer, and he knew the perfect person to recommend for the bass, a guy named Avi Kaplan. They talked to Avi, and he was very interested, so that took care of the bass, but where to find the beatboxer? Ben didn't have any suggestions. So in desperation they typed "beatboxer" into a UA-cam search box and the first hit they got was a black guy playing a classical piece on the cello and beatboxing at the same time. And all of them said, "Wow! He's the one! How can we get in touch with him?" They were in luck. At the time UA-cam had something called UA-cam messages, which would allow private messages between members (now discontinued), so they sent Kevin a private message: "Hey! We really love your stuff, and we wonder if you'd be interested in flying across the country to join four strangers to audition for an a cappella competition show on television?" And Kevin messaged them back: "Normally I'd be there in a heart beat; I love a cappella and have been in a cappella groups before. But right now I'm studying for my final exams for my pre-med major from Yale." Oh. That sounded pretty definite; better keep looking. So they kept looking, and they found someone, but he was no Kevin Olusola. Oh well; you work with what you have. And two weeks later Kevin messaged them again: "Good news! I just graduated. If the gig's still open I can fly out." He arrived the day before their audition. Mitch had to skip his graduation ceremony to attend the audition. But even with just a day of rehearsal they still passed the audition; they were in. Oh, yes, the name. Pentatonix is named for the pentatonic scale, which has five (penta) tones just as Pentatonix has five (Penta) singers. In other words, it's a fancier way of saying they're now "The Quintet." 😂 Pentatonix appeared throughout season three of _The Sing-Off,_ and eventually won. All those performances are available on UA-cam and are well worth watching, preferably in order so you can see how they grew throughout the season. Some of them are as good as anything they've done since (which is saying a lot) and are only available in those old videos. (Note: If you decide to react to these, be sure and watch the versions that contain the show's introduction of Pentatonix just before the performance, and the judges' critiques of the performance, and any comments Pentatonix made backstage.) So, they'd won _The Sing-Off,_ complete with recording contract. Time to move to California permanently and begin recording. And a week later Epic reneged on the contract, saying that they didn't know how to market a cappella. But at this point Pentatonix weren't willing to give up; they *wanted* that career they'd been working toward. So they pooled their winnings and lived frugally. The four men shared two apartments, to cut down on expenses. They arranged music and rehearsed every day, and when they had a song ready they used their iPhones to record themselves anywhere they could find good acoustics, and sometimes in places with acoustics that were just okay. And they posted to UA-cam. Their fans from _The Sing-Off_ quickly found them there, and subscribed, and they began to get more views and more subscribers, and to pick up a few patrons. In fact, they were going viral. And Sony noticed, and approached them with an offer: Perhaps Pentatonix would like a recording contract with Madison Gate, another minor subsidiary? Hmmm. 🤔 Would they like a recording contract? Might have to think about that, for a second or two. Darn right they'd like a recording contract! And then came "Daft Punk Medley," and Pentatonix won their first Grammy. And again, Sony took notice, and approached Pentatonix: "We've been thinking about it and we believe you might find a better fit with our flagship label, RCA. Are you interested?" They've been with RCA ever since. They go on tours world wide and perform to sold-out venues. They put out at *least* one album a year, frequently more. One has gone Gold and one has gone Platinum twice. They have three Grammys and recently received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. And they are the only a cappella band to have won so much as *one* Grammy, or to be represented on the Walk of Fame. The most important part of this story is the fact that Pentatonix began with The Trio, three best friends so close to one another that they might as well be family. And from the very beginning, everyone who has joined with them to form Pentatonix has been incorporated into that family-of-choice. As a family, Pentatonix takes care of all its members. One of the things this means is that everyone gets time in the spotlight. Pentatonix has no lead singer. Yes, some songs call for a lead, and when that happens Pentatonix chooses the member whose voice best suits the song. This is one way that everyone gets time in the spotlight, and it means that no one is burdened with having to always be the lead. And when songs don't require a lead, Pentatonix frequently has each member solo on one or more verses. The members of Pentatonix are able to set their egos aside because each of them is already receiving as much acclaim as any healthy ego could need. And that leaves them free to concentrate on taking care of both the people they love and the music they love. This focus on doing whatever is best for the music is, in my opinion, *the* thing that makes Pentatonix greater than the sum of its parts. And their focus on caring for one another is the reason we like them as people, not just as singers.
#Pentatonix tries to put out a Christmas album every year, to the point that in 2023 they had to make it a compilation album because they were running out of Christmas songs they hadn't already released. Even so, they managed to put three new recordings on it that I think are potential Grammy winners ("O Holy Night," which they had released in 2012 but re-recorded with a different arrangement for this album, "Kiss From A Rose," and a mashup: "Pure Imagination / Christmas Time Is Here"). But they always seem to include at least one song on the album that isn't actually a Christmas song; "Hallelujah" is one such song. Since pentaholics tend to listen to PTX's Christmas music year-round anyway this seems fair.
Four of the five members are married: Kirstin, Scott, Matt, and Kevin. Three of the five have children: Kirstin-“Eliana”-aka “EV”…Kevin: has two children-Kaia and Christian…and Matt and his wife Sarah have a baby girl named “Maliya”… So yeah! They’re all adults with adult lives… And btw. Mitch is the only unmarried band member, but he does have a boyfriend…and Scott and his husband Marc plan to have kids…
ptx owns xmas. subscribed for more acapella. also add in the bass gang. they did a cover of homefree skull and bones, i believe. acapella covering acapella
Pentatonix songs suggestions: **List may contain some songs you may have reacted to** Some Covers are: Hallelujah, The Sound of Silence, Daft Punk, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Cheerleader (OMI Cover), 12 Days Of Christmas, Cruisin For a Bruisin, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, O Come All Ye Faithful, 90’s Dance Medley, Bohemian Rhapsody, Mad World, Wizard of Ahhhs (a montage of several modern songs made to tell the classic story of wizard of oz), Radioactive, Problem, Say Something, Kiss From a Rose (live vevo), Jolene, Royals, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, the Prayer, You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch….. Some Originals are: Love Again, Sing, Be My Eyes, Coffee in Bed, Happy Now, Run to You, A Little Space, Never Gonna Cry Again, The Lucky Ones…. During the pandemic they released an album called “At Home”. It was recorded entirely at their own homes separately on Zoom then sent to the studio to be put together….songs include… Blinding Lights, Home, When the Party’s Over, Break My Heart, Dreams. SO MANY MORE…. TOO MANY TO LIST, BUT THIS IS A GOOD START. ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY TO THE RABBIT HOLE KNOWN AS… PENTATONIX.
