Another Acapella group you Must check out is Homefree. They have a Marvin Gaye crossover, they do country, pop and r&b And their bass is deeper than Pentatonix
Thank you for reacting to this group. Pentatonix has a large group of followers so the more you react to PTX your subscriber count will increase significantly.
I love Pentatonix. Can't wait for your next reaction to them. You can't go wrong with whatever song you decide to react to. There has only been one member change throughout their career . Avi the base with the beard left in 2017 on good terms, and Matt joined. Everyone else is original their looks just change a lot. Mitch with the hat never looks the same, and Kirsty, she also changes her look a lot. The tall blonde is Scott, and the beatboxer is Kevin.
The bass singer is Avi. He has blown many speakers on their tours early on. They ended up bringing their own speakers on tour to avoid that. Yes, they are making all sounds. Since you are a rap fan, may I recommend their cover of Can't Hold Us. You will be amazed! Subbed for more Pentatonix.
This Pentaholic is happy to see a new reactor for Pentatonix. They don't just perform music, they become the music. Whether it be happy, sad, intense, fun.... they have songs they do upgrades to (not just covers) and original music. They never disappoint. Their library is HUGE, if you choose to go down the PTX rabbit hole, Pentaholics will follow. It is so much fun and entertaining to see people new to this group get their minds blown. 😄
The clothes they are wearing in the outro are the clothes they wore for their first Christmas special on NBC. They do this song live in front of a live audience and it sounds virtually the same. This song has really become their signature song. They perform it at nearly every show.
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 a normal tenor range, with an excellent falsetto on top. 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 line 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." • 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 CZcams 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: czcams.com/video/FqphhPapkoc/video.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.
Unless he can get higher than Mitch, it is not the biggest range. Mitch's lowest is also A1 and Avi could do whistle notes too, he just did them at the top of his over tone singing (2 notes at the same time, but octaves apart)
@@GingerJohnson-uu9lw I think his falsetto does go higher than Mitch, though I don't have a good enough ear to say for sure. Also, Matt regularly uses his entire range, which Mitch doesn't - Mitch tends to stick to his upper registers. Avi used overtone singing regularly on _The Sing-Off_ (and somehow the judges never noticed, which is distinctly odd), and gave regular demonstrations of it in live performances, but to the best of my knowledge, except for those live demonstrations he didn't use it regularly after _The Sing-Off_ (though he may have put some into "Aha!" to increase the spookiness - again, my ear isn't good enough to say). We don't generally count overtones when we're talking about range. But Scott, Kirstin, Kevin, and Mitch can all do overtone singing as well, they just don't put it into any releases. See czcams.com/video/FKm5zNC-maE/video.html (the question about overtone singing begins at 17:11, but the whole interview is worth watching). In fact, I can do overtone singing, and I'm a mezzo with a TINY range; it isn't hard to learn. I can't do it as well as Avi (duh), but I'm not a professional singer with years of practice, either. (Kirstin also does proper whistle note singing, which we don't usually count in her range, and which she doesn't generally put into any PTX releases.) So if Matt wants to sing overtones he has four people close at hand who can teach him. If you want to learn overtone singing for yourself, you can. Just forget about the interviews where Avi attempted to explain how he does it - his explanations weren't good enough to actually learn from. Instead, try either (or both) of these videos from proper teachers: czcams.com/video/w42DQoZ-z_c/video.html or czcams.com/video/FQLFrc8XNns/video.htmlsi=7yANsNkjManYL94h
Of course it had to be you, Margret! Thanks for one of the best overviews of Pentatonix written for a newbie that I've ever read. I do take exception to your use of the word "cheat" regarding the layering for their official videos, however. Layering is such a normal practice in studios that it is in no way considered a cheat. It's how the best finished product is achieved without modifying anyone's voice. Autotune could definitely fall into the cheat category, but having Avi sing both the solo and the bassline and layering one over the other is a totally legit technique that no one needs to excuse. I'm a little touchy on this point because I've debated the issue for years with Pentaholics who insist it is Scott singing the bassline in this video. Nice to see someone else acknowledging the smartest choice for a superior result. No shade on Scott, for sure.
Absolutely “better late than never” with PTX. They actually improve life by adding JOY. For something completely different, Daft Punk should be next (very different and their first Grammy). 🔥 What a perfect reaction- everything you said about them was spot on.
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 CZcams 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 CZcams had something called CZcams 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 CZcams 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 CZcams. 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.
This is where people usually start with Pentatonix. :) A good second reaction is their Daft Punk Medley, which got them their first Grammy. After that, popular videos include Bohemian Rhapsody, The Prayer, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Evolution of Music, Evolution of Michael Jackson, and Imagine. They also pretty much *own* Christmas music -- my favorites include The First Noel, Carol of the Bells, Angels We Have Heard on High, Twelve Days of Christmas, Over the River (with Lindsey Stirling), You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch, Little Drummer Boy, O Come All Ye Faithful, and Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy (which got them their second Grammy.) There are also some really good videos that aren't on their official web site. Aha! in Singapore at the Star Vista is awesome; it's a chunk of a concert, and is a fan video someone took on their phone. The whole run of their Sing Off season, an a capella competition TV show from 2011, which they won, is great and shows where they came from; I recommend the videos on Solenn Breizh's channel; go to Videos and then click on "Old" and they're almost the last ones there, although you'll have to watch the episode order. My favorite version of I Need Your Love was from the following season of Sing Off, when Pentatonix appeared as guest performers; Solenn has that one too. The official video is good, but this one is better. That'll get you going :) and I'm sure others will toss in their own favorites. Have fun!
Dude....Welcome to the world of Pentatonix!!! (PTX for short) You have only heard a smidgeon of what they can do. Yes, you started in the right spot!! Next I recommend either Daft Punk Medley or 90's Dance Medley. Daft Punk Medley was their first Grammy winning song. Be prepared to be blown away...you will not believe the sounds they can make with just voices and beat boxing. So amazing. Hope you are doing well. Sending you love from Texas!!❤❤
these guys have been doing this since 2011. Their catalog of covers and originals is vast, and covers many genres. Take a look, you will not be disappointed.
as a Pentaholic, I welcome you to their world! they'll blow you away every time with their talents! Home Free is an all male a capella group that is a MUST for your listening pleasure! lots of love! ❤
This was my first song that I heard from them and I was blown away. I believe that without PTX, a lot of the current acapella groups out there wouldn't be as well known. They really put acapella on the map.
