You've mentioned how much you loved the songs of the 90's... you definitely need to check out Pentatonix outstanding medley "90's Dance Medley", you'll be bopping and chair dancing all through it.
"No out of breath or anything." You *need* to react to Pentatonix's Carol of the Bells. Mitch is amazing, and doesn't seem to take a breath for like three minutes. (Of course he's breathing, but he's sneaking it in so skillfully you can't tell. Glorious. Also note that Pentaholics are more than willing to watch their Christmas music at any time of year, so no reason to wait 11 months. :) )
The members of the group in this one are: Left to right, back row - Mitch Grassi (with the beautiful high voice), Scott Hoying (baritone with amazing range), Kirstin "Kirstie" Maldonado (alto/soprano with an amazing range) In the front - Avi Kaplan (bass ... actually a classicly trained basso profundo...who has blown out speakers with his powerful low notes. He left the group in 2017 and now has a solid solo career with some amazing work that you should check out), Kevin Olusola (beatboxer, tenor, and also plays the cello in a few of their songs... amazingly talented, you should also check out some of his solo work on his own channel) After Avi left, Matt Sallee came in to take over the bass part, and hit the ground running. The group has a little different sound with Matt than with Avi, but they're still great. Mitch and Kirstie in particular have had a penchant for changing their look frequently over the years, and people jumping around from year to year sometimes think they're different, new members, but the only change has been Avi/Matt... everyone else is the same.
Daft Punk When you do "Daft Punk" set yourself up for a double. th-cam.com/video/3MteSlpxCpo/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUUZGFmdCBwdW5rIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D You will think that there is post production skipping, so to disprove that you need to catch the "Private Performance" th-cam.com/video/tw4YCsHXKgI/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUUZGFmdCBwdW5rIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D where they stand at the front of a back-stage room and sing with no mic's and captured on a fan mobile device so the sound is not 100% hence catch the official FIRST.
And yes its all one in take, they have performed this live in concert. For their "evolution" songs they usually film like 4 different full takes and then choose which one came out "best" and use that for the music video.
I’m so excited! I am already subscribed to some of your other content, PTX is my passion. I’m obsessed with their music. This is going to be fun to watch you go down the rabbit hole! Hallelujah and then bohemian rhapsody are my recommendations so far.
They have several "Evolution Videos" as well as 90's Dance Medley, they crush these in live performances. "Evolution of Beyonce, Arianna Grande, Brihanna, Michael Jackson all amazing.
Do not worry about -the guy on the let- Avi Kaplan like most members of PTX he has a huge range - 5 octaves - and is absolutely stunning in Hallelujah as they all are. Looking forward to that reaction. On a side not blurring the video will help with copyright and stopping and talking and the fact that you rewind is great because you don't miss anything.
enything they do is great. im an instrumentalist and i fell in love with this group very talented. i also found out on these videos the evolution or greats of a particular artist the go through all the songs without stopping and pick the best run. they are no cuts
The Pentatonix version of the song “Hallelujah” is truly incredible. As soon as I heard it, I added it to my playlist. It really showcases the beautiful voices that each of these amazing singers has! I’m certain that you would love it! ❤
Pentatonix a (not so) "brief" background. They won The Sing Off in 2011. They made a guest starring appearance on America′s Got Talent as non−competitors a couple of years after that. The founding members are:- Scott Hoying (tall blond guy, natural baritone but has an impressive five−to−six octave range, can go all the way up to high tenor and down to bass, sings the bass lines when the usual bass singer takes the lead);
Kirstin "Kirstie" (Rhymes with "Thirsty") Maldonado (the only female member, natural mezzo soprano, but can go down to low alto and as high as upper soprano, also can sing in whistle notes that are off the scale); For a time in 2018 between the group’s tours, had the female lead on Broadway in the production of “Kinky Boots”. Mitch Grassi (a true contra−tenor, can hit high notes in his chest voice with ease and go WAY higher in his falsetto, also with ease); Avriel "Avi" Kaplan (dark beard and long hair), true basso profundo, trained as an opera singer, also can go up into the tenor range; and Kevin "KO" Olusola (beatboxer extraordinaire, also is a world−class cellist who plays cello on some of their songs, has a beautiful high tenor voice and gets occasional lead vocal solos as well, graduated pre−med from Yale and speaks several languages including Mandarin Chinese). Kirstie, Scott & Mitch grew up together in Arlington, Texas, and began performing together as children in local youth musical theater. They ended up in high school together and performed in the choir. While there, they formed an a cappella group called The Trio which had several performance videos go viral on TH-cam, most notably a cover of Lady Gaga′s "Telephone". The three of them are best friends and consider themselves to be almost siblings. Scott & Kirstie (who were a class year ahead of Mitch) both graduated high school in 2010 and went their separate ways to different colleges, Scott at USC and Kirstie at Oklahoma. While at USC, Scott joined a USC−based a cappella group called the SoCal VoCals, where he met alumnus Ben Bram, who was now an arranger and vocal coach for the NBC TV show The Sing Off, an a cappella competition show. Ben convinced Scott to get The Trio to audition for the show. The three reunited (Mitch had to skip high school graduation ceremonies