Pentatonix IS extraordinary, no doubt about it. And they may have kick-started the current craze...but acapella has been around forever. Religious chorales to barbershop to doowop to new wave and beyond. The Nylons and The Bobs were in my personal heavy rotation back in the 80s (still are, in fact).
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.
Wow, thanks for all the info! I've known them since Daft Punk and already knew some bits of their background, but not as deep as this. Thanks again and continue supporting! I do too. Can't wait for this year's surprises!!!
Thank you for reacting to this! My favorite a cappella group. Occasionally their beatboxer (Kevin) will play the cello too, but if there is an instrument you will see it. They have done hundreds of songs, both originals and covers, so it's hard to pick just one to recommend, but one of my favorites is their version of Bohemian Rhapsody.
The rule of thumb USED to be that if there's an instrument you'll see it. And that rule was smashed to smithereens by the release of "Holidays Around The World," their 2022 Christmas album. The theme of the album was collaborations with other musicians, in other countries, and it was recorded while COVID travel restrictions were in place. The collaborations had to be done long distance, and the other artists couldn't appear in the videos. "Prayers For This World," probably the most highly regarded song on the album, had an entire string orchestra behind it! I tried for DAYS to figure out how they achieved that effect with just their voices, before I thought to check the liner notes. Mention the exceptions. They're important.
@@margretrosenberg420 Agreed. On that note, I will add that Bohemian Rhapsody, while completely vocal, is multi-tracked; meaning that during certain sections of the song each member's part is doubled or sometimes tripled. This was done to help create a much fuller orchestral sound, but it is still only voice. During live performances, they often incorporate a choir to join them (or if you see the Hollywood Bowl version, the orchestra - it's a requirement of the venue that the orchestra be included) Even the guitar solo in the song is vocal. The 'prop' you see used in that section (trying not to spoil) is just that, a prop; though a mild post-production effect was added to the studio version which in mho was unnecessary. In live performances the prop is not used. It took them years to perfect an arrangement that they felt could properly capture and honor the sound of the original and it paid off. Brian May, the lead guitarist of Queen, posted it to his Facebook page with the title 'GREAT VERSION: Bohemian Rhapsody by Pentatonix - enjoy.' It doesn't get much better than that!
@@janices5389 I agree that the post-production effect was unnecessary, and it must have been REALLY minor because the guitar solo sounds exactly the same to me in live performances.
The members of #Pentatonix. In this video 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 most of a normal tenor range. Probably five or six octaves. In live performances Scott typically takes over the bass harmony line when their bass has a solo. • Second verse: Bearded guy wearing a stocking cap, 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. If this were a live performance you'd be hearing Scott singing the bass line during Avi's solo, but if you listen carefully you can hear the bass starting up during Scott's solo, and the voice doesn't change as it continues into Avi's solo. So what gives? Early on, they decided that when they're recording in the studio for release on an album, it's worth a small cheat to improve the audio quality. The bass records one track with the bass harmonies for the entire song, and a separate track with his solo, which is then layered in over the bass track. And since this is an official video of a song that was released on an album, that's Avi you hear singing bass while he's also soloing in the baritone and tenor parts of his range. • 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: Guy wearing a wide-brimmed hat, 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." Judging by your expression, you've just been Mitch slapped. 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. There may be a better beatboxer than Kevin, but if so I've never encountered him or her. 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 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. In 2017 Avi found it necesssary to leave Pentatonix, for a variety of personal reasons. He 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 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. You'll see him in all of their newer videos: • The second black member of Pentatonix is Matt Sallee (pronounced Suh-lee', emphasis on the second syllable), lyric bass. In addition to being the newest member 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. His current lowest note appears to be A1, which just barely counts as basso profundo, albeit not the blowing out speakers variety (though he may achieve that within a year or two). But on his high end Matt reaches nearly the top of a normal tenor range. To find his current range I recommend listening to a recent live stream of "Hallelujah." You can find one here: ua-cam.com/video/FqphhPapkoc/v-deo.htmlsi=tC6Ew07JGeQKQvDL Matt's arrangement of the second verse seems to be designed to show off his full range, which is astonishing. I believe Matt has the largest range of any member of Pentatonix, past or present.
@@allendesalme197 From some of the videos I've seen where Scott uses a looper and sings all five parts, I think Scott's range has been increasing, too. As for how many octaves he has, I was just guessing; I'm far from an expert. The only range I'm actually certain of is Mitch's six octaves plus one note, and I don't know whether that extra note is a half note or a whole note (as if it made a difference). And that determination was made long enough ago that his range could have grown somewhat as well. (Pentatonix was so very good in 2011, and has been so good in everything they've put out since, that it's easy to miss the signs of growth, until they do something like remaking "O Holy Night" and the difference pops out at us.) When I watched "Bohemian Rhapsody" I was surprised at first to notice that in the Bismillah argument Mitch was taking the low side of the argument along with Avi, but with a range that big Mitch can, indeed, go quite low; he just doesn't like doing it very much (even though he's said that he envies Avi's voice 🤷♀).
@@margretrosenberg420 Listen carefully - he was not singing as low as Avi was 0- and his actual singing voice is not 6 octaves - some commentators say it is but his low "growl" does not count. One has to listen to him actually singing. He cannot sing in any supported fashion anywhere near as low as Avi can. His range is still insane! He is a tenor and countertenor.
@@allendesalme197 I never said Mitch was singing as low as Avi; that would be ridiculous. I said that in the Bismillah argument Mitch and Avi were the low side of the argument, and that a range of just over 6 octaves means that Mitch can get quite low when he needs to.
No beatboxer better than Kevin? You need to check out Home Free’s Adam Rupp and VoicePlay’s Layne Stein. I’ve heard sounds from both of them that I haven’t heard from Kevin.
PTX has been performing for over 12 years. 5 time Grammy nominations and 3 Grammy awards, multi Platinum with over 350 covers and original songs. Their live performances are even better than the recordings. Amazing Grace, Havana, Kiss from a Rose (VEVO live) Oh Holy Night, Jolene, Kevin’s 5th are just a couple of my favorites…but I love everything they do.