More detailed information on the members of #Pentatonix and their vocal ranges - pardon me if I include redundant information about name pronunciations; this is a comment I make so often that I've simply saved it to a text file so I can copy and paste: In this performance we have: • First verse: Tall blond guy, Scott Hoying, lyric baritone. In describing a man's vocal range, "lyric" means that the actual range exceeds the nominal range. In Scott's case, he sings everywhere from about the middle of a normal bass range through a normal tenor range, with an excellent falsetto on top - just listen to how spectacularly high he goes in the "wall of sound" at the end of this song! In live performances (like this one) Scott typically takes over the bass harmony line when their bass has a solo. • Second verse: Matt Sallee (pronounced Suh-lee', emphasis on the second syllable), lyric bass. In addition to being the newest member (more about that later) of Pentatonix Matt is also the youngest member, and I'm told that bass voices improve with age. Matt's range seems to be growing on a daily basis right now, and this song shows his range off perfectly. • Third verse: The only woman in Pentatonix, Kirstin (also called Kirstie, which rhymes with thirsty) Maldonado. Kirstin sings everywhere from a low alto through coloratura soprano, the highest female range. And she has fantastic whistle notes on top of that. Lately Pentatonix has begun referring to her as an "alto soprano." • Fourth verse: Mitch Grassi (pronounced Grah'-see, emphasis on the first syllable), natural contratenor. No one is certain whether Mitch can sing higher than Kirstin or Kirstin can sing higher than Mitch; I suspect that it varies from day to day, though everyone agrees that Kirstin has better whistle notes. Mitch is known for his ethereally beautiful (some say "angelic") high vocals. Shawn Stockman, of Boyz II Men, said Mitch has "one of the prettiest voices I have ever heard in my life." Mitch switches seamlessly from chest voice to mixed voice to head voice. He has a range of just over six octaves. And we call that stunned look people get the first time they realize that the beautiful high voice is coming from a man, "being Mitch slapped." I trust you were properly Mitch slapped the first time you heard this. Don't let it worry you; it's happened to all of us, generally more than once because Mitch is full of surprises. • The fifth member of Pentatonix (PTX for short) is Kevin Olusola (pronounced Oh-loosh"-oh-luh', primary emphasis on the second syllable, secondary emphasis on the fourth), beatboxer extraordinaire. We don't get to hear Kevin sing as often as we'd like because he's generally too busy being the entire percussion section, but when he does sing he has a lovely tenor voice that occasionally descends to the uppermost reaches of a baritone range. He's also known for the beauty of his falsetto, which goes higher than Mitch's and Kirstin's voices. Kevin has perfect pitch. He began piano lessons at age 4, cello at age 6, and alto saxophone at age 10. When he was a teenager he performed at Carnegie Hall twice, once on the cello and once on the saxophone. He beatboxes while playing the cello, which he refers to as "celloboxing." He graduated from Yale in 2011 with a pre-med major and had already been accepted to Yale Medical School when he gave up his dream of becoming a brilliant surgeon to pursue his dream of becoming a professional beatboxer instead. He speaks five languages fluently: English, French, German, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. He's one of the kindest people in the world, and when he laughs the whole planet seems like a brighter place. • The original five members of Pentatonix were Scott, Kirstin, Mitch, Kevin, and Avi (pronounced Ah'-vee, emphasis on the first syllable) Kaplan, lyric bass. Avi is an operatically trained basso profundo - his lowest notes have blown out speakers in live performances - but his range extends to somewhere in the middle of a normal tenor range. In 2017 Avi found it necesssary to leave Pentatonix, for a variety of personal reasonse has since gone on to have a very successful solo career, and I strongly recommend subscribing to his UA-cam channel, which you can find here: youtube.com/@AviKaplanMusic Matt, Avi's replacement joined in either late 2017 or early 2018 (depending on how you figure it) and has now been with Pentatonix longer than Avi was. Matt's lowest notes don't blow out speakers (though that may change within a year or two), but his high end is spectacular; I believe that Matt has the greatest range of any member of Pentatonix, past or present.
This is very different from their original arrangement, which is what you saw and heard before. They originally arranged the second verse with Avi's voice in mind, but Matt's voice is very different from Avi's so that part of the arrangement is vastly different. The wall of sound at the end also has a different arrangement, allowing Scott to show off how much his range has increased since they originally recorded this. And probably the greatest reason you're hearing individual voices better is that Kevin no longer does as much stomping in his percussion, because it was beginning to give him problems with his legs.
Now you can always react to their live Christmas performance... ua-cam.com/video/haFHrfmfHbc/v-deo.html This was the original lineup and there is no added tracks or post editing! Enjoy!
