FIRST TIME Reaction to Pentatonix - Hallelujah
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- The harmonies were so good
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Pentatonix Hallelujah Reaction
Pentatonix Hallelujah
Reaction to Pentatonix Hallelujah
Yes, please do more reactions to Pentatonix. We Pentaholics love to watch the newbies’ reactions as they fall down this very deep rabbit hole of harmonies and upgraded covers!! Pick any of their many covers and originals because there isn’t a bad one among them and it won’t be long and you’ll be calling yourself a Pentaholic as well.
Pentatonix fans will certainly like reactions like yours - genuine, somewhat informed (you knew soprano, bass terms) - and susceptible to quality music. The fact that you already were fearful of the original bass leaving - protective of something you valued!
Some of their new stuff is next level. Oh Holy Night and the live version of Kiss From a Rose
Mitch, the high voice, is a counter tenor - the highest male voice. And Avi, with the beard is a basso profundo. He has been known to break speakers. The surprise on your face when you heard Mitch's voice is called a Mitch Slap. Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole! They have about 300 covers and originals, and they are all wonderful. They also do a range of genres - pop, rap, gospel - and they own Christmas music. PTX fans will listen to Christmas music any time of year. Their latest releases include Kiss from a Rose and O Holy Night -both crazy good.
Countertenor is one word and Avi is indeed a Bass, but not a Basso Profundo (True Bass).
And let's not forget that Mitch has a 7 octave range!
@@azekel7687 What makes a Basso Profundo, then? Avi is constantly described that way, and I think this is the first time I've heard it challenged. (Unlike the question of "Is Mitch really a countertenor?" - which I have seen argued back and forth a number of times.)
I have heard this song over 100 times!! Will be listening to it another 100 times hopefully!! PTX!!!!!
Welcome to the magical Pentatonix rabbit hole. You will find a wide variety of amazing songs.
Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole! Hope you do a lot more PTX reactions! Daft Punk and O Holy Night and Can't Hold Us are a few of my favorites!
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".
🎉 W O W‼️ If there's ever a position opening for Pentatonix Historian, YOU get my vote!
and YOU have a beautiful voice.
Always love a new Pentatonix reactor! Can't wait to share this journey with you! Subbed for more PTX.
More than 50 more views in last 5 minutes! There are millions of Pentaholics!!
Loved your reaction! Yes, please react to more. You can not go wrong with any PTX songs. Welcome to the beautiful sounds of Pentatonix and the rabbit hole ❤❤
I love people who comment on Kirstin's voice because I feel like she doesn't get as much attention. But her voice is absolutely beautiful! Also, I'm here for the Mitch face, and I love your reaction. ❤
Avi leaving was sad. Its in one of the videos. Everyone was crying. His mom did recover from the cancer and he's got a good solo career now.
🤭🤣🤣You just got Mitch-slapped Dear! Thank you for reacting to this!!♥️
And here come the Pentaholic, who will flock to new reactors and will answer all questions. The bass in this song is Avi Kaplan who left the group in 2017 to be replaced by Matt Sallee. You will be astounded by the variety and quality of their music
Lined up for duty
@@ccormx 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻
Welcome to PTX! If you continue, we are definitely here for it! Subbed for more! Matt replaced Avi in 2017, so at this point Matt is surpassing Avi's time with the group, which formed in 2011 when Scott, Mitch and Kirstie (friends from childhood) decided to audition for "The Sing Off" and they recruited Avi and Kevin as bass and beatboxer (Kevin is also a vocalist and cellist in many songs). Since some of their most famous videos and all three of their Grammy-winning songs (so far) feature Avi, it seems Matt will always be "the new guy," lol. Avi has a solo career, now. Actually, everyone in the band has solo side projects, which makes this rabbit hole very deep indeed!
Love their song Mary Did You Know.
Awesome Reaction - Thank you!
I love the look on first time reactors to Pentatonix when they get their first Mitch slap. Welcome to the Rabbit hole!