Hey!, just when you think it's not possible to make a good, new and different version to Hallelujah, a great a cappella group like Pentatonix comes and they do it. It's also a very special song to me. Thank you, I like the way you feel music. Stay well 👏👋🎶
Although there are times when one or another will sing the lead in a song, usually they each take a part like in this one. You are correct that all the sounds came from them, and with very few exceptions this is typical. The beatboxer is a stellar cellist, and several times you will see him playing, but it is always obvious.
You would love “Mary did you know” Official video by them it’s my favorite of them all. They have so many more to react to, I watched them win on the original show they were on. Love these guys!🙏🏼🌹💕
Great reaction. Pentatonix is great. Another great song that I believe you would enjoy is "Sound of Silence". Also "The Little Drummer Boy" is great, especially at Christmas. Again, great reaction.
Welcome to what we call the Pentatonix rabbit hole.....they have SO MUCH talent! They will make you cry, smile, jump with joy, melt in your seat.......and they are even better live!
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: • "Hallelujah" ( a recent live performance, with Matt: ua-cam.com/video/FqphhPapkoc/v-deo.htmlsi=tC6Ew07JGeQKQvDL ) • "Imagine" (the official video) • "The Prayer" • "Bohemian Rhapsody" • "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) • "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.)
Beautiful reaction! And welcome to the PTX rabbit hole. I scrolled a bit to see if it's been mentioned yet, I highly recommend listening to this group with headphones. And I mean good quality headphones. You wanna talk about goosebumps? The base isn't truly felt until you hear it with headphones.
Oh wow is right. No, you're not the only one. This is just a stunningly beautiful performance. Inspired musicianship. Achingly emotionally transcendant.
Welcome to Pentatonix!!! They always bring the emotions to the surface. There is a vast library to choose from. Look forward to more reactions to them.
Ptx is a group worth checking out. They mostly do upgrades not covers. Voiceplay is the third of the holy trinity of acapella groups. Valhalla calling, nothing else matters, and hoist the colours are three of their best acapella covers.
"The Prayer ", "Bohemian Rhapsody ", "Kiss from a Rose", "Amazing Grace", and "Daft Punk Medley". Everything they do is amazing. They add their own style to it and it comes out as good as or better than the originals . They sound as good live as in studio versions. Enjoy the journey.
Welcome to the Pentatonix rabbit-hole! It's deep, but the journey is very enjoyable! With over 200 songs in their catalog, you're sure to be able to find something you'd like to hear. I will make a (somewhat odd) recommendation: look through their catalog, find a song that the original version left you either "mehh", or you didn't care for, and give the PTX version a try. As the Pentaholics often say, "PTX doesn't do covers - they do upgrades"!
Loved watching your face when you got "Mitch-slapped". (The young man in the round brimmed hat). I think my face did the same thing. What a clear voice he has!
The clothes they are wearing in the outro are from the their first Christmas special on NBC. It was taped live and sounds virtually the same. This just proves that they did this song with very little post production. This has really become their signature song. They probably perform it at every show. It really has become their song. There are many live versions out there if you want to look. It is also interesting to see how it has evolved.
Happy to hear you're open to more Pentatonix! There are enough to keep you busy all on their own, including their covers, originals, collaborations, mashups, medleys, Christmas music, and solo side projects. They had their 13th anniversary of being a band yesterday. They are (most often) an acapella group, but they refer to themselves as a band. I enjoyed your reaction very much!
Please read Margaret's comment here and it will give you insight. We Pentaholics love reactions and give information. Pentatonix are so loved. Just have a look at their followers numbers. They are magnificent and their harmonies are always so tight. Greetings from South Africa
They are 99.9% an acapella group. Their beatboxer, Kevin Olusola, plays several instruments, and now and then they will feature his amazing cello prodigy skills in a song. But other than that, they are the premier acapella group on the planet at this time. They have won three Grammy awards. No current acapella group has come close to achieving that. We hope that you continue on the Pentatonix journey. We are here to support you. ❤
Aren’t they just perfection! I’m so excited I’m leaving today to head to Reno for their concert tomorrow night! I subscribed for more Pentatonix reactions! I promise you won’t be disappointed! Please react to Kiss From a Rose (live vevo version) and O Holy Night!!!
Watching someone discover Pentatonix for the first time is like watching a four-year-old taste ice cream for the first time. Watching someone's reaction lets us experience it all over again. And this pretty lady felt exactly what we feel and it shows. Wonderful reaction!
Pentatonix is known for their ability with 5 vocalists to create an amazing wall of sound. No instruments. About 97% of their music is just that. You are right they all take lead roles in different songs. The only change in band history is the bearded bass left in 2017/ "Sounds of Silence" is amazing.
There is plenty to enjoy with this group. Everyone has their favorites. Mine are The Sound of Silence, Daft Punk Medley, Bohemian Rhapsody, Mad World, Evolution of Michael Jackson, Little Drummer Boy, ‘90s Dance Medley, Imagine, Evolution of Music…
Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole. Just subscribed for more PTX reactions. Pentaholics enjoy new reactors, so keep up the good work. If you get copy right claimed, try inserting some breaks including comments. Also, since you have already cropped the video, maybe alternate with widescreen crops. Best of luck.
The 4 singers all take the lead, depending on the song…the beatboxer, Kevin, is an accomplished cellist and has a beautiful voice too, and does some solo singing too. I love your beautiful smile and heartfelt comments. Sooo many Pentatonix songs to react to.
They do killer versions of Amazing Grace, Sound Of Silence, Mary Did You Know and Bohemian Rhapsody. Then there's a couple EDM songs : Daft Punk (medley) and an original "Love Again". They do a tasteful version of the sensitive old rock song Imagine. One of their poppy originals and a great morning wake up is "Sing!". They do excellent covers of pop songs : Havana, Say Something, Shallow, Perfect and Cheerleader. One of their unusual covers is a fantasy song : Come Along. One of their grammies is for Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy.