Subscribed. If you decide to continue down this rabbit hole you can expect a LOT of new subscriptions; #Pentatonix fans are enthusiastic about reaction videos to anything our favorite band puts out. Some useful terminology: • pentaholic = Pentatonix fan • PTX = abbreviation for Pentatonix - extremely useful in searches • the trio = Kirstin, Mitch, and Scott • Mitch slap = what you get the first time you realize how incredible Mitch's voice is. • Avi-lanche = like a Mitch slap, except with Avi instead of Mitch. • KO = like a Mitch slap or Avi-lanche, except with Kevin Olusola. (Note: You never become immune to Mitch slaps, Avi-lanches, KOs, or the similar things that Kirstin, Scott, and Matt do. They always have the ability to surprise us.) You can't go wrong listening to anything Pentatonix has released; it's all gorgeous. But all pentaholics have our own personal favorites that we like to recommend. These are some of my favorites: • "Imagine" (the official video) • "The Prayer" • "Bohemian Rhapsody" (the official video) • "Sound of Silence" • "Run To You" (an original, written by Avi and Kevin) • "Happy Now" (another original) • "Daft Punk Medley" (their first Grammy winner) • "O Come All Ye Faithful" • "O Holy Night" (they did a totally new recording for their 2023 Christmas album; you can find the official video here: ua-cam.com/video/ReJAU2mXm8w/v-deo.htmlsi=upj2Q3vLqigVEtgm ) • "Pure Imagination / Christmas Time is Here" (preferably the live Vevo recording) • "Kiss From a Rose" (preferably the live Vevo recording - both of the Vevo recordings are available on UA-cam) • "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" • "The Lucky Ones" (an original, written by Scott) • "Thank You" (an original, written by Scott and his then fiancé, now husband, Mark Manio Hoying, shortly after the end of COVID lockdown, about how much easier it was to get through that time because they were together) • "The Kevin Show/Kevin's Fifth." This is a live feed from a concert they gave in Owensboro, Kentucky, Kevin's home town: ua-cam.com/video/DbCasvcNx78/v-deo.html and this is the very special performance of "Kevin's Fifth" (without "The Kevin Show") from Kevin's birthday in 2022: ua-cam.com/video/7m0g7xThIWs/v-deo.htmlsi=99F7iG5qkdgPCm43 Additionally, *if* you're familiar with _"The Wizard Of Oz"_ (the 1939 movie starring Judy Garland), I recommend "Todrick Hall - The Wizard of Ahhhs (ft. Pentatonix)": ua-cam.com/video/QkVeKb2igrg/v-deo.html If you've never seen the movie it won't make sense, so take care of that first. One advantage to reacting to "The Wizard of Ahhhs" is that you won't need to obscure the video to avoid copyright claims. Most of Pentatonix's copyrights are owned by their publisher, RCA, and RCA is notorious for getting reaction videos taken down over copyright issues, but the copyrights for "The Wizard of Ahhhs" are owned by Todrick Hall, and Todrick seems to be more interested in good publicity than in stomping on innocent reactors. (I regret to say that Todrick has gotten a lot of bad publicity in recent years, for very good reasons; he appears to be something of a jerk. But making copyright claims against other UA-camrs isn't one of his vices.)
Pronunciations: Maldonado: Mal"-doh-nah'-doh, primary emphasis on the first syllable, secondary emphasis on the third. You got her first name, Kirstin, right; congratulations. Olusola: Oh-loosh"-oh-luh', primary emphasis on the second syllable, secondary emphasis on the fourth. Sallee: Suh-lee', emphasis on the second syllable. The version of "Hallelujah" you watched the first time was the official video, from seven years ago, and Matt Sallee wasn't in it. In that video the second verse was sung by Avi Kaplan, their original bass, who resigned for personal reasons in 2017. Avi: Ah'-vee, emphasis on the first syllable.
FYI, to avoid DMCA strikes on #PTX reaction videos you need to know two things: 1. The strikes all come from Pentatonix's publisher, RCA, not Pentatonix themselves. 2. What RCA objects to isn't the use of the music; it's the use of the video. This means that if it's a live performance you won't have any problem. And if it's an official video the easiest way to deal with it is to slightly obscure the video. You can put a big translucent "PENTATONIX" across the video, or "COPYRIGHT"; you can put what looks like a window with raindrops on it in front of the video; you can make the video slightly translucent, so we can see you and your environment through it. Anything like that should make it good as far as RCA is concerned. Remember, the fans aren't here to see the PTX video; we've already seen it, numerous times. We're here to watch your reaction. All *we* need to see of the video is enough to be sure exactly what you're reacting to in real time.
This is my least favorite live version. Matt just ruins it. He ruins every song Avi sang first and many that Matt did first. There is a Christmas special live with Avi.That is the best live version.
You just ruin things too. Matt is a great singer. The arrangement is not to your liking. But you have to make it personal. Go react to beauty tips. Would be doing everyone a favor.
Obviously a hater. Why even listen? Your expression designed to belittle an exceptional, professionally trained talent shows how little you know compared to astute reactors and commenters. YOU ruin the community.
Check out their live vivo performance of Kiss from a Rose. Prepare to be 🤯
Scott, the man in the middle, takes over the bass. I've seen them 4 times live and it's even more stunning!
Scott is actually a baritone, but his vocal range is nuts!! He covers the bass anytime Matt (or previous bass, Avi Kaplan) needs to take lead or do a verse. So him soaring in those high riffs as well as doing bass is massively impressive.
Yup. This one displays how much range both Scott and Matt have. Scott took that low bass background vocal in the second verse.
When Matt (bass) takes lead then Scott fills in on bass. Kevin (beatboxer) is also a tenor (can hit higher than Kirstie/Mitch/Matt), plays piano, saxophone, has perfect pitch, is a world-class cellist, appeared twice at Carnegia Hall in his teens, graduated pre-med from Yale, and speaks several languages including Mandarin,. Check out their versions of "Kiss From A Rose" and "O Holy Night", then to see Kevin's skill as a music arranger their version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" an older video when Avi was the bass.
Pentatonix a "brief" background.
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 cover 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.
It is an often debated subject among the Pentaholics as to just how soon we introduce the "Beginners Guide" as we don't want to overdo the introduction. This is a compilation of snips of a whole load of songs which PTX have released. It highlights each member with some of their solos and then a brief history in video. It is quite long - 14+ minutes and is a little dated now (Feb 2020) but is a good watch ua-cam.com/video/lDxIfwfCmQE/v-deo.html&pp=ygUdYmVnaW5uZXJzIGd1aWRlIHRvIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D.
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. A 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 have Grammy wins for Daft Punk Medley, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Jolene featuring Dolly Parton. They were nominated for a 4th Grammy for their album Evergreen, but didn't win. Another nomination for Holidays Around the World album in the 2024 list!
Kirstie became a new mum which caused a pause in touring after their Evergreen Christmas tour 2021. Mid March 2023 Kirstie has announced that she is engaged to Ben Hausdorff, their videographer. They married 22/04/24!
They have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame installed in February 2023. They are the only a capella group with a star!
They came 3rd in the 2023 Masked Singer performing as "California Rolls" being unmasked in May 23.
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 official 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.