You said "Pretty sure I've missed a lot". That's an understatement. They have hundreds of CZcams videos, over 20 million subscribers, and over 7 Billion views. They cover pretty much every genre that you can think of from rap to Chopin with Grammys for Country Western, electronic music, and ballet music. Most of their songs are covers but they do have a number of originals. If you want to see just how clean and tight of a mix they do, react to "Coffee in Bed", a Pentatonix original. Everything you hear on any of their videos sounds exactly the same live.
Pentatonix has won 3 grams. One for Daft Punk the second for Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies and the third for Jolene with dolly parton. For Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy they won a Grammy for singing a song that has no words with no words. For their first Grammy the People Who oversee the Grammys had to change the name of one of the categories from best instrumental best arrangement and then they added best acapella. For Daft Punk they made it on a $400 budget filmed it in the kitchen recorded it in the closet and got Grammy for it. First time on your channel and I subscribed for more pentatonix. There are three other acapella groups home free voice play and the bass gang that you want to take a look at. Just says the fans are extremely loyal to Pentatonix the fans for the other three bands are also very loyal and passionate and will follow their groups to whatever channel is reacting to them
For my engineering nerds, 80 Hz is about right. A Concert "A" - which is A below middle C - is 440 Hz. Two octaves down is 110 Hz. Four steps down is E-flat 1. The bass (Avi Kaplan, the one with the beard) has a low note of E-flat 1 (for my music nerds).
I agree with many of your other commentors - Daft Punk Medley would be an excellent choice for your second listen. It’s completely different than Hallelujah and will demonstrate their versatility as well as showcase everyone in the group.
There is something so special about their ability, to tell the songs story, allowing us to listen with a new perspective, and hear & feel emotions, we may not have heard from the original artist 💖💖💖 Not only their voices, but their delivery is also their gift! *IMO, no other group, can build up a song, like Pentatonix* They are masters at pulling on our emotions!!! 💗💗💗 *They are individually so talented, however, when put together, it is truly magical* 💗💗💗 Thank you for such a thoughtful reaction 💗💗💗
The bass is Avi Kaplan with the beard The blond guy is Scott Hoying The beatboxer is Kevin Olusola The girl is Kirsten Maldanado And the guy with the round h hat is Mitch Grassi. Please react to “The Prayer” They do an amazing job.👍👍👍
Low notes is Avi. He's a bsso profundo, Basso profundo is an Italian phrase that refers to a singer with a deep, heavy bass voice and a very low range. It literally translates to "deep bass." He can literally sing a standard octive below the regular bass range.
If you enjoyed this and it moved you then please check out their video "Oh Holy Night". It just came out this past Christmas and it is probably one of the most beautiful renditions of this song. Thanks and you keep reacting to this group and the Pentaholics will find your site. We love watching new reactors discover this group.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Pentatonix! They are amazing. I see my fellow Pentaholics have covered their history and made enough recommendations to keep you busy for quite a while, so I will just just say that you can't go wrong with anything they have done or will do in the future. PTX is my favorite band and my favorite solo artist is Avi Kaplan, the bass god with the beard that you saw and heard in this video. I highly recommend his solo work as well. Looking forward to more PTX reactions.!
So great to welcome a new Pentatonix reactor! You will find that many PTX videos leave you feeling transported. I still haven't figured out exactly how they do it. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the simplicity of the production... naked voices, expertly woven together, is my best explanation. No frills, no trickery, just talent and passion. Sometimes less really is more.
Really enjoyed your reaction. You seem to really understand many aspects of vocal music. A couple great originals are Love Again, Sing and Can't Sleep Love. Some favorite covers are Bohemian Rhapsody, Kiss From a Rose and Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone. One thing - The 5 singers in this video were the original members from 2011 to 2017. The only change is that the bass singer here, Avi Kaplan (2nd soloist), left in 2017 to begin a solo career (some great music from him is out there), and he was replaced by Matt Sallee from 2017 to now. They tour worldwide every year, have won 3 Grammys and all have some solo work out there. For fun, check out the beatboxer's video "Kevin Olusola Down", where he sings, plays cello and keyboard, and beatboxes. Looking forward to more PTX reactions!
Welcome to a lovely rabbit hole! PTX is amazing. They have a country cousin called Home Free. You might want to check out their version of Man of Constant Sorrow. Both groups only use their voices. Two sides of a coin, I think.
New sub for more Pentatonix! Loved your reaction. Everything you said was spot on in response to how they work and make you feel. They really are so amazingly talented. Thank you!
CZcams 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.
O yes yes! I am so happy! PLEASE REMEMBER that since 2011 when they won the sing-off there was ONLY ONE member that left the group. It was absolutely amicably. So 2017 they found another bass Matt Sallee. Also insanely talented. Hallelujah was older so the bass is Avi Kaplan that lef - guy with the long hair and beard. You will not be disappointed in any of the plus/minus 300 songs. I subscribed for MORE PENTATONIX. we Pentaholics loves reactions and give information to new reactors. Will you please read upur comments on this one? Worth your while. Live they sounds even more amazing - if it is possible. You are appreciated. GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA
Would love to see you do more Pentatonix. A lot of people start out with this one, I think it's the one with the most views. They do all types of covers and they also have some originals. Looking forward to your next one.
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: czcams.com/video/FqphhPapkoc/video.htmlsi=tC6Ew07JGeQKQvDL ) • "Imagine" (the official video) • "The Prayer" • "Bohemian Rhapsody" (the official video) • "Sound of Silence" • "Run To You" (the official video of this 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: czcams.com/video/ReJAU2mXm8w/video.htmlsi=upj2Q3vLqigVEtgm ) • "Pure Imagination / Christmas Time is Here" (preferably the live Vevo recording) • "Kiss From a Rose" (preferably the live Vevo recording - both of the Vevo recordings are available on CZcams) • "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: czcams.com/video/DbCasvcNx78/video.html and this is the very special performance of "Kevin's Fifth" (without "The Kevin Show") from Kevin's birthday in 2022: czcams.com/video/7m0g7xThIWs/video.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)": czcams.com/video/QkVeKb2igrg/video.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 CZcamsrs isn't one of his vices.)