They are not an acapella band they are THE acapella band. Welcome to the most beautiful and amazing rabbit hole you will ever go down. They about 400 songs / videos you can react to so plenty of content, tons of fans (Pentaholics) very supportive and diverse, just under 6 BILLION views on UA-cam. Welcome. I recommend starting with their 12 "Sing Off" performances as it gives you background on the members and some amazing performances, all live by the way. Enjoy the ride. The only warning I can give you is that your favorite song and member is likely to change often. Much love and keep on keepin on J.
Better late to the show then never! Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole! And yes, it’s all voices. If you don‘t believe, watch their live version Fichte same song on a TV show, which is somewhere here on UA-cam. For more like this: Smazing Grace, Sound of Silence and The Prayer. If you are interested what they can really do: „Daft punk“ medley or their „90ies dance medley“!
I truly enjoyed your reaction to the Pentatonix. On top of all that, you are very beautiful. I did hit "Like" and Suscribed. Look forward to more reviews. Thanks.
There are so many awesome songs to choose from One of their first big videos is "Daft Punk" - they won a grammy for it "Sing" - it is a challenge not to jump around! "90's dance medley" - it is too short, you will want to dance around as well "Say Something" or "Mad World" - so sad "The Prayer" - so elegant "Problem" "Can't Hold Us" - they rap! "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Brian May posted it with "Enjoy" React to these and the pentaholics will flock here. Truth to be told - we love seeing the look of amazement & joy as you discover them!
What a great harmonizing group. Pentatonix is the best male group for harmonies. But there is also an extraordinary female group that performs this song, it is 4th Impact. It is to be discovered for your great pleasure. The link is in the comments. Thank you from Montreal.
Home Free is a male group. Pentatonix is a mixed group; Kirstin is one of the founding members and frequently takes lead. She sang the lead in one verse of "Hallelujah," and harmonies throughout the rest of it. If you want an all male a cappella group, look to Home Free. If you want an all female a cappella group, try Citizen Queen. But one of the reasons I prefer Pentatonix is that I prefer a mix, with both male and female voices.
One of the best ways I can describe the reaction of the lady in the video is swimming through and being massaged by emotion. Even without a word, her visible display of emotion conveyed a lot. I have noticed that Penatonix has a tendency to evoke this response and this song in particular, especially if this song is sentimental to the listener in some way. Clearly that was the case here. Anyway, because this cover by Pentatonix tends to evoke this reaction, often in an overwhelming way (which is why reactors often pause somewhere through it as if to catch their breath) is why I enjoy watching reactions to this one.
Welcome to the very deep and varied PTX rabbit-hole! This is a fantastic a capella group who have been around for 13 years...with only one member change ( the bass, Avi Kaplan...bearded guy in the beanie...left amicably in 2017 and Matt Sallee , also a bass singer, joined 6 months later). They have a massive 200+ catalogue of songs to check out. Some suggestions: Mad World, Sound of Silence, Daft Punk medley, 90's Dance Medley, Evolution of Michael Jackson, Sing ( original), Coffee In Bed (original), Shallow, Say Something.
The composer of the song, Leonard Cohen, said it is not religious. A lot of people like to override the composer's intention by pretending (because it's not true) that it's religious.
You’re one of the few reviewers of this song I’ve seen who had that almost visceral response to Scott’s introduction. He is truly an incredibly talented singer, as are they all. When I listen to Kirstie and Mitch’s stunning belts I find myself clenching my hands to the point where afterwards I see fingernail indentations in my palms. Yes, they’re an a capella group and I invite you to watch the live version of this song so you can see how little they rely on vocal enhancements or post production.
Do yourself a favour and see them live. I saw them a year ago at a concert in Brisbane. They sound perfect live as well. They are the best and have been on the top for many years. Also their version of The Sound of Silence is the best by a long way. Also try Amazing Grace and the 90's Dance Medley. They will all blow your mind.
Great reaction. Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole. Buckle up! It's a wild ride full of amazing talent! My next suggestions would be Bohemian Rhapsody or The Prayer and for a newer incredible live performance check out Kiss From a Rose or Creep from their performance on The Masked Singer.
Aliens. 5 musically gifted aliens doing what they love. Welcome to PTX family. Check out next Sound of silence. They all are or can be lead singers... depends on the upgrades they do. There is a deep deep rabbit hole of songs to select from.
This is the first of your reactions to them that I've seen. I'll be going through your catalog to watch some more of them and others. But, I'd recommend watching their version of "The Prayer" to see how much they've progressed over the years. They've never been BAD but now they're PHENOMENAL. They're the "choir leg" of the acapella tripod. Then comes the second leg, Home Free. They do covers from Boys II Men "End of the Road" to Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" to Crosby, Stills, and Nash's "Helplessly Hoping". They do funny song covers like "Brother" ( not "Brother In Arms", a separate cover). They WRITE songs as well, and one of their orginals is "Full of Cheer", another Christmas song. They did have Austin Brown for years (love his voice) but recently he retired from the group so they picked up Adam Bastien. That gives them three Adams now; Adam Bastien tenor, Adam Chance (generally called Chance) baritone, and Adam Rupp, one of the world's best beatboxers (search UA-cam for "nomonica"). They're like the guys at a bonfire, sitting around and singing. Finally the third, Voiceplay. I love the other two, don't get me wrong. They've got phenomenal voices, harmonies, and talent. But for all three, Voiceplay has to be my favorite. They've changed members over the years but for quite a while, the three core members have been Geoff Castellucci bass (I've never heard anything lower) who can go WAY up into upper tenor range, Eli (pronounced Jelly) Jacobsen countertenor who can get as high as Whitney Houston, and Layne Stein, a sweet voice in his own right who also beatboxes and makes sounds with the human voice that seem impossible. They did have J-None for a long time but he left the group to join and sing for the Navy, though he comes back on leave and does various things with them. When J-None left, they added Caesar De La Rosa, tenor who can get right up there with Eli. They generally have four members and have had guest singers like Rachel Potter or Ashley Diane or Deejay Young (who was also in Hamilton) or Omar Cardona. To keep up on the group and their lives (like Eli and his wife and their baby), go see Huldo Draco's channel. There is no way I could list my favorites for the three groups because it would take forever, they all literally have over 100 songs/covers. So, my top three to show their talents/ranges and also just the favorite videos: Pentatonix Evolution of Michael Jackson Imagine The Prayer Home Free Brother Man of Constant Sorrow End of the Road Voiceplay Bridge Over Troubled Water Dream On Valhalla Calling (probably the deepest bass I've ever heard Geoff (pronounced Jeff) do. I know others' favorites may vary. The Home Free fans are called Home Fries, the Pentatonix fans are called Pentaholics, and the Voiceplay fans are called Voiceplayers. Even if you did one a day from a different one of the three groups and nothing else, you could go a year without reacting to any other genre. And yes, DEFINITELY headphones. Thanks for the reaction!