4. It is "Pentatonix" there is no "The".
so, just to clarify, when the group was formed, their bass was Avi. In 2017 he made the decision to leave the group due to his mother's illness and his difficulties keeping up (emotionally) with the schedule PTX set for themselves. Matt joined the group as the bass at the end of 2017, became an official member in 2018.
I prefer the version with Avi. However this version is still fantastic and amazing I love hearing them live like this.
Daft punk medley won their first grammy. It's like nothing else acapella. Carol of the bells and sugar plum fairy are acapella with out words! Sound of Silence is awesome.
I'd love to hear more of Pentatonix. So many choices! Some originals, Love Again, Coffee in Bed. Grammy winning Daft Punk Medley, The Prayer, Amazing Grace all are gorgeous!
Because they all have huge ranges and balance/share the lead, Scott and Matt share the duties of bass/baritone. Kirstie & Mitch share the mid/high tones and you'll find that they can sound so similar that it if you close your eyes, you're not sure who's singing. Wholesome, entertaining, appear to be genuinely good, positive people with amazing talent. It's some kind of miracle they found each other and make such beautiful music together. Actually Scott, Mitch and Kirstie have known each other since elementary school and performed together in high school as the trio (video exists :)), the rest is history. Hope you enjoyed it enough to look at more - originals, ballads, pop, rap, serious or fun - and don't forget Christmas!!!!......they can do it all.
Scott, the one in the middle, has a crazy range, and takes over the bass when Matt or Avi sings lead.
I've seen them do this live 5 times, 3 times from the front row. It never fails to bring tears to my eyes.
They all have massive ranges that allow each to overlap to the other roles to fill in when one is being showcased in a "solo". The arrangement not only allows Matt's bass to soar to higher ranges but you get to enjoy Mitch's usually featured counter tenor to enjoy his chest voice.
Scott's usual range is baritone and higher but he is capable of filling in for the bass as needed which you get a hint of this in The Sounds of Silence rendition. Matt does a massive bass drop in this song too
I subbed for more Pentatonix aka PTX reactions. Thank you for appreciating their talent.
Just subbed for more PTX. They have well over 250 videos of original and cover videos. Scott Hoying( man in the middle) takes over the bass when Matt is singing. He does this fairly consistently. Loved your reaction.💕💕
So, left to right from my view: Matt Sallee, bass and vocal bass (that is, a human voice imitating a string or electric bass); Kirstin Maldonado, alto-soprano; Scott Hoying, baritone (but with an insane range, and takes over the bass line while Matt has his solo); Mitch Grassi, tenor and countertenor - as you no doubt noticed, he and Kirstin can make a dynamite treble section; and Kevin Olusola, beatboxer and tenor (with a lovely crystal-clear falsetto - check out their official video for Amazing Grace; also plays cello: check out the recent Vevo Live performance of Kiss From a Rose). This re-interpretation of their own most famous arrangement was released as a teaser/intro to their always amazing holiday music season and tour. One of the many things that makes Pentatonix stand out are their amazing arrangements, by Ben Bram, with large amounts of input from the group members themselves.
Fun reaction! Yes they had one member change. Their previous bass Avi Kaplan left in 2017, and Matt Sallee filled the position. Also, if you do more PTX music (please do!) know that their label Sony (SME) is notorious for blocking reactions due to the video, so feel free to obscure the music video as needed.
You can’t go wrong with any song you choose. Bohemian Rhapsody, Imagine, Sound of Silence, anything really.
Please react to more. They are so amazing.
This group is the premier a capella group out there. They have 3 Grammys a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many other awards.
Loved this reaction and subbed in the hope you do many more. Check out alan-freeman's biopic on the group for more info on them.
Suggestions:
Bohemian Rhapsody, Evolution of Michael Jackson, Coffee In Bed (original), Daft Punk medley, 90's Dance Medley, Sing (original), Shallow, , Be My Eyes (original), New Rules/Are You That Somebody, Love Again (original), LalaLatch.
Next is their "Evolution of Music". Still one of the best!
Love from all Pentaholics! ❤
Love you, guys! So this is your first-second or second-first reaction to PTX and i subbed for more.
Scott, the guy in the middle takes the bass when bassist Matt goes solo.
Great reaction. Thank you. I love Pentatonix. They are amazing. Suggestions for reactions: "Mad World", "Sound Of Silence", "Daft Punk" medley, "Kiss From A Rose", "The Prayer", and "New Rules/Are You That Somebody?".
You should really react "Kiss from a rose" THE LIVE PERFORMANCE.
You will definitely be surprised. From a Pentaholic. You should do the sound of silence. TX do much. You are so appreciated. They are on tour now. From a Pentaholic. Greetings from South Africa
They are so amazing! Please react to their version of Seal's "A Kiss From A Rose"....it is stunning!! Also their first Grammy winner "Daft Punk Medley". I could go on and on. They are too good. Remember there are NO instruments being used. If there is one being used you will see it in the video. Kevin (beat boxer) plays a cello on some of their songs. He is so gifted. You don't get to hear it often but he has a beautiful voice too.
Great reaction guys! Thank you!
Hope you both are doing well. Sending you love from Texas!!❤❤
Pentatonix History…..composed by Alan Freeman updated by Perry Stevenson
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!
Oh, yes, the name. Pentatonix is named for the pentatonic scale, which has five (penta) tones just as Pentatonix has five (Penta) singers. In other words, it's a fancier way of saying they're now "The Quintet."
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 acappella 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 cover 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.
The 3 Grammys they’ve won include….
(1)Daft Punk for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella……
(2)Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella….
(3) Jolene w/Dolly Parton for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
They were nominated for a 4th Grammy for their album “Evergreen” for Best Traditional Vocal Album.
They were also nominated for a 5th Grammy award for their album “Holidays Around The World” for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
They have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame installed in February 2023. THEY ARE THE ONLY ACAPELLA GROUP WITH A STAR!!!!
UPDATE: Pentatonix has also done 9 intros for Thursday Night Football based on their original song “sing”. Links for 3 of them are ua-cam.com/video/HrruJptmbKU/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/zTUSB4iwTII/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/e2pvITc9a3U/v-deo.html
UPDATE: Pentatonix has done a cameo appearance in the new movie “Candy Cane Lane” starring Eddie Murphy. They are the carolers.