Yeah, Mitch slaps never get old, do they? 😉
I love how selfless this group is, willing to let each member shine These artists could have a phenomenal solo career as they are masters of their craft. As a group they never disappoint. I am eagerly awaiting to hear what song these geniuses will tackle next.
Loved your reaction. I think you should definitely try the songs you love regardless of when they were done. Both the original bass(Avi) and the current one(Matt) fit really well, even though they don't sound alike.
Start with where they got THEIR start, The Sing Off Season 3 tv show. They were insanely talented right away. Welcome from a fellow Pentaholic!
Love them. Love them. Love them.
I will never get tired of watching someone come to this group...thank you. Avi is incredible...though if you move into acapella he isn't the lowest. Welcome to the rabbit hole.
Normally I just say that Avi found it necessary to leave for personal reasons, but since you've specifically asked, this is our best understanding of what happened - Pentatonix finds it painful to talk about, so we don't know everything.
As Pentatonix became more and more successful they began spending a LOT of time touring, and Avi found the schedule hard to deal with. Musically, he found himself wanting to return to his roots in Americana/folk music, even as Pentatonix was becoming more and more known for pop music. Avi began to collaborate with three other men and a woman in his preferred genre; the others played guitars and banjos, and if I recall correctly all of them sang - they called this band "Avriel and the Sequoias." So even though Avi was sticking with Pentatonix, whom he thought of as family, musically he had begun pulling away from them. (Note: Pentatonix has always had a policy that members could have personal UA-cam channels, where they post their personal projects, as long as it doesn't actually interfere with the entire band's projects. Avi did not cross that line, but he was getting close.)
This state of affairs might have continued indefinitely, with everyone feeling vaguely dissatisfied and uncertain what to do about it, but an emergency arose which brought it to a head - Avi's mother was diagnosed with cancer. Avi needed to spend time with her, and he couldn't do that and also maintain the touring schedule. Avi weighed the alternatives: he either needed to take an indefinite leave of absence, or he needed to resign. A leave of absence would put the band in chaos; no bass, and no chance to replace the bass. Combined with the fact that Avi was already growing in a different direction musically, that made it pretty obvious: it was time for Avi to resign.
As I say, this was a painful situation for everyone. You can see the reaction of the remaining members of Pentatonix in their cover of "Dancing On My Own," by Robyn, which they recorded as their farewell to Avi. Also, in some ways it was like a divorce - even with no malice, lawyers have to be involved. Who wrote what? Who owns what? Who has the right to perform what? Some of this has led to internet rumors about infighting and betrayal. I recommend against listening to internet rumors.
Shortly after Avi left Pentatonix, Avriel and the Sequoias disbanded and went their separate ways; I suspect this was because Avi was unable to devote enough time and attention to keep it going, but that's just a guess. What we know for sure is that with adequate family support Avi's mother was able to beat the cancer 🥳 and Avi has gone on to have a very successful solo career, writing most of his own music. And Pentatonix found Matt, whose talents are slightly different from Avi's but who is a stellar addition to the band.
Goodness. Thank you for that.
People put too much emphasis on Avi's mother's health as a reason for Avi's leaving. Sure, it contributed to his burnout... but the reason was burnout, pure and simple. Avi's mom relapsed, she'd had cancer before, and his sister was PTX's tour manager and stayed with them until she got pregnant a few years later and decided she didn't want to tour with a baby. If we use the narrative that Avi was being a good son in leaving, then we're saying his sister wasn't a good daughter in staying.
@@perfectkismet As far as I can tell, it really was a lot of things; I believe that the cancer was just the final straw. But that's just my opinion; as I say, none of the people most directly involved want to talk about it, which is absolutely their right. Everyone would like to keep the most painful decisions private, and that tends to be impossible when you're famous.