I’m so delighted to have found a new reactor to Pentatonix ❤. I was a “late arriver” myself having only followed them for about a year now but I have spent a LOT of time watching reactions to their music. I so appreciated your emotional honesty while reacting to the video, it was easy to see you had to work to keep your emotions in check. Believe me, we Pentaholics know just how you feel. If you want to watch another one along these lines try “The Prayer”. If you want something that shows their versatility and incredible vocal talents try “Daft Punk” (for which they won a Grammy). If you feel like wallowing in some sad feelings perhaps for cathartic purposes I suggest “Say Something”. I’m sure you’ve likely received hundreds of requests already so take your pick, I’ve never known Pentatonix to put out a song that wasn’t professional. Their Official Videos are all studio-recorded and so you will hear reverb and the volume mix will always be perfect, they’ll aways have that polished feel. However, virtually all of their live recordings are equally impressive because you get to hear them without all that studio production enhancing their vocals. I’m sure you’ll still find them amazing, most people find them even more so. Thanks for the wonderful reaction, I “Liked” and “Subbed” you and hope to see more Pentatonix reactions soon.
Hi Terry, welcome to our little community of music lovers. So pleased you could join us. I'm so glad you enjoyed this reaction. I have a reaction to their daft punk which is available on my channel and more Pentatonix is sure to come. I will check out your other suggestions. Thanks for your wonderful comment.
UA-cam audio does not even come close to them live! I heard Hallelujah 3 times live. Twice by Lenard himself and now by Pentatonix. The live version now has Matt, almost the same with a little changes from Matt. Mitch and Matt also perform a version of Drums and Space in the middle of the concert. You must see them live in order the hear all of the notes and tones in their singing.
They are indeed 100% a capella. Mitch is the tenor altino that caught your attention and Avi was the Basso, Kevin the beatboxer, Kirstin the soprano and Scott who has an unbelievable tessitura.
As of February 10, 2024, Pentatonix's UA-cam channel, PTXofficial, had 20.2 million subscribers. The channel has over 6 billion video views, including 500 million views of "Hallelujah", 325 million views of "Daft Punk", and 230 million views of "Mary, Did You Know?" .
They are not an acapella group...they are THE acapella group that started the whole acapella revolution. They created a whole new genre...
Kevin does play the Cello in a few songs (which is my favorite instrument and makes me love him even more).
Pentatonix IS extraordinary, no doubt about it. And they may have kick-started the current craze...but acapella has been around forever. Religious chorales to barbershop to doowop to new wave and beyond. The Nylons and The Bobs were in my personal heavy rotation back in the 80s (still are, in fact).
Why you gotta do Rockapella dirty like that? They helped you hunt Carmen Sandiego
Welcome to PTX, you play them and us Pentaholics will come and watch, thank you!
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.
Wow! This was very informative. Thank you 😊
I thought I knew a lot about this group but I just found out more. Thank you. 😊
That doesn’t seem like your first time listening to them .
@@dral9657 Mine? Oh no; I first encountered Pentatonix in September, 2022, or thereabouts. I wish I'd found them much sooner.
Wow, thanks for all the info! I've known them since Daft Punk and already knew some bits of their background, but not as deep as this. Thanks again and continue supporting! I do too. Can't wait for this year's surprises!!!
"You aint seen nothin yet". Wrap your head around that. Very supportive fans base. You'll see
Thank you for reacting to this! My favorite a cappella group. Occasionally their beatboxer (Kevin) will play the cello too, but if there is an instrument you will see it. They have done hundreds of songs, both originals and covers, so it's hard to pick just one to recommend, but one of my favorites is their version of Bohemian Rhapsody.
The rule of thumb USED to be that if there's an instrument you'll see it. And that rule was smashed to smithereens by the release of "Holidays Around The World," their 2022 Christmas album. The theme of the album was collaborations with other musicians, in other countries, and it was recorded while COVID travel restrictions were in place. The collaborations had to be done long distance, and the other artists couldn't appear in the videos. "Prayers For This World," probably the most highly regarded song on the album, had an entire string orchestra behind it! I tried for DAYS to figure out how they achieved that effect with just their voices, before I thought to check the liner notes.
Mention the exceptions. They're important.
@@margretrosenberg420 Agreed. On that note, I will add that Bohemian Rhapsody, while completely vocal, is multi-tracked; meaning that during certain sections of the song each member's part is doubled or sometimes tripled. This was done to help create a much fuller orchestral sound, but it is still only voice. During live performances, they often incorporate a choir to join them (or if you see the Hollywood Bowl version, the orchestra - it's a requirement of the venue that the orchestra be included) Even the guitar solo in the song is vocal. The 'prop' you see used in that section (trying not to spoil) is just that, a prop; though a mild post-production effect was added to the studio version which in mho was unnecessary. In live performances the prop is not used. It took them years to perfect an arrangement that they felt could properly capture and honor the sound of the original and it paid off. Brian May, the lead guitarist of Queen, posted it to his Facebook page with the title 'GREAT VERSION: Bohemian Rhapsody by Pentatonix - enjoy.' It doesn't get much better than that!