UPDATE: Pentatonix sang the National Anthem at the 2023 College Football National Championship game. Link is ua-cam.com/video/fqWY2EUGlgk/v-deo.html
UPDATE: They came in 3rd in the 2023 Masked Singer performing as "California Rolls" being unmasked in May 23.
UPDATE: The trio of Scott, Mitch, and Kirstie also appeared as guest stars in an episode of the crime drama "Bones." Scott's song, "Light in the Hallway," sung by Avi, was played as the credits rolled.
UPDATE: Pentatonix was featured in the movie "Pitch Perfect 2" as a Canadian a Capella group.
Kirstie became a new mum which caused a pause in touring after their Evergreen Christmas tour 2021. Mid March 2023 Kirstie has announced that she is engaged to Ben Hausdorff, their videographer. UPDATE…Kirsten and Ben got married 04/24/24.
It is an often debated subject among the Pentaholics as to just how soon we introduce the "Beginners Guide" as we don't want to overdo the introduction. This is a compilation of snips of a whole load of songs which PTX have released. It highlights each member with some of their solos and then a brief history in video. It is quite long - 14+ minutes and is a little dated now (Feb 2020) but is a good watch ua-cam.com/video/lDxIfwfCmQE/v-deo.html&pp=ygUdYmVnaW5uZXJzIGd1aWRlIHRvIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D.
Things you need to know because if you get these wrong “Pentaholics” will come after you with pitch forks and torches! Ha 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 auto-tune as an effect - so they had to.
2- What produces everything that you hear in the video, you see in the official 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 know you guys from TW reactions. Welcome to my other favorite band! I've been following these guys for 12 years and ice seen then 10 times. They're the real deal and INSANE live
Definitely more PTX! Subbed! I recommend the vevo studio live performance of their Kiss From a Rose cover.
There are 3 big differences in the group between the original Hallelujah music video and this live version:
1) As you noticed, the bass singer changed from Avi Kaplan to Matt Sallee. Avi left the group in fall 2017 and Matt joined them as a "featured artist" for their 2017 Christmas tour, joined permanently in early 2018 after making his way through a nationwide audition process as PTX looked for a new bass singer. Avi has been performing his own music and touring as a solo artist, and his music is well worth a look/listen to see if you would like to hear more - his first and probably most well known video is Change On the Rise.
2) Kirstin has gone back to her natural hair color here, rather than the blonde you saw her in the original MV. And she's colored her hair several times in the past, so other MVs will often have her with different (usually blonde) hair colors. In previous tours, she's often worn wigs, so don't count on her being a brunette every time you see her! She and Mitch are known as the chameleons of the group, because often they look so different people aren't sure it's really them.
3) Speaking of Mitch (high tenor) - here he's got the short hair and mustache that he seems to have adopted for the last several years, rather than the really short hair (growing it out from shaved) from the original MV, but his hair style and facial hair (or lack thereof) has often changed, going from blonde to shaved to mullet to hair like today, and from clean-shaven to beard-and-mustache to mustache alone like today.
So with Kirstin and Mitch, just remember that there has only been one change in the group members, and if you have to ask if it's Kirstin or Mitch - it is!
Nice reaction. Hope you check out more PTX live performances and official videos.
Once I knew to listen for it I can hear when Matt and Scott switch, but I legit had to KNOW it was gonna happen about then to catch it!
Thanks for your reaction! Yes, you are right that they have a different Bass singer, Matt Salle, in this newer one. Avi Kaplan was their previous bass singer but he left the group because the touring demands for him were overwhelming and he wanted more family time since his mother was quite ill at the time. Avi has more of a Folk music style and was more of a Bass Profundo than Matt (You saw Avi as a featured guest in Home Free cover of "Ring Of Fire" and Avi Kaplan has his own solo music channel). Matt has a Pop/R&B/Gospel style that in my opinion is better suited to Pentatonix style and direction the group wanted (don't get me wrong- I love Avi too and am happy that he is better able to balance his touring vs family life and write and perform his own songs that he has written. You may want to check out "Change On The Rise" on Avi solo channel.) Pentatonix has the best Christmas music and tours during the Christmas season as Voice Play are the kings of the Halloween season. I am really enjoying your journey down the acapella rabbit hole and look forward to more of your reactions.
Now you need to react to the 2017 live Christmas special version with Avi Kaplan as bass. Its amazing
I subscribed for more Pentatonix reactions!!! This was a great reaction!
They've been singing this song in every concert, on every tour for seven years. They changed it up because they must be stuck of it lol
The more *complete* back story for #Pentatonix:
Kirstin, Mitch, and Scott all grew up in Arlington, Texas. All of them were involved with community musical theater as children, and Mitch met both Scott and Kirstin there (separately) when they were still pre-teens, and became friends with each of them. However, Scott and Kirstin didn't meet each other until they were fourteen and in the same high school class. All three were choir geeks (duh), and they quickly became best friends in high school. And if you're wondering what was in the water in Arlington in the early 1990s that three such remarkably talented people should all be born in such proximity, you aren't the only one.
There was some kind of singing contest to meet the stars of _Glee,_ and the three of them wanted to enter, so they formed a trio which they named "The Trio." (I know; not very imaginative. They're somewhat better with that now.) They lost the contest, but they kept The Trio together anyway; they performed at school functions and occasionally on local television. Pentaholics still refer to these three as "the trio," and the trio is the heart of Pentatonix.
Kirstin and Scott were a year ahead of Mitch; they graduated in 2010, when Mitch was still in eleventh grade, and both went away for their freshman year of college. Kirstin went to the University of Oklahoma (with a full ride scholarship!), and Scott went to the University of Southern Califonia.
Scott is a very outgoing person, so he immediately began looking around for extracurricular activities where he could meet people and make new friends, and he found an award-winning amateur a cappella group named SoCal VoCals, which he joined. While there he met a former member named Ben Bram, who at the time was a coach on NBC's a cappella competition show named _"The Sing-Off."_ A cappella groups would audition for the show, and those that passed appeared throughout the season. There was a panel of three judges, all professional musicians, who would critique each performance. Along the way some groups would be eliminated, narrowing the field, and at the end of the season viewers would be invited to vote on a winner. The winning group would receive $200,000 and a recording contract with Epic, a minor subsidiary of Sony, the show's sponsor.