To the best of my knowledge, NO pentaholic has ever accused Avi's sister of being a bad daughter; certainly I neither said nor meant that. I gave a long list of stressors Avi was under; only one of them applies to his sister.
When things have been building up for a long time, to the point where something HAS to change, it takes very little to tip the balance and force the change. And for most people, cancer isn't little, even if we've seen someone beat it. When the person we thought had beaten it has a relapse, a thought that's bound to occur is "Oh no; it's back! She didn't beat it after all." About three years ago I lost a cousin to cancer that he'd "beaten" decades before, so those thoughts have a basis in reality. I do think that Avi's mother's cancer was the final straw; I've no idea how much Avi's presence helped her to fight it off, but it didn't hurt. I also think that without the cancer something else would have happened to tip the balance, but I've no idea what.
I also note that now that Avi is over the burnout and has started writing music and performing again, he seems to be thriving, in a way that he wasn't with Pentatonix. And Matt is thriving as a part of Pentatonix, which is a very good thing for everyone involved.
This is one of the best explanations of the situation that I’ve read. And as much as I love Avi, I really think that Matt is a better fit with the group. Plus, I love Avi’s solo career.
@@nancyt2848 Your opinion matches mine. Avi has always been very flamboyant as a bass - the bass line begins and it doesn't matter what is happening with the rest of the band, the listener gasps and says "Oh! That bass!" and rewinds to hear it again. This was exactly what Pentatonix needed in _The Sing-Off_ - I can't imagine Matt pulling off that duet/fight with Kevin from the eleventh performance, for instance - but now that they're a more mature group they need a better balance, and Matt gives them that. When Matt's bass line starts up people don't even notice; they either think he's beatboxing along with Kevin, because they see his mouth moving and his timing is so well matched, or they conclude that Kevin is cheating; there has to be a real drum track making him sound so good. They never even realize they're hearing Matt. That must be incredibly hard to do, but Matt manages it perfectly.
Avi seems to be much happier on his own, and he's coming out with some excellent music. And after almost seven years, Matt continues to be overjoyed to be part of Pentatonix and has become an integral part of the band.
The Trio were very lucky to find Avi and Kevin when they needed them, and that luck has held; Matt was the perfect person to fill the vacant position at bass when Avi left.
Goosebumps, yet!?!
The first Mitch slap is the sweetest 😂
Welcome to Pentatonix! Nice reaction - I hope you'll stick around and explore the rabbit hole!
I always get a little chuckle from reactors whose only exposure to Hallelujah is from Shrek!😁 The song was written by Leonard Cohen in the 1980s, and while it took a while for the song to catch on, it has been covered by hundreds (thousands?) of artists since then.
Kirstin Maldonado (the female) is a mezzo soprano, and is known for her powerful belting technique - that's what got your attention towards the end of her solo section. Mitch Grassi (high voice, round hat) is considered a countertenor, the highest male voice range, and that is generally considered to be a range that largely duplicates the female alto range, one step below Kirstin. But Mitch's range is extraordinary, and he and Kirstin have almost the same vocal ranges, and similar timbres - enough so that it can be difficult to tell them apart, even for people who have heard Pentatonix many times.
The bass is Avi Kaplan (2nd solo), who is an opera trained singer and basso profundo ("deep bass") - he can hit some extremely low notes, as you heard in this song. He left the group in fall of 2017 - a variety of personal reasons, including a mother ill with cancer and the frantic touring schedule that Pentatonix kept up in their earlier years. The new bass, Matt Sallee (you'll see and hear him in Sound of Silence), will be in videos from the very end of 2017/early 2018 on to present day. That is the only change in personnel that the group has had - Kirstin, Mitch, Scott Hoying (1st solo) and Kevin Olusola (beatboxer) are all original members. Kirstin and Mitch tend to change their looks from one video to the next, especially if you're jumping around chronologically, so just be aware that they haven't changed members!