@@janices5389 I agree that the post-production effect was unnecessary, and it must have been REALLY minor because the guitar solo sounds exactly the same to me in live performances.
I'm just here for the Mitch-slap.
I loved that moment! It's always great on this one.
It never gets old
Welcome to the rabbit hole that is Pentatonix!
The members of #Pentatonix. In this video 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 most of a normal tenor range. Probably five or six octaves. In live performances Scott typically takes over the bass harmony line when their bass has a solo.
• Second verse: Bearded guy wearing a stocking cap, 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. If this were a live performance you'd be hearing Scott singing the bass line during Avi's solo, but if you listen carefully you can hear the bass starting up during Scott's solo, and the voice doesn't change as it continues into Avi's solo. So what gives? Early on, they decided that when they're recording in the studio for release on an album, it's worth a small cheat to improve the audio quality. The bass records one track with the bass harmonies for the entire song, and a separate track with his solo, which is then layered in over the bass track. And since this is an official video of a song that was released on an album, that's Avi you hear singing bass while he's also soloing in the baritone and tenor parts of his range.
• 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: Guy wearing a wide-brimmed hat, 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." Judging by your expression, you've just been Mitch slapped. 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. There may be a better beatboxer than Kevin, but if so I've never encountered him or her. 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 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.
In 2017 Avi found it necesssary to leave Pentatonix, for a variety of personal reasons. He 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
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. You'll see him in all of their newer videos:
• The second black member of Pentatonix is Matt Sallee (pronounced Suh-lee', emphasis on the second syllable), lyric bass. In addition to being the newest member 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. His current lowest note appears to be A1, which just barely counts as basso profundo, albeit not the blowing out speakers variety (though he may achieve that within a year or two). But on his high end Matt reaches nearly the top of a normal tenor range. To find his current range I recommend listening to a recent live stream of "Hallelujah." You can find one here: ua-cam.com/video/FqphhPapkoc/v-deo.htmlsi=tC6Ew07JGeQKQvDL Matt's arrangement of the second verse seems to be designed to show off his full range, which is astonishing. I believe Matt has the largest range of any member of Pentatonix, past or present.
Middle of a normal bass range through a tenor range is about three octaves, but Scott does have more than that
@@allendesalme197 From some of the videos I've seen where Scott uses a looper and sings all five parts, I think Scott's range has been increasing, too. As for how many octaves he has, I was just guessing; I'm far from an expert. The only range I'm actually certain of is Mitch's six octaves plus one note, and I don't know whether that extra note is a half note or a whole note (as if it made a difference). And that determination was made long enough ago that his range could have grown somewhat as well. (Pentatonix was so very good in 2011, and has been so good in everything they've put out since, that it's easy to miss the signs of growth, until they do something like remaking "O Holy Night" and the difference pops out at us.)
When I watched "Bohemian Rhapsody" I was surprised at first to notice that in the Bismillah argument Mitch was taking the low side of the argument along with Avi, but with a range that big Mitch can, indeed, go quite low; he just doesn't like doing it very much (even though he's said that he envies Avi's voice 🤷♀).
@@margretrosenberg420 Listen carefully - he was not singing as low as Avi was 0- and his actual singing voice is not 6 octaves - some commentators say it is but his low "growl" does not count. One has to listen to him actually singing. He cannot sing in any supported fashion anywhere near as low as Avi can. His range is still insane! He is a tenor and countertenor.
@@allendesalme197 I never said Mitch was singing as low as Avi; that would be ridiculous. I said that in the Bismillah argument Mitch and Avi were the low side of the argument, and that a range of just over 6 octaves means that Mitch can get quite low when he needs to.
No beatboxer better than Kevin? You need to check out Home Free’s Adam Rupp and VoicePlay’s Layne Stein. I’ve heard sounds from both of them that I haven’t heard from Kevin.
This rendition of HALLELUJAH by Pentatonix has 1 billion views!
This video is at 744,064,243 but if you add in the live performances and the reactions then likely well over 1 billion
PTX has been performing for over 12 years. 5 time Grammy nominations and 3 Grammy awards, multi Platinum with over 350 covers and original songs. Their live performances are even better than the recordings.
Amazing Grace, Havana, Kiss from a Rose (VEVO live) Oh Holy Night, Jolene, Kevin’s 5th are just a couple of my favorites…but I love everything they do.
Hey!, just when you think it's not possible to make a good, new and different version to Hallelujah, a great a cappella group like Pentatonix comes and they do it. It's also a very special song to me. Thank you, I like the way you feel music. Stay well 👏👋🎶
The Prayer done by Pentatonix is a must to listen to
Although there are times when one or another will sing the lead in a song, usually they each take a part like in this one. You are correct that all the sounds came from them, and with very few exceptions this is typical. The beatboxer is a stellar cellist, and several times you will see him playing, but it is always obvious.
You would love “Mary did you know” Official video by them it’s my favorite of them all. They have so many more to react to, I watched them win on the original show they were on. Love these guys!🙏🏼🌹💕
Great reaction. Pentatonix is great. Another great song that I believe you would enjoy is "Sound of Silence". Also "The Little Drummer Boy" is great, especially at Christmas. Again, great reaction.
Welcome to what we call the Pentatonix rabbit hole.....they have SO MUCH talent! They will make you cry, smile, jump with joy, melt in your seat.......and they are even better live!
Not a single dry eye in the audience. Thank you. ♥
I probably watched it a hundred times before I stopped tearing up. I am still in awe each time I see it.
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:
• "Hallelujah" ( a recent live performance, with Matt: ua-cam.com/video/FqphhPapkoc/v-deo.htmlsi=tC6Ew07JGeQKQvDL )
• "Imagine" (the official video)
• "The Prayer"
• "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• "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)
• "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.)
They all shine. No lead. No-one steps on the other.
Beautiful reaction! And welcome to the PTX rabbit hole. I scrolled a bit to see if it's been mentioned yet, I highly recommend listening to this group with headphones. And I mean good quality headphones. You wanna talk about goosebumps? The base isn't truly felt until you hear it with headphones.