@@helenh6442 I didn't "forget" it, it just didn't make the cut. Yes, it's a gorgeous song, but did you notice how long my list of recommended songs is? I have to stop somewhere. And I have a personal bias toward the songs that are less religious, or less overtly Christian ("The Prayer," for instance, is religious but it could be any religion). "O Come All Ye Faithful" is on the list for the chair dancing it generally provokes from reactors. "O Holy Night" and "Pure Imagination / Christmas Time Is Here" are on the list because I think they may be nominated for Grammys. 🤷♀️
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 CZcams, 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 CZcams 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 CZcams), 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 CZcams, 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 czcams.com/video/HrruJptmbKU/video.html and czcams.com/video/zTUSB4iwTII/video.html and czcams.com/video/e2pvITc9a3U/video.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 czcams.com/video/fqWY2EUGlgk/video.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 czcams.com/video/lDxIfwfCmQE/video.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.
Pentatonix are not only very creative, they are also very talented! This video was my introduction to them, too, and I have been a fan ever since! They are each incrediably gifted! The pure voiced countertenor {guy in wide hat} Mitch Grassi has put out some amazing solos, one of my favorite being his astounding cover of the Billie Eilish song "Your Power" And to really hear the uniquely beautiful voice of the basso profundo, Avi Kaplan, I encourage you to please check out his versatile original works: His powerful "Change on the Rise" will always be one of my favorites, then switch gears for his gently beautiful "Avi Kaplan, All Is Well, Seven Layers Session # 126" {just him & his guitar in an empty ancient church} or liven it up with his jamming "When I'm a Fool, Live at Sunset Sound" with Scooter Jennings and crew ~ New sub here, really looking forward to more of your reactions to these folks and hopefully my suggestions!
Welcome to Pentatonix! Best a cappella group ! Kevin is a top tier in the world Beatboxer and they are all solo artist quality singers. Their catalog is huge and they are even better live. They are real and what you are hearing is amazing for sure. You might like Amazing Grace, The Prayer or Imagine if you want harmony. If want to hear some Awesome beatboxing. Their Grammy winning Daft Punk is a good choice for that. Really anything they do is outstanding. Subscribed for more PTX
There's no such thing as a wrong place to start with #Pentatonix, except maybe "Bohemian Rhapsody" (because it's such a tour de force it can be overwhelming to someone who's never encountered them before). "Hallelujah" is probably the most common starting place, but there are numerous others. They appeared on _The Masked Singer_ in 2023 as "California Roll"; I daresay a lot of new pentaholics got started there, even though _The Masked Singer_ requires backing tracks so it wasn't pure a cappella. (Pentatonix wanted to appear on the show because it takes somewhat different skills to arrange a song to a backing track and they wanted to stretch their talents.)
Thanks for starting here! I can’t come close to estimating how many times I’ve watched this, either PTX original, or those like you who have reacted to them. This is my favorite group EVER! I’ve liked and subscribed and as long as you keep covering these, I’ll keep coming. 😊😊😊 Have a great one!
Subscribed for more Pentatonix. There’s no drums; just Kevin, the beatboxer. On some songs, Kevin plays the cello and beatboxes at the same time. He calls it celloboxing. Recommend their mashup of New Rules x Are You That Somebody.
Covers (Pentaholics call them Upgrades!). Originals. Over 200 songs in their catalog. 3 Grammys (5 nominations) so far. The only a capella group to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. World tours. Sold out concerts. And they absolutely OWN Christmas with over six holiday albums. And for a sampling of their diversity: --Bohemian Rhapsody --Daft Punk --Evolution of Michael Jackson (all the Evolution videos are one-shots!) --Can't Hold Us --Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
As an engineer, I appreciate the "subby" comment :-). Avi's final note is a B1 or a Bb1 (can't remember which), which is around 60 Hz. So yeah, talking to the subs.
Great reaction. Pentatonix is #1 in the world and very talented but very engineered in a studio. Can I suggest Voctave, who is also an acapella group but all vocals and simply amazing. They are the best of the best from Disney and will blow your mind, especially that you can watch them record live in studio without enhancements like all the other productions with groups. I will suggest from Disney; Disney Princess Medley, Disney Love Medley (with the lady from Pentatonix featured), The Great Movie Medley (done live in a theatre), O Come all Ye Faithful, O Holy Night, Where are you Christmas, Mary Did you know (with the writer of the song), Somewhere over the rainbow, Somewhere, You will be found (done during COVID) and anything else they do. If you like vocals you will not be disappointed.
if you want to know the history of the group react to season 3 of The Sing-off which is where they began. For a brief history, and a sense of their body of work, there's a video called Beginner's Guide to Pentatonix.
I believe Avi had said at one time he is capable and has hit subs but tends to shy way from them. I don't remember what interview he said that in though. He HAD to be pretty close in "Black is the Color of My True Loves Hair" with Peter Holland or Natural Diaster with PTX.
Wow. The first reactor I've seen who picked out a double entendre. The whole song could be thought of as a double entendre. It was written by Leonard Cohen and it is not a religious song at all. The 'secret chord' that David played that 'pleased the Lord' was begatting Solomon by getting Bathsheba pregnant (and so founding the dynasty that led to Joseph, the husband of Mary). 'Hallelujah' is therefore the cry that David shouted at climax. Cohen was comparing the sex life of a couple at the start of their relationship to that once the couple were old and the woman no longer liked 'music' (as in the expression making beautiful music together).
Kevin is a whole percussion section on his own. Check out their Daft Punk, 90’s Dance Medley, Coffee In Bed (a PTX original. He goes a bit nuts in that one) & many more to get the full range of it. He also does cello boxing (beatboxing while he plays the cello). Love it when I see the Mitch Slap (the guys with the hat & high, beautiful voice. It’s what the Pentaholics call it when Mitch sings.) I would also recommend O Holy Night, Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Love Me When I Don’t (another PTX original), La La Latch, Rather Be, That’s Christmas To Me (PTX original), Mary Did You Know & Dreams (cover of a Cranberries song) Subbing for more PTX!!!