to go) in Los Angeles for the audition. They found out that the rules had changed, so they needed at least five members to audition. Ben put them together with Avi (a native of Visalia, California), who he knew from Avi′s performing days at Mount San Antonio College in California. They found Kevin (from Kentucky) through one of his TH-cam videos that had gone viral featuring him playing the cello and beatboxing at the same time, a talent that Kevin coined as "Cello−Boxing". Kevin arrived in Los Angeles literally the day before the audition! Scott came up with the name "Pentatonix" after the pentatonic scale. They performed a re−arrangement of "The Telephone" for the audition and passed, despite having been together as a five−piece group for less that 24 hours! They won The Sing Off that season (all of the performances are available on TH-cam), in which they received a substantial cash prize AND a record contract with Epic Records. They pooled their prize winnings together and all moved to Los Angeles, and all got apartments right next door to each other in the same building. But just a week later, Epic dropped them because the marketing people didn′t think an a cappella group could sell records. Instead of giving up, they were determined and began recording their own songs on TH-cam, hiring Ben Bram as their producer and arranger. These usually consisted of the five of them sitting on a couch and performing cover songs live. Several of the videos went viral, and Sony (the parent company of Epic) decided to give them another chance by placing them on one of their smaller labels, Madison Gate. They released two secular EPs and one Christmas EP on Madison Gate, all of which were strong sellers. But when their cover of a medley of songs by Daft Punk not only went super−viral, but also won them their first Grammy, they were promoted all the way up to RCA Records, Sony′s top label. They began writing and producing their own songs in addition to their covers, began putting out a Christmas album just about annually (which has become their best−selling genre), and have had multi−platinum album sales, sold−out world tours, and have won two additional Grammys. Avi began getting burned out with all of the touring and heavy recording schedule, was suffering from anxiety and personal problems, and learned that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer in 2017. He announced he was departing from the group and taking some time away from the music industry. Matt Sallee (from Baltimore) joined them in September 2017. He did only become official when they renewed their RCA contract in February 2018, but he recorded with them in September as a featured artist and went on their Christmas tour as a featured artist, as well. When he attended the audition for the group, he had already mastered the Bass part for most if not all their past catalogue. He was successful and has proved that he fits in well with the group. If you think there have been other changes to the line up - look again. This is the ONLY change. Kirstie and Mitch are like chameleons and change looks frequently. It is an often debated subject among the Pentaholics as to just how soon we introduce the "Beginners Guide" as we don't want to overdo the introduction. This is a compilation of snips of a whole load of songs which PTX have released. It highlights each member with some of their solos and then a brief history in video. It is quite long - 14+ minutes and is a little dated now (Feb 2020) but is a good watch th-cam.com/video/lDxIfwfCmQE/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUdYmVnaW5uZXJzIGd1aWRlIHRvIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D. After a year away from music, Avi has now returned as a phenomenal solo artist in the Folk/Americana/Roots genre. Ben Bram has been in charge of their production, including arranging and directing from the beginning. He is often referred to as the sixth member. Scott and Kevin are major players in the arrangements, but every member contributes. A good watch is "The Recording of Evergreen" where a camera was invited into the studio for the second week of recording. Also, all members are songwriters for both Pentatonix and their own solo work. Ed Boyer who mixes everything of theirs (even the HWB Livestream) is the one who pulled Ben Bram into the sing off in the first place. They have Grammy wins for Daft Punk Medley, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Jolene featuring Dolly Parton. They were nominated for a 4th Grammy for their album Evergreen, but didn't win. Another nomination for Holidays Around the World album in the 2024 list! Kirstie became a new mum which caused a pause in touring after their Evergreen Christmas tour 2021. Mid March 2023 Kirstie has announced that she is engaged to Ben Hausdorff, their videographer. They married 22/04/24! Not clear how the future is to follow, but Kirstie has announced that she is expecting number 2 in early 2025. Not critical to the groups touring schedule, but Scott, Kevin and Matt are all married. Kevin and Matt with children. They have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame installed in February 2023. They are the only a capella group with a star! They came 3rd in the 2023 Masked Singer performing as "California Rolls" being unmasked in May 23. 2024 they have announced a change of record label. Lets see where that leads. Things you need to know because if you get these wrong Pentaholics will come after you with pitch forks and torches! Ha Ha!! 1- There is NO Auto-Tune; what you hear is actually what they sing. They really are that good. One exception is the 90's Dance Medley where Cher used autotune as an effect - so they had to. 2- What produces everything that you hear in the video, you see in the official video. If there is an instrument used in the music, you see it on screen. In the 2022 Christmas album, there are some instruments not featured throughout the album. 3- They never release something on video they can’t reproduce with the exact same quality live on-stage. 4. It is "Pentatonix" there is no "The".