I love seeing someone experience PTX for the first time. Beautiful reaction ❤️
Oh wow is right. No, you're not the only one. This is just a stunningly beautiful performance. Inspired musicianship. Achingly emotionally transcendant.
PTX ...Thirteen years and I have been right here with them
Welcome to Pentatonix!!! They always bring the emotions to the surface. There is a vast library to choose from. Look forward to more reactions to them.
I've been enjoying this group's videos for over a decade. One of the best acapella groups out there.
You gotta check out their version of 'Amazing grace' and 'Say someting'! Both are beyond beautiful 🥰
Once you continue your PTX journey the Pentaholic family will definitely follow. Thanks for sharing and stay safe.
Ptx is a group worth checking out. They mostly do upgrades not covers.
Voiceplay is the third of the holy trinity of acapella groups. Valhalla calling, nothing else matters, and hoist the colours are three of their best acapella covers.
"The Prayer ", "Bohemian Rhapsody ", "Kiss from a Rose", "Amazing Grace", and "Daft Punk Medley". Everything they do is amazing.
They add their own style to it and it comes out as good as or better than the originals . They sound as good live as in studio versions. Enjoy the journey.
Please react to Pentatonix singing:
The Prayer
Mary Did You Know
Bohemian Rapsody
Amazing Grace
Kiss From A Rose
No song will ever give the feels this song provides!
Welcome to the Pentatonix rabbit-hole! It's deep, but the journey is very enjoyable! With over 200 songs in their catalog, you're sure to be able to find something you'd like to hear.
I will make a (somewhat odd) recommendation: look through their catalog, find a song that the original version left you either "mehh", or you didn't care for, and give the PTX version a try. As the Pentaholics often say, "PTX doesn't do covers - they do upgrades"!
Loved watching your face when you got "Mitch-slapped". (The young man in the round brimmed hat). I think my face did the same thing. What a clear voice he has!
The clothes they are wearing in the outro are from the their first Christmas special on NBC.
It was taped live and sounds virtually the same. This just proves that they did this song with very little post production.
This has really become their signature song. They probably perform it at every show. It really has become their song. There are many live versions out there if you want to look. It is also interesting to see how it has evolved.
Happy to hear you're open to more Pentatonix! There are enough to keep you busy all on their own, including their covers, originals, collaborations, mashups, medleys, Christmas music, and solo side projects. They had their 13th anniversary of being a band yesterday. They are (most often) an acapella group, but they refer to themselves as a band. I enjoyed your reaction very much!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Pentaholics of all ages... we have a NEW Pentaholic! Welcome to the acapella rabbit hole...
Please read Margaret's comment here and it will give you insight. We Pentaholics love reactions and give information. Pentatonix are so loved. Just have a look at their followers numbers. They are magnificent and their harmonies are always so tight. Greetings from South Africa
This rabbit hole is like a black hole in the center of your galaxy. Escape is impossible.
They are 99.9% an acapella group. Their beatboxer, Kevin Olusola, plays several instruments, and now and then they will feature his amazing cello prodigy skills in a song. But other than that, they are the premier acapella group on the planet at this time. They have won three Grammy awards. No current acapella group has come close to achieving that. We hope that you continue on the Pentatonix journey. We are here to support you. ❤
Yep they’re new just celebrated their 13 th year as a group originally formed for The Sing-off competition
Aren’t they just perfection! I’m so excited I’m leaving today to head to Reno for their concert tomorrow night! I subscribed for more Pentatonix reactions! I promise you won’t be disappointed! Please react to Kiss From a Rose (live vevo version) and O Holy Night!!!
The tears in your eyes were so genuine and beautiful you made me cry❤
Their version of bohemien rhapsody will blow your mind.
and Daft Punk, and everything else they do...
Subbed for more PTX! Anything by PTX will do. Much love from South Africa!
I loved this reaction! I'm looking forward to seeing all your Pentatonix reactions.
Definitely subbed!!!!
Watching someone discover Pentatonix for the first time is like watching a four-year-old taste ice cream for the first time. Watching someone's reaction lets us experience it all over again. And this pretty lady felt exactly what we feel and it shows. Wonderful reaction!
the most incredible thing thats ever crossed my ears... simply transcendent.
I've seen a lot of reactions to this video. It always generates emotional reactions.
Welcome to PTX! So much beautiful music ahead. Hope to see more reactions. Enjoy!!
Great Reaction. No interruptions , but sincere pleasure
Cheers Ben!
Pentatonix is known for their ability with 5 vocalists to create an amazing wall of sound. No instruments. About 97% of their music is just that. You are right they all take lead roles in different songs. The only change in band history is the bearded bass left in 2017/ "Sounds of Silence" is amazing.
There is plenty to enjoy with this group. Everyone has their favorites. Mine are The Sound of Silence, Daft Punk Medley, Bohemian Rhapsody, Mad World, Evolution of Michael Jackson, Little Drummer Boy, ‘90s Dance Medley, Imagine, Evolution of Music…
I love them. This my 15yo daughters favorite at 15 she has been to 17 concerts
Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole. Just subscribed for more PTX reactions. Pentaholics enjoy new reactors, so keep up the good work.
If you get copy right claimed, try inserting some breaks including comments. Also, since you have already cropped the video, maybe alternate with widescreen crops.
Best of luck.
The 4 singers all take the lead, depending on the song…the beatboxer, Kevin, is an accomplished cellist and has a beautiful voice too, and does some solo singing too. I love your beautiful smile and heartfelt comments. Sooo many Pentatonix songs to react to.
Love your reactions to pentatonix, you have a good soul and how you show your emotions so easily. Sorry for loss of your father.
Thank you kindly
Great reaction!!! Should watch their live version of hallelujah, amazing...
They do killer versions of Amazing Grace, Sound Of Silence, Mary Did You Know and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Then there's a couple EDM songs : Daft Punk (medley) and an original "Love Again".
They do a tasteful version of the sensitive old rock song Imagine.