Scott was intrigued. He thought The Trio could be competitive, and if they could get a recording contract they could have a career doing what they most loved, with the people they most loved. So he talked to Kirstin, who thought his idea had promise, and at the end of their first year of college the two of them headed back to Arlington to be there for Mitch's graduation and to talk with Mitch about Scott's idea.
Meanwhile, back in Arlington Mitch had been having a very difficult year. His best friends weren't there, and as an out-of-the-closet young gay man with an unusually high voice he was being seriously bullied. And unfortunately, since the bullying was ostensibly for his voice he was quickly developing the notion that there was something wrong with his voice and that no one would want to hear him sing. So when Scott presented his idea Mitch was on board; it was a way to get away from the bullies. He had doubts about his ability to carry his weight in the group, because of the bullying, but he was willing to try, and if Scott and Kirstin said they could win, well, maybe they could.
So with everyone agreed, Scott called Ben Bram to find out how to arrange for an audition, and this is where they met their first setback. _The Sing-Off_ had a size requirement; the minimum size allowed was five. The Trio needed two new members and a new name. They were stumped.
Ben suggested that they'd profit from adding a rhythm section: a bass and a beatboxer, and he knew the perfect person to recommend for the bass, a guy named Avi Kaplan. They talked to Avi, and he was very interested, so that took care of the bass, but where to find the beatboxer? Ben didn't have any suggestions. So in desperation they typed "beatboxer" into a UA-cam search box and the first hit they got was a black guy playing a classical piece on the cello and beatboxing at the same time. And all of them said, "Wow! He's the one! How can we get in touch with him?"
They were in luck. At the time UA-cam had something called UA-cam messages, which would allow private messages between members (now discontinued), so they sent Kevin a private message: "Hey! We really love your stuff, and we wonder if you'd be interested in flying across the country to join four strangers to audition for an a cappella competition show on television?" And Kevin messaged them back: "Normally I'd be there in a heart beat; I love a cappella and have been in a cappella groups before. But right now I'm studying for my final exams for my pre-med major from Yale." Oh. That sounded pretty definite; better keep looking. So they kept looking, and they found someone, but he was no Kevin Olusola. Oh well; you work with what you have.
And two weeks later Kevin messaged them again: "Good news! I just graduated. If the gig's still open I can fly out." He arrived the day before their audition. Mitch had to skip his graduation ceremony to attend the audition. But even with just a day of rehearsal they still passed the audition; they were in.
Oh, yes, the name. Pentatonix is named for the pentatonic scale, which has five (penta) tones just as Pentatonix has five (Penta) singers. In other words, it's a fancier way of saying they're now "The Quintet." 😂
Pentatonix appeared throughout season three of _The Sing-Off,_ and eventually won. All those performances are available on UA-cam and are well worth watching, preferably in order so you can see how they grew throughout the season. Some of them are as good as anything they've done since (which is saying a lot) and are only available in those old videos. (Note: If you decide to react to these, be sure and watch the versions that contain the show's introduction of Pentatonix just before the performance, and the judges' critiques of the performance, and any comments Pentatonix made backstage.)
So, they'd won _The Sing-Off,_ complete with recording contract. Time to move to California permanently and begin recording. And a week later Epic reneged on the contract, saying that they didn't know how to market a cappella. But at this point Pentatonix weren't willing to give up; they *wanted* that career they'd been working toward. So they pooled their winnings and lived frugally. The four men shared two apartments, to cut down on expenses. They arranged music and rehearsed every day, and when they had a song ready they used their iPhones to record themselves anywhere they could find good acoustics, and sometimes in places with acoustics that were just okay. And they posted to UA-cam. Their fans from _The Sing-Off_ quickly found them there, and subscribed, and they began to get more views and more subscribers, and to pick up a few patrons. In fact, they were going viral. And Sony noticed, and approached them with an offer: Perhaps Pentatonix would like a recording contract with Madison Gate, another minor subsidiary? Hmmm. 🤔 Would they like a recording contract? Might have to think about that, for a second or two. Darn right they'd like a recording contract!
And then came "Daft Punk Medley," and Pentatonix won their first Grammy. And again, Sony took notice, and approached Pentatonix: "We've been thinking about it and we believe you might find a better fit with our flagship label, RCA. Are you interested?" They've been with RCA ever since. They go on tours world wide and perform to sold-out venues. They put out at *least* one album a year, frequently more. One has gone Gold and one has gone Platinum twice. They have three Grammys and recently received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. And they are the only a cappella band to have won so much as *one* Grammy, or to be represented on the Walk of Fame.
The most important part of this story is the fact that Pentatonix began with The Trio, three best friends so close to one another that they might as well be family. And from the very beginning, everyone who has joined with them to form Pentatonix has been incorporated into that family-of-choice. As a family, Pentatonix takes care of all its members. One of the things this means is that everyone gets time in the spotlight.
Pentatonix has no lead singer. Yes, some songs call for a lead, and when that happens Pentatonix chooses the member whose voice best suits the song. This is one way that everyone gets time in the spotlight, and it means that no one is burdened with having to always be the lead. And when songs don't require a lead, Pentatonix frequently has each member solo on one or more verses. The members of Pentatonix are able to set their egos aside because each of them is already receiving as much acclaim as any healthy ego could need. And that leaves them free to concentrate on taking care of both the people they love and the music they love.
This focus on doing whatever is best for the music is, in my opinion, *the* thing that makes Pentatonix greater than the sum of its parts. And their focus on caring for one another is the reason we like them as people, not just as singers.
Following for more PTX! Great reaction 🇨🇦
#Pentatonix tries to put out a Christmas album every year, to the point that in 2023 they had to make it a compilation album because they were running out of Christmas songs they hadn't already released. Even so, they managed to put three new recordings on it that I think are potential Grammy winners ("O Holy Night," which they had released in 2012 but re-recorded with a different arrangement for this album, "Kiss From A Rose," and a mashup: "Pure Imagination / Christmas Time Is Here"). But they always seem to include at least one song on the album that isn't actually a Christmas song; "Hallelujah" is one such song. Since pentaholics tend to listen to PTX's Christmas music year-round anyway this seems fair.