Hallelujah is by far the most popular video that Pentatonix has on their channel. Next is Daft Punk, and it's so completely different that it is a total surprise for many people - but it won Pentatonix their 1st of 3 Grammys! Bohemian Rhapsody is another very popular video, and it is highly recommended!
Oh you MUST do Bohemian Rhapsody - the official and Imagine (John Lennon's song) and Sound of Silence! SOON!
And: Mary did you know? AHA! Live in Singapore ( Mitch slapped again), Say Something, Halleluja live....
Avi Kaplan (beanie) is a classically trained basso profundity. It's an Avilanche!
I haven’t heard Avilanche before. That’s a good one.
Mitch is a counter-tenor and sings 6 octaves higher than most people worldwide! The bass singers are Scott (first singer) and Avi (second singer).
i loved this reaction! you should 100% do bohemian rhapsody, sound of silence, & mary should you know. i think you would definitely enjoy them, they’re my favorites.
Avi kaplan has one of the most beautiful voices of anyone singing today imo.
Feel free to playback as much and as often as you like! We’ll marvel at their magnificence along with you. Thanks for the great reaction and welcome to the PTX rabbithole!😍
Pentaholic here from Florida. Have fun, they just get better and better. You could check out the sing off season 3 which they won! Have a good trip
The gorgeous base throughout is Avi Kaplan, the man with the beard and beanie. His voice often sounds like a base clarinet to me. He does those runs in the last four hallelujahs and the low note at the end. He is fabulous! He has now left the group to pursue his own career.
The song is by Leonard Cohen !the Sherk version is also a cover!
Avi Kaplan is the bass.
No longer with PTX but has his own solo career
Avi is the second soloist in this video.
He is currently on his USA tour and will head to Europe later this year.
Here he is at his second stop on his USA tour.
Avi Kaplan
GET DOWN with Change on the Rise as an intro. (Kaplan)
ua-cam.com/video/dORvn7dJyQU/v-deo.html
Get ready for some low notes.
Just subbed for more PTX please! And start a Pentatonix Playlist... The Pentaholics will love you for it!!
Yes sirree, we have another Pentaholic!
Where Pentatonix came from:
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.
Yes, more Pentatonix please! The Sound of Silence, Mary Did You Know, Bohemian Rhapsody would be great follow ups. 🙂
Subbed for more PTX reactions 💕
Hallelujah written by Leonard Cohen and covered by SO many, and yes, used in the sound track for Shrek.
Mitch is a true counter tenor. Avi (with the beard and beanie) is the bass.
Glad you’re reacting to Pentatonix. I enjoyed Avi, the original bass singer, but I equally enjoy Matt, the current bass. They are different but both fantastic, so they can be enjoyed equally in my opinion. Don’t try to do just Avi era songs before going to Matt era songs, it’ll be a year before you get to Matt. Do check out Bohemian Rhapsody and Sound of Silence, as well as their live cover of Kiss From a Rose.
There is very many videos that you will be very surprised the way that Pentatonix does them!
They filmed this in utah at the salt flats. Its a very real n beautiful place!
Your reaction was GREAT!!! i've seen people get Mitch Slapped but very few people get Kirstie (rhymes with thirsty) Slapped. That was great. A great video to watch that is emotional is Imagine or Amazing Grace (Kirstie stands out in Amazing Grace). A good one with Matt (the replacement for Avi) is New Rules x Are You That Somebody. I won't explain what happened to the group as @theresarigio5627 already updated you. In this song when Avi sings Scott takes over on bass. I would also suggest the live version of this song so you can see just how close to the Official Video they sound. You'll start getting a lot of requests to songs to react to and all of them are worth the watch.
Not CGI, that’s the actual Mojave Desert. You may be interested in their cover of Can You Feel the Love Tonight from The Lion King in addition to Bohemian Rhapsody and Sound of Silence. If you want to see something completely different, try their Daft Punk medley, for which they won their first Grammy. Would love to see you explore more Pentatonix! Peace from Ohio …
Welcome to our wonderful world! The bass is Avi Kaplan- the guy with the beard, although Scott-the blonde takes over when he's singing his solo. Avi left the group and was replaced by Matt Sallee. We love them both. Enjoy!!