One of their poppy originals and a great morning wake up is "Sing!".
They do excellent covers of pop songs : Havana, Say Something, Shallow, Perfect and Cheerleader.
One of their unusual covers is a fantasy song : Come Along.
One of their grammies is for Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy.
Beautiful reaction to a beautiful song
Mitch gives me tingles the most!
They are not an acapella band they are THE acapella band. Welcome to the most beautiful and amazing rabbit hole you will ever go down. They about 400 songs / videos you can react to so plenty of content, tons of fans (Pentaholics) very supportive and diverse, just under 6 BILLION views on UA-cam. Welcome. I recommend starting with their 12 "Sing Off" performances as it gives you background on the members and some amazing performances, all live by the way. Enjoy the ride. The only warning I can give you is that your favorite song and member is likely to change often. Much love and keep on keepin on J.
Cheers j🍻
Better late to the show then never! Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole! And yes, it’s all voices. If you don‘t believe, watch their live version Fichte same song on a TV show, which is somewhere here on UA-cam. For more like this: Smazing Grace, Sound of Silence and The Prayer. If you are interested what they can really do: „Daft punk“ medley or their „90ies dance medley“!
I truly enjoyed your reaction to the Pentatonix. On top of all that, you are very beautiful. I did hit "Like" and Suscribed. Look forward to more reviews. Thanks.
There are so many awesome songs to choose from
One of their first big videos is "Daft Punk" - they won a grammy for it
"Sing" - it is a challenge not to jump around!
"90's dance medley" - it is too short, you will want to dance around as well
"Say Something" or "Mad World" - so sad
"The Prayer" - so elegant
"Problem" "Can't Hold Us" - they rap!
"Bohemian Rhapsody" - Brian May posted it with "Enjoy"
React to these and the pentaholics will flock here.
Truth to be told - we love seeing the look of amazement & joy as you discover them!
Your response was so on point. As beautiful as they are. Omg, lightning storm here. Whoa, just got shocked
The beatboxer Kevin is an accomplished Chello player. He is amazing in Kiss From A Rose.
Thanks for reacting to Pentatonix!
Welcome to the Pentatonix rabbit hole. The options are boundless. First time visitor and just subscribed. Great reaction!
I hope you react to any of the 200 songs available. You can't make a bad choice of songs.
Well said. Indeed, everything they do is epic!
Yes - THE acapella group!!!
Welcome to the Pentaholics rabbit hole. Your in for just eargasms. And a new vocabulary such as being Mitch slapped and their. Wall of harmonies.
What a great harmonizing group. Pentatonix is the best male group for harmonies. But there is also an extraordinary female group that performs this song, it is 4th Impact. It is to be discovered for your great pleasure. The link is in the comments. Thank you from Montreal.
Hallelujah ua-cam.com/video/gaHketjFNUA/v-deo.html
Home Free is a male group. Pentatonix is a mixed group; Kirstin is one of the founding members and frequently takes lead. She sang the lead in one verse of "Hallelujah," and harmonies throughout the rest of it.
If you want an all male a cappella group, look to Home Free. If you want an all female a cappella group, try Citizen Queen. But one of the reasons I prefer Pentatonix is that I prefer a mix, with both male and female voices.
I have dine some homefree reactions and 4th Impact too. Thanks for your comment.
Pentatonix - "90s Dance Medley" - recorded during pandemic lockdown.
We’ve been feeling that way for 13 years. Welcome to the club. ❤ They are amazingly talented.
The PTX rabbit hole is calling you... welcome.
One of the best ways I can describe the reaction of the lady in the video is swimming through and being massaged by emotion. Even without a word, her visible display of emotion conveyed a lot. I have noticed that Penatonix has a tendency to evoke this response and this song in particular, especially if this song is sentimental to the listener in some way. Clearly that was the case here. Anyway, because this cover by Pentatonix tends to evoke this reaction, often in an overwhelming way (which is why reactors often pause somewhere through it as if to catch their breath) is why I enjoy watching reactions to this one.
Thank you so much for your comment. I love knowing why people enjoy watching. 🙏🍻👋
Welcome to the very deep and varied PTX rabbit-hole! This is a fantastic a capella group who have been around for 13 years...with only one member change ( the bass, Avi Kaplan...bearded guy in the beanie...left amicably in 2017 and Matt Sallee , also a bass singer, joined 6 months later). They have a massive 200+ catalogue of songs to check out.
Some suggestions:
Mad World, Sound of Silence, Daft Punk medley, 90's Dance Medley, Evolution of Michael Jackson, Sing ( original), Coffee In Bed (original), Shallow, Say Something.
the pentaholics have arrived!
Their version of "Oh Come All Ye Faithfull" gives a totally different vibe and is amazing. I hope you can do a reaction to it.
Can't go wrong listening to these people...
Love the emotions in your eyes, very moving reaction. new sub, look forward to many more.
The composer of the song, Leonard Cohen, said it is not religious. A lot of people like to override the composer's intention by pretending (because it's not true) that it's religious.
The song, like all songs, can be taken in any way the listener wants to experience it ... just like all art. 😄
@@occamsrazor5376 and if you see a rabbit in the clouds it's a rabbit.
Nice reaction!! Welcome to the rabbit hole!
I love new Pentatonix reactors! I just subbed! 💖
Leonard Cohen said this is his favorite version of his song
Beautiful reaction to a beautiful song. I highly recommend their version of Amazing Grace or The Prayer. Thank you for your great reaction.
Thank you so much. I'll check those out.
You’re one of the few reviewers of this song I’ve seen who had that almost visceral response to Scott’s introduction. He is truly an incredibly talented singer, as are they all. When I listen to Kirstie and Mitch’s stunning belts I find myself clenching my hands to the point where afterwards I see fingernail indentations in my palms.
Yes, they’re an a capella group and I invite you to watch the live version of this song so you can see how little they rely on vocal enhancements or post production.
Thank you. I'll check out the live version.