Absolutely can't replace Avi.
First time hearing this without Avi. Matt also does a great job.
PTX, all grown up!!!
Four of the five members are married: Kirstin, Scott, Matt, and Kevin. Three of the five have children: Kirstin-“Eliana”-aka “EV”…Kevin: has two children-Kaia and Christian…and Matt and his wife Sarah have a baby girl named “Maliya”…
So yeah!
They’re all adults with adult lives…
And btw. Mitch is the only unmarried band member, but he does have a boyfriend…and Scott and his husband Marc plan to have kids…
Subbed for more PTX reactions.
Recommend their cover of The Prayer.
ptx owns xmas. subscribed for more acapella. also add in the bass gang. they did a cover of homefree skull and bones, i believe. acapella covering acapella
Pentatonix songs suggestions:
**List may contain some songs you may have reacted to**
Some Covers are: Hallelujah, The Sound of Silence, Daft Punk, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Cheerleader (OMI Cover), 12 Days Of Christmas, Cruisin For a Bruisin, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, O Come All Ye Faithful, 90’s Dance Medley, Bohemian Rhapsody, Mad World, Wizard of Ahhhs (a montage of several modern songs made to tell the classic story of wizard of oz), Radioactive, Problem, Say Something, Kiss From a Rose (live vevo), Jolene, Royals, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, the Prayer, You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch…..
Some Originals are: Love Again, Sing, Be My Eyes, Coffee in Bed, Happy Now, Run to You, A Little Space, Never Gonna Cry Again, The Lucky Ones….
During the pandemic they released an album called “At Home”. It was recorded entirely at their own homes separately on Zoom then sent to the studio to be put together….songs include… Blinding Lights, Home, When the Party’s Over, Break My Heart, Dreams.
SO MANY MORE…. TOO MANY TO LIST, BUT THIS IS A GOOD START. ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY TO THE RABBIT HOLE KNOWN AS… PENTATONIX.
Check out the Grammy Award winning Daft Punk by PTX
More detailed information on the members of #Pentatonix and their vocal ranges - pardon me if I include redundant information about name pronunciations; this is a comment I make so often that I've simply saved it to a text file so I can copy and paste:
In this performance we have:
• First verse: Tall blond guy, Scott Hoying, lyric baritone. In describing a man's vocal range, "lyric" means that the actual range exceeds the nominal range. In Scott's case, he sings everywhere from about the middle of a normal bass range through a normal tenor range, with an excellent falsetto on top - just listen to how spectacularly high he goes in the "wall of sound" at the end of this song! In live performances (like this one) Scott typically takes over the bass harmony line when their bass has a solo.
• Second verse: Matt Sallee (pronounced Suh-lee', emphasis on the second syllable), lyric bass. In addition to being the newest member (more about that later) of Pentatonix Matt is also the youngest member, and I'm told that bass voices improve with age. Matt's range seems to be growing on a daily basis right now, and this song shows his range off perfectly.
• Third verse: The only woman in Pentatonix, Kirstin (also called Kirstie, which rhymes with thirsty) Maldonado. Kirstin sings everywhere from a low alto through coloratura soprano, the highest female range. And she has fantastic whistle notes on top of that. Lately Pentatonix has begun referring to her as an "alto soprano."
• Fourth verse: Mitch Grassi (pronounced Grah'-see, emphasis on the first syllable), natural contratenor. No one is certain whether Mitch can sing higher than Kirstin or Kirstin can sing higher than Mitch; I suspect that it varies from day to day, though everyone agrees that Kirstin has better whistle notes. Mitch is known for his ethereally beautiful (some say "angelic") high vocals. Shawn Stockman, of Boyz II Men, said Mitch has "one of the prettiest voices I have ever heard in my life." Mitch switches seamlessly from chest voice to mixed voice to head voice. He has a range of just over six octaves. And we call that stunned look people get the first time they realize that the beautiful high voice is coming from a man, "being Mitch slapped." I trust you were properly Mitch slapped the first time you heard this. Don't let it worry you; it's happened to all of us, generally more than once because Mitch is full of surprises.
• The fifth member of Pentatonix (PTX for short) is Kevin Olusola (pronounced Oh-loosh"-oh-luh', primary emphasis on the second syllable, secondary emphasis on the fourth), beatboxer extraordinaire. We don't get to hear Kevin sing as often as we'd like because he's generally too busy being the entire percussion section, but when he does sing he has a lovely tenor voice that occasionally descends to the uppermost reaches of a baritone range. He's also known for the beauty of his falsetto, which goes higher than Mitch's and Kirstin's voices. Kevin has perfect pitch. He began piano lessons at age 4, cello at age 6, and alto saxophone at age 10. When he was a teenager he performed at Carnegie Hall twice, once on the cello and once on the saxophone. He beatboxes while playing the cello, which he refers to as "celloboxing." He graduated from Yale in 2011 with a pre-med major and had already been accepted to Yale Medical School when he gave up his dream of becoming a brilliant surgeon to pursue his dream of becoming a professional beatboxer instead. He speaks five languages fluently: English, French, German, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. He's one of the kindest people in the world, and when he laughs the whole planet seems like a brighter place.
• The original five members of Pentatonix were Scott, Kirstin, Mitch, Kevin, and Avi (pronounced Ah'-vee, emphasis on the first syllable) Kaplan, lyric bass. Avi is an operatically trained basso profundo - his lowest notes have blown out speakers in live performances - but his range extends to somewhere in the middle of a normal tenor range. In 2017 Avi found it necesssary to leave Pentatonix, for a variety of personal reasonse has since gone on to have a very successful solo career, and I strongly recommend subscribing to his UA-cam channel, which you can find here: youtube.com/@AviKaplanMusic
Matt, Avi's replacement joined in either late 2017 or early 2018 (depending on how you figure it) and has now been with Pentatonix longer than Avi was. Matt's lowest notes don't blow out speakers (though that may change within a year or two), but his high end is spectacular; I believe that Matt has the greatest range of any member of Pentatonix, past or present.