Pentatonix songs suggestions: **List may contain some songs you may have reacted to** Some Covers are: Hallelujah, The Sound of Silence, Daft Punk, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Cheerleader (OMI Cover), 12 Days Of Christmas, Cruisin For a Bruisin, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, O Come All Ye Faithful, 90’s Dance Medley, Bohemian Rhapsody, Mad World, Wizard of Ahhhs (a montage of several modern songs made to tell the classic story of wizard of oz), Radioactive, Problem, Say Something, Kiss From a Rose (live vevo), Jolene, Royals, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, the Prayer, You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch….. Some Originals are: Love Again, Sing, Be My Eyes, Coffee in Bed, Happy Now, Run to You, A Little Space, Never Gonna Cry Again, The Lucky Ones…. During the pandemic they released an album called “At Home”. It was recorded entirely at their own homes separately on Zoom then sent to the studio to be put together….songs include… Blinding Lights, Home, When the Party’s Over, Break My Heart, Dreams. SO MANY MORE…. TOO MANY TO LIST, BUT THIS IS A GOOD START. ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY TO THE RABBIT HOLE KNOWN AS… PENTATONIX.
Most people find Hallelujah first and then recommendations are endless. Daft Punk Medley was their 1st Grammy, 2nd was Dance of the Sugarplum Ferry. A song without words performed by a band without Instruments. 3rd Grammy was with Dolly Parton on Jolien. Rap -- start with Can't Hold Us, though changes were made to reflect the members. It Starts with Kevin in a church because he is very religious. Then Deep BASE of Avi Kaplan is outdoor mountain top. Kirstin has a line about Broadway because she was in Kinky Boots. Mitch, Counter-Tenor beatiful voice says "Texas raised ya" because the Trio are from Arlington, TEXAS. Bohemian Rhapsody is good since they spent 5 years to get it right. Dr. Brian May from Queen posted it on his social media with one word: Enjoy! They own Christmas but you might not be into it. Beatboxer is Kevin and he plays the Cello while Beatboxing. Kevin's arraignment of "O Come All Ye Faithfull" will change your mind about the original. He did it in honor of his parents African Heritage. Good luck with this very large rabbit hole you discovered.
You should do Amazing Grace/ my chains are gone and the prayer. Everything they do is awesome. Evolution of Michael Jackson is definitely one to react to.
The bass is Avi with the beard. He use to blow speakers on stage with his voice, but yet he has such a soothing singing voice.Avi left the group for personal family reasons but also has his own music. Matt was put in to Avi's place and he his awesome too. To me, Matt doesn't seem to be able to go as deep/low as Avi. But he goes deeper/lower than many other bass singers, and his singing voice is incredible. Have fun!
Another Acapella group you Must check out is Homefree. They have a Marvin Gaye crossover, they do country, pop and r&b
And their bass is deeper than Pentatonix
Home Free Playlist
czcams.com/play/PLr3i0UpRWKODhycm6iBsfgRGfL_Tsm4Hc.html&si=fKpeoIFVWphE4YHk
Thank you for reacting to this group. Pentatonix has a large group of followers so the more you react to PTX your subscriber count will increase significantly.
I love Pentatonix. Can't wait for your next reaction to them. You can't go wrong with whatever song you decide to react to.
There has only been one member change throughout their career . Avi the base with the beard left in 2017 on good terms, and Matt joined. Everyone else is original their looks just change a lot. Mitch with the hat never looks the same, and Kirsty, she also changes her look a lot. The tall blonde is Scott, and the beatboxer is Kevin.
So true! Pentaholic for years, here ❤
Crazy thing is, if you watch the live version it sounds exactly the same. It's nuts
Welcome to the rabbit hole that is PTX...
The bass singer is Avi. He has blown many speakers on their tours early on. They ended up bringing their own speakers on tour to avoid that. Yes, they are making all sounds. Since you are a rap fan, may I recommend their cover of Can't Hold Us. You will be amazed! Subbed for more Pentatonix.
Agreed! Can't Hold Us will also be a good example of just what Kevin can do as a vocal percussionist!
The bass is Avi Kaplan, a classically trained operatic basso profondo.
This Pentaholic is happy to see a new reactor for Pentatonix. They don't just perform music, they become the music. Whether it be happy, sad, intense, fun.... they have songs they do upgrades to (not just covers) and original music. They never disappoint. Their library is HUGE, if you choose to go down the PTX rabbit hole, Pentaholics will follow. It is so much fun and entertaining to see people new to this group get their minds blown. 😄
I love that comment-“They become the music”. Perfect.
The clothes they are wearing in the outro are the clothes they wore for their first Christmas special on NBC. They do this song live in front of a live audience and it sounds virtually the same.
This song has really become their signature song. They perform it at nearly every show.
Please, keep going. It’s an amazingly beautiful ride down the Pentatonix rabbit hole!! You will not regret it.
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 a normal tenor range, with an excellent falsetto on top. 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 line 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."
• 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 CZcams 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: czcams.com/video/FqphhPapkoc/video.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.
Unless he can get higher than Mitch, it is not the biggest range. Mitch's lowest is also A1 and Avi could do whistle notes too, he just did them at the top of his over tone singing (2 notes at the same time, but octaves apart)
@@GingerJohnson-uu9lw I think his falsetto does go higher than Mitch, though I don't have a good enough ear to say for sure. Also, Matt regularly uses his entire range, which Mitch doesn't - Mitch tends to stick to his upper registers.