Do yourself a favour and see them live. I saw them a year ago at a concert in Brisbane. They sound perfect live as well. They are the best and have been on the top for many years. Also their version of The Sound of Silence is the best by a long way. Also try Amazing Grace and the 90's Dance Medley. They will all blow your mind.
Great reaction. Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole. Buckle up! It's a wild ride full of amazing talent! My next suggestions would be Bohemian Rhapsody or The Prayer and for a newer incredible live performance check out Kiss From a Rose or Creep from their performance on The Masked Singer.
Aliens. 5 musically gifted aliens doing what they love. Welcome to PTX family. Check out next Sound of silence. They all are or can be lead singers... depends on the upgrades they do. There is a deep deep rabbit hole of songs to select from.
Kiss from a rose - Pentatonix
I would recommend their covers of Mary, did you know and the sound of silence. They are just as amazing
This is the first of your reactions to them that I've seen. I'll be going through your catalog to watch some more of them and others. But, I'd recommend watching their version of "The Prayer" to see how much they've progressed over the years.
They've never been BAD but now they're PHENOMENAL.
They're the "choir leg" of the acapella tripod.
Then comes the second leg, Home Free. They do covers from Boys II Men "End of the Road" to Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" to Crosby, Stills, and Nash's "Helplessly Hoping". They do funny song covers like "Brother" ( not "Brother In Arms", a separate cover). They WRITE songs as well, and one of their orginals is "Full of Cheer", another Christmas song. They did have Austin Brown for years (love his voice) but recently he retired from the group so they picked up Adam Bastien. That gives them three Adams now; Adam Bastien tenor, Adam Chance (generally called Chance) baritone, and Adam Rupp, one of the world's best beatboxers (search UA-cam for "nomonica"). They're like the guys at a bonfire, sitting around and singing.
Finally the third, Voiceplay. I love the other two, don't get me wrong. They've got phenomenal voices, harmonies, and talent.
But for all three, Voiceplay has to be my favorite. They've changed members over the years but for quite a while, the three core members have been Geoff Castellucci bass (I've never heard anything lower) who can go WAY up into upper tenor range, Eli (pronounced Jelly) Jacobsen countertenor who can get as high as Whitney Houston, and Layne Stein, a sweet voice in his own right who also beatboxes and makes sounds with the human voice that seem impossible. They did have J-None for a long time but he left the group to join and sing for the Navy, though he comes back on leave and does various things with them. When J-None left, they added Caesar De La Rosa, tenor who can get right up there with Eli. They generally have four members and have had guest singers like Rachel Potter or Ashley Diane or Deejay Young (who was also in Hamilton) or Omar Cardona. To keep up on the group and their lives (like Eli and his wife and their baby), go see Huldo Draco's channel.
There is no way I could list my favorites for the three groups because it would take forever, they all literally have over 100 songs/covers.
So, my top three to show their talents/ranges and also just the favorite videos:
Pentatonix
Evolution of Michael Jackson
Imagine
The Prayer
Home Free
Brother
Man of Constant Sorrow
End of the Road
Voiceplay
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Dream On
Valhalla Calling (probably the deepest bass I've ever heard Geoff (pronounced Jeff) do.
I know others' favorites may vary. The Home Free fans are called Home Fries, the Pentatonix fans are called Pentaholics, and the Voiceplay fans are called Voiceplayers.
Even if you did one a day from a different one of the three groups and nothing else, you could go a year without reacting to any other genre.
And yes, DEFINITELY headphones.
Thanks for the reaction!
I’m so delighted to have found a new reactor to Pentatonix ❤. I was a “late arriver” myself having only followed them for about a year now but I have spent a LOT of time watching reactions to their music. I so appreciated your emotional honesty while reacting to the video, it was easy to see you had to work to keep your emotions in check. Believe me, we Pentaholics know just how you feel. If you want to watch another one along these lines try “The Prayer”. If you want something that shows their versatility and incredible vocal talents try “Daft Punk” (for which they won a Grammy). If you feel like wallowing in some sad feelings perhaps for cathartic purposes I suggest “Say Something”. I’m sure you’ve likely received hundreds of requests already so take your pick, I’ve never known Pentatonix to put out a song that wasn’t professional. Their Official Videos are all studio-recorded and so you will hear reverb and the volume mix will always be perfect, they’ll aways have that polished feel. However, virtually all of their live recordings are equally impressive because you get to hear them without all that studio production enhancing their vocals. I’m sure you’ll still find them amazing, most people find them even more so. Thanks for the wonderful reaction, I “Liked” and “Subbed” you and hope to see more Pentatonix reactions soon.
Hi Terry, welcome to our little community of music lovers. So pleased you could join us. I'm so glad you enjoyed this reaction. I have a reaction to their daft punk which is available on my channel and more Pentatonix is sure to come. I will check out your other suggestions. Thanks for your wonderful comment.
Please react to Beginners Guide to Pentatonix. You will learn everything about the group.
This is not a religious song but a song of heartbreak and broken love. Not sure it would be played at a funeral? Love Pentatonix ❤️
There's lots of heartbreak and loss at a funeral....
UA-cam audio does not even come close to them live! I heard Hallelujah 3 times live. Twice by Lenard himself and now by Pentatonix. The live version now has Matt, almost the same with a little changes from Matt. Mitch and Matt also perform a version of Drums and Space in the middle of the concert. You must see them live in order the hear all of the notes and tones in their singing.
Agree with all of the comments. Enjoy the journey. You will not regret it.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a must. Too many others to list.
Thanks!
That was so kind Daniel, thank you. Most appreciated ❤️
They are indeed 100% a capella. Mitch is the tenor altino that caught your attention and Avi was the Basso, Kevin the beatboxer, Kirstin the soprano and Scott who has an unbelievable tessitura.
As of February 10, 2024, Pentatonix's UA-cam channel, PTXofficial, had 20.2 million subscribers. The channel has over 6 billion video views, including 500 million views of "Hallelujah", 325 million views of "Daft Punk", and 230 million views of "Mary, Did You Know?" .
Daft punk is coming soon...