It’s perfectly okay with us for you to replay your favorite parts, no worries. I’m subscribing for more PTX.
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.
The bass is Avi Kaplan with the beard. Mitch Grassi is the one with the angelic voice please react to “The Prayer” by Pentatonix Mitch is amazing
Great reaction!
The show "The Sing Off" season 3, is a good place to learn about Pentatonix and their start...
My understanding is it was shot at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. They are something else huh? ♥️
Welcome to Penatonix. Mitch is amazing isn't he. Subbed and liked. Hope to see more from them!
I would suggest Daft Punk, Imagine, THe Prayer, Mary Did You know. Sorry I could go on and on.
Oh and one of my favorites Say Something.
Great reaction
The second singer (Avi Kaplan) is the bass. Only when he sings, Scott (first singer) takes over the bass!
Just subbed for more PTX!!
Listen to them sing “Mary Did You Know?”
Mitch, the high voice, is a counter tenor - the highest male voice.
That bass! That is Avi Kaplan, who has since become my favorite artist. Avi left when the tight recording/touring schedule, and Avi's mom being very ill, was too much for him. He left the group amicably. Don't get me wrong, Pentatonix is still amazing with Matt who blended so well with everyone, and you can't go wrong with anything they have done. However, I hope you also check out Avi Kaplan's solo work. One of my favorites is "All is Well -- 7 Layers Sessions." ua-cam.com/video/sNjbAAjF4Tg/v-deo.htmlsi=vKm3C7g_X7ojlZLY
YES PLEASE!!! Avi's music is amazingly stunning!!!!!!
You have to hear the live version with Avi he was the bass and has the Beard. Matt will take his place at the end of 2017, they have been singing together since 2011 . They have three won Grammys and multiple awards. They are also now Have a Star on the walk of Fame with Matt as bass. , Mitch has the high voice, Scott can sing any range, Kristen sings high range and Kevin beatbox and plays the cello , electric cello and keyboard but he can sing. Listen to Mary did you know
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Avi is the guy with the beard and the tucque. The tall fair guy is Scott. He covers the bass when Avi is singing lead. The young lady who looks and sounds like an angel is Kirsten. The young guy with the wide brimmed hat and high voice is Mitch. He supposedly has a 7 octave range. Kevin is the beatboxer, and a tenor with a strong high end. Try "Daft punk medley" and " the prayer". Everything that they cover, they improve.
The second man that sings is Avi and he is the bass.
The song is originally from Leonard Cohen, the Shrek version was already a cover.
I never subscribe to a reactor off the first video. But I did like it. The bass singer was the second guy to sing, yes he can go that low, and that high. He left for several reasons, burnout, needing to stay home and take care of a sick mother, (the group tours basically three weeks a month, or 10 months a year on average not all at once). If you think Avi can go low, try geoff castellucci misty mountains cold ua-cam.com/users/results?search_query=geoff+castellucci+misty+mountains. But yet, our Avi has probably blown at least 15 sub/woofers, and I'll guess at least 5 sound systems in general. He may not get as low as some others, but he has more power than they do. And, yes when he sings at the very top of his range, the little cracks in his voice remind me of sunshine coming through the clouds, it's just that beautiful.
There is some debate among the Penta-holics, as to who can sing the highest, Mitch or Kirsten. That in normal voice, But if you want to talk flasetto, then Kevin the beatboxer wins.
Subbed for more PTX!
„penta“ means „five“ in Ancient Greek (like in „Pentagon“ - object with five corners)
You just got "Mitch slapped"...
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Expect nothing less than greatness from 5 musically gifted aliens. Check out Imagine next.