Avi used overtone singing regularly on _The Sing-Off_ (and somehow the judges never noticed, which is distinctly odd), and gave regular demonstrations of it in live performances, but to the best of my knowledge, except for those live demonstrations he didn't use it regularly after _The Sing-Off_ (though he may have put some into "Aha!" to increase the spookiness - again, my ear isn't good enough to say). We don't generally count overtones when we're talking about range. But Scott, Kirstin, Kevin, and Mitch can all do overtone singing as well, they just don't put it into any releases. See czcams.com/video/FKm5zNC-maE/video.html (the question about overtone singing begins at 17:11, but the whole interview is worth watching). In fact, I can do overtone singing, and I'm a mezzo with a TINY range; it isn't hard to learn. I can't do it as well as Avi (duh), but I'm not a professional singer with years of practice, either. (Kirstin also does proper whistle note singing, which we don't usually count in her range, and which she doesn't generally put into any PTX releases.) So if Matt wants to sing overtones he has four people close at hand who can teach him.
If you want to learn overtone singing for yourself, you can. Just forget about the interviews where Avi attempted to explain how he does it - his explanations weren't good enough to actually learn from. Instead, try either (or both) of these videos from proper teachers: czcams.com/video/w42DQoZ-z_c/video.html or czcams.com/video/FQLFrc8XNns/video.htmlsi=7yANsNkjManYL94h
Of course it had to be you, Margret! Thanks for one of the best overviews of Pentatonix written for a newbie that I've ever read. I do take exception to your use of the word "cheat" regarding the layering for their official videos, however. Layering is such a normal practice in studios that it is in no way considered a cheat. It's how the best finished product is achieved without modifying anyone's voice. Autotune could definitely fall into the cheat category, but having Avi sing both the solo and the bassline and layering one over the other is a totally legit technique that no one needs to excuse. I'm a little touchy on this point because I've debated the issue for years with Pentaholics who insist it is Scott singing the bassline in this video. Nice to see someone else acknowledging the smartest choice for a superior result. No shade on Scott, for sure.
Absolutely “better late than never” with PTX. They actually improve life by adding JOY. For something completely different, Daft Punk should be next (very different and their first Grammy). 🔥 What a perfect reaction- everything you said about them was spot on.
They will never disappoint
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 CZcams 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 CZcams had something called CZcams 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 CZcams 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 CZcams. 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.
Pentatonic has a HUGE list of covers as well as originals. You won't be disappointed.
This is where people usually start with Pentatonix. :) A good second reaction is their Daft Punk Medley, which got them their first Grammy. After that, popular videos include Bohemian Rhapsody, The Prayer, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Evolution of Music, Evolution of Michael Jackson, and Imagine. They also pretty much *own* Christmas music -- my favorites include The First Noel, Carol of the Bells, Angels We Have Heard on High, Twelve Days of Christmas, Over the River (with Lindsey Stirling), You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch, Little Drummer Boy, O Come All Ye Faithful, and Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy (which got them their second Grammy.)
There are also some really good videos that aren't on their official web site. Aha! in Singapore at the Star Vista is awesome; it's a chunk of a concert, and is a fan video someone took on their phone. The whole run of their Sing Off season, an a capella competition TV show from 2011, which they won, is great and shows where they came from; I recommend the videos on Solenn Breizh's channel; go to Videos and then click on "Old" and they're almost the last ones there, although you'll have to watch the episode order. My favorite version of I Need Your Love was from the following season of Sing Off, when Pentatonix appeared as guest performers; Solenn has that one too. The official video is good, but this one is better.
That'll get you going :) and I'm sure others will toss in their own favorites. Have fun!
Dude....Welcome to the world of Pentatonix!!! (PTX for short)
You have only heard a smidgeon of what they can do. Yes, you started in the right spot!! Next I recommend either Daft Punk Medley or 90's Dance Medley. Daft Punk Medley was their first Grammy winning song. Be prepared to be blown away...you will not believe the sounds they can make with just voices and beat boxing. So amazing.
Hope you are doing well. Sending you love from Texas!!❤❤
these guys have been doing this since 2011. Their catalog of covers and originals is vast, and covers many genres. Take a look, you will not be disappointed.
as a Pentaholic, I welcome you to their world!
they'll blow you away every time with their talents!
Home Free is an all male a capella group that is a MUST for your listening pleasure!
lots of love! ❤
This was my first song that I heard from them and I was blown away. I believe that without PTX, a lot of the current acapella groups out there wouldn't be as well known. They really put acapella on the map.
Those subby notes were coming from the bass dude, Avi Kaplan. Second verse beanie guy with the gorgeous, butter-like upper register.
You said "Pretty sure I've missed a lot". That's an understatement. They have hundreds of CZcams videos, over 20 million subscribers, and over 7 Billion views. They cover pretty much every genre that you can think of from rap to Chopin with Grammys for Country Western, electronic music, and ballet music. Most of their songs are covers but they do have a number of originals. If you want to see just how clean and tight of a mix they do, react to "Coffee in Bed", a Pentatonix original. Everything you hear on any of their videos sounds exactly the same live.
Or their original "Sing" which will sound familiar as it was used as the "song" on Thursday Night Football for a season.
Pentatonix has won 3 grams. One for Daft Punk the second for Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies and the third for Jolene with dolly parton. For Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy they won a Grammy for singing a song that has no words with no words. For their first Grammy the People Who oversee the Grammys had to change the name of one of the categories from best instrumental best arrangement and then they added best acapella. For Daft Punk they made it on a $400 budget filmed it in the kitchen recorded it in the closet and got Grammy for it. First time on your channel and I subscribed for more pentatonix. There are three other acapella groups home free voice play and the bass gang that you want to take a look at. Just says the fans are extremely loyal to Pentatonix the fans for the other three bands are also very loyal and passionate and will follow their groups to whatever channel is reacting to them
YOU JUST LISTENED TO THE NUMBER ONE ACAPELLA GROUP IN THE WORLD.
❤❤❤
Homefree
For my engineering nerds, 80 Hz is about right. A Concert "A" - which is A below middle C - is 440 Hz. Two octaves down is 110 Hz. Four steps down is E-flat 1. The bass (Avi Kaplan, the one with the beard) has a low note of E-flat 1 (for my music nerds).
THANKS!
I agree with many of your other commentors - Daft Punk Medley would be an excellent choice for your second listen. It’s completely different than Hallelujah and will demonstrate their versatility as well as showcase everyone in the group.