This is very different from their original arrangement, which is what you saw and heard before. They originally arranged the second verse with Avi's voice in mind, but Matt's voice is very different from Avi's so that part of the arrangement is vastly different. The wall of sound at the end also has a different arrangement, allowing Scott to show off how much his range has increased since they originally recorded this. And probably the greatest reason you're hearing individual voices better is that Kevin no longer does as much stomping in his percussion, because it was beginning to give him problems with his legs.
Now you can always react to their live Christmas performance... ua-cam.com/video/haFHrfmfHbc/v-deo.html This was the original lineup and there is no added tracks or post editing! Enjoy!
Avi left the group, and Matt joined the group, in 2017.
Subscribed.
If you decide to continue down this rabbit hole you can expect a LOT of new subscriptions; #Pentatonix fans are enthusiastic about reaction videos to anything our favorite band puts out.
Some useful terminology:
• pentaholic = Pentatonix fan
• PTX = abbreviation for Pentatonix - extremely useful in searches
• the trio = Kirstin, Mitch, and Scott
• Mitch slap = what you get the first time you realize how incredible Mitch's voice is.
• Avi-lanche = like a Mitch slap, except with Avi instead of Mitch.
• KO = like a Mitch slap or Avi-lanche, except with Kevin Olusola.
(Note: You never become immune to Mitch slaps, Avi-lanches, KOs, or the similar things that Kirstin, Scott, and Matt do. They always have the ability to surprise us.)
You can't go wrong listening to anything Pentatonix has released; it's all gorgeous. But all pentaholics have our own personal favorites that we like to recommend. These are some of my favorites:
• "Imagine" (the official video)
• "The Prayer"
• "Bohemian Rhapsody" (the official video)
• "Sound of Silence"
• "Run To You" (an original, written by Avi and Kevin)
• "Happy Now" (another original)
• "Daft Punk Medley" (their first Grammy winner)
• "O Come All Ye Faithful"
• "O Holy Night" (they did a totally new recording for their 2023 Christmas album; you can find the official video here: ua-cam.com/video/ReJAU2mXm8w/v-deo.htmlsi=upj2Q3vLqigVEtgm )
• "Pure Imagination / Christmas Time is Here" (preferably the live Vevo recording)
• "Kiss From a Rose" (preferably the live Vevo recording - both of the Vevo recordings are available on UA-cam)
• "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch"
• "The Lucky Ones" (an original, written by Scott)
• "Thank You" (an original, written by Scott and his then fiancé, now husband, Mark Manio Hoying, shortly after the end of COVID lockdown, about how much easier it was to get through that time because they were together)
• "The Kevin Show/Kevin's Fifth." This is a live feed from a concert they gave in Owensboro, Kentucky, Kevin's home town: ua-cam.com/video/DbCasvcNx78/v-deo.html and this is the very special performance of "Kevin's Fifth" (without "The Kevin Show") from Kevin's birthday in 2022: ua-cam.com/video/7m0g7xThIWs/v-deo.htmlsi=99F7iG5qkdgPCm43
Additionally, *if* you're familiar with _"The Wizard Of Oz"_ (the 1939 movie starring Judy Garland), I recommend "Todrick Hall - The Wizard of Ahhhs (ft. Pentatonix)": ua-cam.com/video/QkVeKb2igrg/v-deo.html If you've never seen the movie it won't make sense, so take care of that first. One advantage to reacting to "The Wizard of Ahhhs" is that you won't need to obscure the video to avoid copyright claims. Most of Pentatonix's copyrights are owned by their publisher, RCA, and RCA is notorious for getting reaction videos taken down over copyright issues, but the copyrights for "The Wizard of Ahhhs" are owned by Todrick Hall, and Todrick seems to be more interested in good publicity than in stomping on innocent reactors. (I regret to say that Todrick has gotten a lot of bad publicity in recent years, for very good reasons; he appears to be something of a jerk. But making copyright claims against other UA-camrs isn't one of his vices.)
Pronunciations:
Maldonado: Mal"-doh-nah'-doh, primary emphasis on the first syllable, secondary emphasis on the third. You got her first name, Kirstin, right; congratulations.
Olusola: Oh-loosh"-oh-luh', primary emphasis on the second syllable, secondary emphasis on the fourth.
Sallee: Suh-lee', emphasis on the second syllable.
The version of "Hallelujah" you watched the first time was the official video, from seven years ago, and Matt Sallee wasn't in it. In that video the second verse was sung by Avi Kaplan, their original bass, who resigned for personal reasons in 2017.
Avi: Ah'-vee, emphasis on the first syllable.
Yes Avi Kaplin was their original bass he left in 2017 and Matt Sallee joined them the same year.
FYI, to avoid DMCA strikes on #PTX reaction videos you need to know two things:
1. The strikes all come from Pentatonix's publisher, RCA, not Pentatonix themselves.
2. What RCA objects to isn't the use of the music; it's the use of the video.
This means that if it's a live performance you won't have any problem. And if it's an official video the easiest way to deal with it is to slightly obscure the video. You can put a big translucent "PENTATONIX" across the video, or "COPYRIGHT"; you can put what looks like a window with raindrops on it in front of the video; you can make the video slightly translucent, so we can see you and your environment through it. Anything like that should make it good as far as RCA is concerned.
Remember, the fans aren't here to see the PTX video; we've already seen it, numerous times. We're here to watch your reaction. All *we* need to see of the video is enough to be sure exactly what you're reacting to in real time.
Thank you so much for doing this again. Subbed for more PTX. Check out Daft Punk or Bohemian Rhapsody
Content begins at 5:43
Did you guys upload the first reaction?
Deft punk medley
OMG! such a long intro....
Fast forward through it.
@@chrispavlich9656 I did!
@@2436golden Me too.
This is my least favorite live version. Matt just ruins it. He ruins every song Avi sang first and many that Matt did first. There is a Christmas special live with Avi.That is the best live version.
You just ruin things too. Matt is a great singer. The arrangement is not to your liking. But you have to make it personal. Go react to beauty tips. Would be doing everyone a favor.
Obviously a hater. Why even listen? Your expression designed to belittle an exceptional, professionally trained talent shows how little you know compared to astute reactors and commenters. YOU ruin the community.
No no no
Find their music video and then find the live version for a Christmas show