I really enjoyed your reaction to Pentatonix Hallelujah! You will love Bohemian Rhapsody. Check out "Queens" performance on "Live Aid". Also "Disturbed's" performance of "Sound of Silence" on Conan O'Brian show will blow you away and I am subscribing to your channel in hopes of seeing your reaction to that!!!
This video was shot at Coyote Dry Lakebed about 20 miles northeast of Barstow, California, 5 miles off highway 15. It's all desert for hundreds of miles in that area.
Mitch Grassi is a counter tenor, one of the rarest voice ranges there is. He is one of about 10 known counter tenors worldwide with a vocal range of 7 octaves (Dimash is another). Mitch can pretty much do everything Dimash can do, but, in my opinion, Mitch is much better at blending with other singers. Dimash is almost exclusively a soloist.
Kirsten does indeed have a beautiful voice. Disney uses her in a number of their productions. Some men consider her to be one of the most beautiful women out there. If you want to see why, react to Pentatonix "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from the Lion King. She is stunning in that video. Males worldwide drool on their keyboards while watching that video.
The guy that looks like Jesus is the bass, Avi Kaplan. He left the group and was replaced by Matt Salee in 2017. Scott often covers the bass when the actual bass has a solo, as he did in this video when Avi had a solo. Scott's vocal range is from bass to tenor even though he is usually described as a baritone. If you react to Pentatonix cover of "The Prayer", you will see Scott singing a true operatic baritone part in Italian.
The guy with the beard was the bass, and he did leave
Mary did you know...do that one!
Wait for it...
Don’t worry, I think you will like Matt the new(er) bass. He’s different than Avi but still great.
Avi, in the beanie is the bass
OH, you just got Mitch slapped.
⚡⚡🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥⚡⚡
Penta means 5 pentagon
Love seeing the mitch slap
Mojave Desert
The song appears in "Shrek" but it doesn't come from the movie.
It was written by Leonard Cohen in 1984. Leonard actually wrote some 70+ verses for the piece, but most people only sing the first 4.
Bass is Avi Kaplan
And saying the captions for the whole video are quite off. Many sentences are paraphrased and just wrong.
Please fix
Go listen to "The Sound Of Silence."
No, you don't have to watch everything with Avi in it before you watch anything with Matt in it. Just get used to the fact that you'll have some idea how old a song is based on who the bass is.
video shot in a desert in California.
I watch these for the Mitch slaps now. Not bad…not bad…
do yourself and us a favour and continue to react to PTX.
Gets to ya, don't it.??
Mojave desert
Can you stop talking and listen!!!!!!!
Welcome welcome to the world of PTX!!! You are in for a special treat! Every song from them is amazing. Especially their live performances. The only bad song from them is a song you just don't like. Then it becomes one of your favorites after you hear it from them.
Daft Punk Medley is a great song to do next. It is their first Grammy winner.
Yes, in 2017 the bearded guy (Avi) left the group and Matt joined. While I miss Avi, Matt is doing a great job. Avi was the bass singer and now it's Matt.
I enjoyed your reaction and am looking forward for more. New subscriber here for more Pentatonix.
Thanks for a great reaction!!!
Sending you love from Texas ❤❤❤
The location is the Coyote Dry Lake Bed in the Mojave desert near Bakersfield. CA. The video was shot in October for their Christmas album released in 2016 so they dressed as though it was cold. Temps were, however, in the 80's at the time so they were really suffering from the heat. Also, Mitch and Kirstie share roughly the same vocal range and their voices are so similar it's easy to confuse the on a recording. Avi Kaplan, the bass through 2016, is classically trained in opera and has an incredible, rich true "basso profundo" voice. He now records as a single. Best!
I was born in Bakersfield
Welcome to the Pentatonix rabbit hole. Your next song should be whatever grabs your attention. You can’t go wrong with any PTX song. Their “Evolution of…” medleys are phenomenal. Get ready for goosebumps, tears, Mitch slaps, and surprises.