There is something so special about their ability, to tell the songs story, allowing us to listen with a new perspective, and hear & feel emotions, we may not have heard from the original artist 💖💖💖 Not only their voices, but their delivery is also their gift! *IMO, no other group, can build up a song, like Pentatonix* They are masters at pulling on our emotions!!! 💗💗💗 *They are individually so talented, however, when put together, it is truly magical* 💗💗💗 Thank you for such a thoughtful reaction 💗💗💗
Welcome to the PTX family. 5 musically gifted aliens blessing us with amazingggness. Check out next Sound of silence
Yes!
The bass is Avi Kaplan with the beard
The blond guy is Scott Hoying
The beatboxer is Kevin Olusola
The girl is Kirsten Maldanado
And the guy with the round h hat is Mitch Grassi.
Please react to “The Prayer”
They do an amazing job.👍👍👍
Low notes is Avi. He's a bsso profundo, Basso profundo is an Italian phrase that refers to a singer with a deep, heavy bass voice and a very low range. It literally translates to "deep bass."
He can literally sing a standard octive below the regular bass range.
Thank you so much for reacting to one of my favorite groups - Awesome Reaction - More PTX Please!
The other 2 acapella groups that you would love are VoicePlay and Homefree.
HOME FREE - The Butts Remix! Reaction
czcams.com/video/5Gb9b9YSKB8/video.html
If you enjoyed this and it moved you then please check out their video "Oh Holy Night". It just came out this past Christmas and it is probably one of the most beautiful renditions of this song. Thanks and you keep reacting to this group and the Pentaholics will find your site. We love watching new reactors discover this group.
I'll check it out! ❤️
I love this group & everything that they sing. You should look up Pentatonix singing "Joleen" with Dolly Parton! 😊
I’ll check it out
Dolly Parton Jolene (Reaction!!)
czcams.com/video/bPpKiYVMkK4/video.html
Welcome down the rabbit hole that is Pentatonix! You will be amazed ❤
Welcome to the wonderful world of Pentatonix! They are amazing. I see my fellow Pentaholics have covered their history and made enough recommendations to keep you busy for quite a while, so I will just just say that you can't go wrong with anything they have done or will do in the future. PTX is my favorite band and my favorite solo artist is Avi Kaplan, the bass god with the beard that you saw and heard in this video. I highly recommend his solo work as well. Looking forward to more PTX reactions.!
So great to welcome a new Pentatonix reactor! You will find that many PTX videos leave you feeling transported. I still haven't figured out exactly how they do it. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the simplicity of the production... naked voices, expertly woven together, is my best explanation. No frills, no trickery, just talent and passion. Sometimes less really is more.
Well said!
Daft punk, Imagine, bohemian Rhapsody, sound of silence is just the beginning.
Daft Punk czcams.com/video/_R1_bL2etr8/video.htmlsi=PUBC6Iods67cbK7Q
Bohemian Rhapsody czcams.com/video/QkKluuelm8g/video.htmlsi=mr8_ANuDEmDq-pF3
Enjoyed your reaction. You may also enjoy their renditions of Problem and Can’t Hold Us. Best wishes from Tennessee 😊🇺🇸
Control is the operative word.
Really enjoyed your reaction. You seem to really understand many aspects of vocal music. A couple great originals are Love Again, Sing and Can't Sleep Love. Some favorite covers are Bohemian Rhapsody, Kiss From a Rose and Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone. One thing - The 5 singers in this video were the original members from 2011 to 2017. The only change is that the bass singer here, Avi Kaplan (2nd soloist), left in 2017 to begin a solo career (some great music from him is out there), and he was replaced by Matt Sallee from 2017 to now. They tour worldwide every year, have won 3 Grammys and all have some solo work out there. For fun, check out the beatboxer's video "Kevin Olusola Down", where he sings, plays cello and keyboard, and beatboxes. Looking forward to more PTX reactions!
Welcome New pentaholic😊❤
👑 ❤️ thanks
Welcome to a lovely rabbit hole! PTX is amazing. They have a country cousin called Home Free. You might want to check out their version of Man of Constant Sorrow. Both groups only use their voices. Two sides of a coin, I think.
New sub for more Pentatonix! Loved your reaction. Everything you said was spot on in response to how they work and make you feel. They really are so amazingly talented. Thank you!
Subscribed for more PTX!! You will not regret reacting to them. They’re the best there is!! ❤❤
Welcome... You are now on your way to becoming a Pentaholic!
Avi Kaplan has the smoothest, beautiful and deep voice ever. Like warm dark chocolate.
Perfection description
CZcams 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.
I have been following this group since their beginning. they will constantly amaze you. They have won grammies. they write , arrange, cover all genre
O yes yes! I am so happy!
PLEASE REMEMBER that since 2011 when they won the sing-off there was ONLY ONE member that left the group. It was absolutely amicably.
So 2017 they found another bass Matt Sallee. Also insanely talented.
Hallelujah was older so the bass is Avi Kaplan that lef - guy with the long hair and beard.
You will not be disappointed in any of the plus/minus 300 songs. I subscribed for MORE PENTATONIX.
we Pentaholics loves reactions and give information to new reactors.
Will you please read upur comments on this one? Worth your while.
Live they sounds even more amazing - if it is possible.
You are appreciated.
GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA
Thanks. I’m checking out the comments now! 👑 ❤️
Fun reaction! Welcome to the PTX library! My faves are Daft Punk, Can't Hold Us and New Rules x Are You That Somebody.
Would love to see you do more Pentatonix. A lot of people start out with this one, I think it's the one with the most views. They do all types of covers and they also have some originals. Looking forward to your next one.
Very soon!
Subbed for more Pentatonix reactions. Great reaction! Please continue. Going down the PTX rabbit hole is so worth your time!
Thank you! Will do!
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: czcams.com/video/FqphhPapkoc/video.htmlsi=tC6Ew07JGeQKQvDL )
• "Imagine" (the official video)
• "The Prayer"
• "Bohemian Rhapsody" (the official video)
• "Sound of Silence"
• "Run To You" (the official video of this 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: czcams.com/video/ReJAU2mXm8w/video.htmlsi=upj2Q3vLqigVEtgm )
• "Pure Imagination / Christmas Time is Here" (preferably the live Vevo recording)
• "Kiss From a Rose" (preferably the live Vevo recording - both of the Vevo recordings are available on CZcams)
• "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: czcams.com/video/DbCasvcNx78/video.html and this is the very special performance of "Kevin's Fifth" (without "The Kevin Show") from Kevin's birthday in 2022: czcams.com/video/7m0g7xThIWs/video.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)": czcams.com/video/QkVeKb2igrg/video.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 CZcamsrs isn't one of his vices.)
You forgot Mary Did You Know. Which i think is a Christmas classic now.
@@helenh6442 I didn't "forget" it, it just didn't make the cut. Yes, it's a gorgeous song, but did you notice how long my list of recommended songs is? I have to stop somewhere. And I have a personal bias toward the songs that are less religious, or less overtly Christian ("The Prayer," for instance, is religious but it could be any religion). "O Come All Ye Faithful" is on the list for the chair dancing it generally provokes from reactors. "O Holy Night" and "Pure Imagination / Christmas Time Is Here" are on the list because I think they may be nominated for Grammys. 🤷♀️
If Pentatonix uses an instrument in their song, you will see it, otherwise everything comes from their voices. You should check out Bohemian Rhapsody.
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 CZcams, 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 CZcams 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 CZcams), 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 CZcams, 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 czcams.com/video/HrruJptmbKU/video.html and czcams.com/video/zTUSB4iwTII/video.html and czcams.com/video/e2pvITc9a3U/video.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 czcams.com/video/fqWY2EUGlgk/video.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 czcams.com/video/lDxIfwfCmQE/video.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.
Pentatonix are not only very creative, they are also very talented! This video was my introduction to them, too, and I have been a fan ever since! They are each incrediably gifted! The pure voiced countertenor {guy in wide hat} Mitch Grassi has put out some amazing solos, one of my favorite being his astounding cover of the Billie Eilish song "Your Power" And to really hear the uniquely beautiful voice of the basso profundo, Avi Kaplan, I encourage you to please check out his versatile original works: His powerful "Change on the Rise" will always be one of my favorites, then switch gears for his gently beautiful "Avi Kaplan, All Is Well, Seven Layers Session # 126" {just him & his guitar in an empty ancient church} or liven it up with his jamming "When I'm a Fool, Live at Sunset Sound" with Scooter Jennings and crew ~ New sub here, really looking forward to more of your reactions to these folks and hopefully my suggestions!
Thanks for recommendations
You started in a great place. Looking forward to more PTX reactions. Can wait to see you react to “Daft Punk Medley”!
PENTATONIX Daft Punk reaction
czcams.com/video/_R1_bL2etr8/video.html
More Pentatonix please
Just subbed for more PTX please!! And start a Pentatonix Playlist... The Pentaholics will find you and love you for it!!
You're going down the rabbit hole... Enjoy!
Welcome to Pentatonix! Best a cappella group ! Kevin is a top tier in the world Beatboxer and they are all solo artist quality singers. Their catalog is huge and they are even better live. They are real and what you are hearing is amazing for sure. You might like Amazing Grace, The Prayer or Imagine if you want harmony. If want to hear some
Awesome beatboxing. Their Grammy winning Daft Punk is a good choice for that. Really anything they do is outstanding. Subscribed for more PTX
Thanks Debra
Wow! I love new Pentatonix reactors! You've just touched the tip of the PTX iceberg! I'll enjoy gong on your Pentatonix journey with you! ❤
Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole! Next: „Sound of Silence“ and „Daft Punk“ (Medley)!
I subscribed for more #Pentatonix reactions!
I love a good Mitch-slap. You raised your eyebrows a little at his part…lol. Not the usual first-time response to Mitch, but you got it!
😁 thanks Katt
There's no such thing as a wrong place to start with #Pentatonix, except maybe "Bohemian Rhapsody" (because it's such a tour de force it can be overwhelming to someone who's never encountered them before). "Hallelujah" is probably the most common starting place, but there are numerous others. They appeared on _The Masked Singer_ in 2023 as "California Roll"; I daresay a lot of new pentaholics got started there, even though _The Masked Singer_ requires backing tracks so it wasn't pure a cappella. (Pentatonix wanted to appear on the show because it takes somewhat different skills to arrange a song to a backing track and they wanted to stretch their talents.)
You should listen to Sound of Silence. It literally sounds like an orchestra. It’s pretty amazing.
On the list. Stay tuned
Thanks for starting here! I can’t come close to estimating how many times I’ve watched this, either PTX original, or those like you who have reacted to them. This is my favorite group EVER! I’ve liked and subscribed and as long as you keep covering these, I’ll keep coming. 😊😊😊 Have a great one!
Stunning performance. Made me cry. ❤❤❤❤
I like daft punk, mary did you know, and kiss from a rose
Subscribed for more Pentatonix. There’s no drums; just Kevin, the beatboxer. On some songs, Kevin plays the cello and beatboxes at the same time. He calls it celloboxing.
Recommend their mashup of New Rules x Are You That Somebody.
Just found you because I check out ALL Pentatonix reactions. Would love for you to react to Pentatonix "Bohemian Rhapsody!
Coming soon
I will watch this journey with you. Please continue!!! Great music is great music.
Covers (Pentaholics call them Upgrades!). Originals. Over 200 songs in their catalog. 3 Grammys (5 nominations) so far. The only a capella group to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. World tours. Sold out concerts. And they absolutely OWN Christmas with over six holiday albums. And for a sampling of their diversity:
--Bohemian Rhapsody
--Daft Punk
--Evolution of Michael Jackson (all the Evolution videos are one-shots!)
--Can't Hold Us
--Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
graceito973...You may want to edit Daft Punk....There's a spelling error.
@@Gwennedd thanks! At least it wasn't Daft Oink! 😅
@@graceito973 🤣🤣
Daft 🐷 🤣🤣🤣
As an engineer, I appreciate the "subby" comment :-). Avi's final note is a B1 or a Bb1 (can't remember which), which is around 60 Hz. So yeah, talking to the subs.
🔥 👏🏽
Now, try Pentatonix doing Macklamore and Ryans "Can't Hold Us" so you can hear how amazingly varied their music is !
Great reaction. Pentatonix is #1 in the world and very talented but very engineered in a studio. Can I suggest Voctave, who is also an acapella group but all vocals and simply amazing. They are the best of the best from Disney and will blow your mind, especially that you can watch them record live in studio without enhancements like all the other productions with groups. I will suggest from Disney; Disney Princess Medley, Disney Love Medley (with the lady from Pentatonix featured), The Great Movie Medley (done live in a theatre), O Come all Ye Faithful, O Holy Night, Where are you Christmas, Mary Did you know (with the writer of the song), Somewhere over the rainbow, Somewhere, You will be found (done during COVID) and anything else they do. If you like vocals you will not be disappointed.
simply a celebration of the human voice
if you want to know the history of the group react to season 3 of The Sing-off which is where they began. For a brief history, and a sense of their body of work, there's a video called Beginner's Guide to Pentatonix.
React to Pentatonix, we Pentaholics will show... hope to see you dive in deeper...
Subbed for more PTX!!
I believe Avi had said at one time he is capable and has hit subs but tends to shy way from them. I don't remember what interview he said that in though. He HAD to be pretty close in "Black is the Color of My True Loves Hair" with Peter Holland or Natural Diaster with PTX.
You might want to check out PTX's cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody". Mind-blowing performance.
On the way
"tools to control you emotionally" TRUE!!!!!
🤯
Bohemian Rhapsody is one of my favorite covers by Pentatonics.
Soon
Wow. The first reactor I've seen who picked out a double entendre. The whole song could be thought of as a double entendre. It was written by Leonard Cohen and it is not a religious song at all. The 'secret chord' that David played that 'pleased the Lord' was begatting Solomon by getting Bathsheba pregnant (and so founding the dynasty that led to Joseph, the husband of Mary). 'Hallelujah' is therefore the cry that David shouted at climax. Cohen was comparing the sex life of a couple at the start of their relationship to that once the couple were old and the woman no longer liked 'music' (as in the expression making beautiful music together).
Kevin is a whole percussion section on his own. Check out their Daft Punk, 90’s Dance Medley, Coffee In Bed (a PTX original. He goes a bit nuts in that one) & many more to get the full range of it. He also does cello boxing (beatboxing while he plays the cello).
Love it when I see the Mitch Slap (the guys with the hat & high, beautiful voice. It’s what the Pentaholics call it when Mitch sings.)
I would also recommend O Holy Night, Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Love Me When I Don’t (another PTX original), La La Latch, Rather Be, That’s Christmas To Me (PTX original), Mary Did You Know & Dreams (cover of a Cranberries song)
Subbing for more PTX!!!
5:47 ❤❤❤ k . 1st . Thank you for playing the whole song beforehand. 💯 Brother.❤
Pentatonix songs suggestions:
**List may contain some songs you may have reacted to**
Some Covers are: Hallelujah, The Sound of Silence, Daft Punk, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Cheerleader (OMI Cover), 12 Days Of Christmas, Cruisin For a Bruisin, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, O Come All Ye Faithful, 90’s Dance Medley, Bohemian Rhapsody, Mad World, Wizard of Ahhhs (a montage of several modern songs made to tell the classic story of wizard of oz), Radioactive, Problem, Say Something, Kiss From a Rose (live vevo), Jolene, Royals, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, the Prayer, You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch…..
Some Originals are: Love Again, Sing, Be My Eyes, Coffee in Bed, Happy Now, Run to You, A Little Space, Never Gonna Cry Again, The Lucky Ones….
During the pandemic they released an album called “At Home”. It was recorded entirely at their own homes separately on Zoom then sent to the studio to be put together….songs include… Blinding Lights, Home, When the Party’s Over, Break My Heart, Dreams.
SO MANY MORE…. TOO MANY TO LIST, BUT THIS IS A GOOD START. ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY TO THE RABBIT HOLE KNOWN AS… PENTATONIX.
you should check out Voiceplay, Homefree are Bass Gang if you like acapella
Most people find Hallelujah first and then recommendations are endless. Daft Punk Medley was their 1st Grammy, 2nd was Dance of the Sugarplum Ferry. A song without words performed by a band without Instruments. 3rd Grammy was with Dolly Parton on Jolien.
Rap -- start with Can't Hold Us, though changes were made to reflect the members. It Starts with Kevin in a church because he is very religious. Then Deep BASE of Avi Kaplan is outdoor mountain top. Kirstin has a line about Broadway because she was in Kinky Boots. Mitch, Counter-Tenor beatiful voice says "Texas raised ya" because the Trio are from Arlington, TEXAS.
Bohemian Rhapsody is good since they spent 5 years to get it right. Dr. Brian May from Queen posted it on his social media with one word: Enjoy!
They own Christmas but you might not be into it. Beatboxer is Kevin and he plays the Cello while Beatboxing. Kevin's arraignment of "O Come All Ye Faithfull" will change your mind about the original. He did it in honor of his parents African Heritage.
Good luck with this very large rabbit hole you discovered.
PTX 🔥🤘
They are legit...most songs have live performances as well.
I subbed. More PTX reactions please!
Very soon!
Welcome to the Greatness Gang community 👑 ❤️
90s medley and daft punk ... you'll enjoy both
You should do Amazing Grace/ my chains are gone and the prayer. Everything they do is awesome. Evolution of Michael Jackson is definitely one to react to.
That's Kevin... beatboxer.
Wait to you hear songs that originally featured instruments heavily. Such as their bohemian rhapsody.
Bohemian Rhapsody | PTX
czcams.com/video/QkKluuelm8g/video.html
The bass is Avi with the beard. He use to blow speakers on stage with his voice, but yet he has such a soothing singing voice.Avi left the group for personal family reasons but also has his own music. Matt was put in to Avi's place and he his awesome too. To me, Matt doesn't seem to be able to go as deep/low as Avi. But he goes deeper/lower than many other bass singers, and his singing voice is incredible. Have fun!
That's Avi... with the beanie.