Love, love Pentatonix! You should listen to several of theirs. Hallelujah is a good one and The Prayer, oh gosh they don't have a bad song. They are amazing!
Yay PTX!!! Your first reactions to them are the reason I joined your channel to begin with. Glad you’ve come back around to them. Looking forward to more PTX ❤
I just saw them live and Kirsten said her and Mitch used to sing Wicked songs in the car together when they were 10 years old. They have friends a long time. I think that's so sweet.
The 90s, and the Daft Punk medleys are fun to listen to. More like this is their evolution of Michael Jackson. Their cover (OMV) of "Bohemian Rhapsody" is all spot on. Check out Them with US Icon Dolly Parton doing "Jolene" with them
"do they do this all in one take" - yes. Anything they produce they can do this live as well as un-mic'd. I recommend: "90's Dance Medley" - similar to this mashup but with 90's dance music. Mitch is unreal in this one. Avi, their bass singer, left the group in 2017 and this one highlights their new member Matt. "Daft Punk Medley" - a mashup of Daft Punk songs. This is the song for which they won their first Grammy. "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" - A fully acapella song of a fully instrumental song. "Sing" - An original song by them. "Can't Hold Us" - a rap song that they nailed and one of my favorite from what they've done. "Hallelujah" - Because not listening to one of their Christmas songs would criminal. They are known for them and have one of the best selling Christmas albums of all time. Sing-off Season 3, Pentatonix' 7th song: "Born to be Wild" - Pentatonix was formed so they can perform on the talent show: the Sing-off. It's their very first songs ever. Mitch was still in high school. This was live but pretty rough compared to their later performances. They were good enough to win it and absolutely floored the judges. They've only gotten better.
If you wanna see how truly each one is very talented and every voice here is amazing each one of these people could be famous on their own, and people have said that over and over again, but go and listen to Pentatonix the sound of silence! I still love that one of the best or Boham Rhapsody!
This is a wonderful and so much fun rabbit hole! Huge fans are called "Pentaholics." They have original music and have won 3 grammys and nominated for many more. I would suggest finding live concert takes. They aren't as good quality sometimes but you realize just how crazy talented they are when they sound EXACTLY the same live!
Their transitions between songs are impeccable. If you would like more of these one-take medleys, check out the Evolution of Michael Jackson. And, the official video for their cover of Hallelujah had oodles of views, like 600 million or more. If you find it difficult to post Pentatonix videos, try adding a filter (raindrops, fireworks, clouds etc.) over the video. Apparently that helps. I like this expansion into music reactions! Peace from Ohio …
Their version of Imagine is so beautiful. I just saw them live and they were so amazing. Watching Kevin beatbox and play the electric cello at the same time was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I highly suggest checking in out.
Such a fun reaction!! Those of us who watch Pentatonix reactors understand that getting them online is difficult. Putting a filter over the video, or putting words across it helps get past the copyright problems. Pausing, as you did on this one, also helps. Hope you decide to go down the Pentatonix rabbit hole!
If you end up doing more PTX reactions, just 2 quick suggestions (adjust the video audio down a smidge and your mics up, cause you sound low compared to the music), and used filters or text to cover the music video as that is a frequent source of the copyright blocking (obviously pauses for commentary help as well to qualify for fair use)
The three in the back usually take the lead in songs, but Kevin (beat boxing) and Avi (bass) sing in some songs too. Kevin is also an amazing cello player. Avi years back left the group and they have a different bass singer now. The other three left to right are Mitch (with the beautiful high tenor voice), Scott in the middle and then Kirstie is the girl.
I’ve been a fan since 2016 and saw the in one of their Christmas concerts last year. It was awesome! Their policy is that they won’t record it in the studio if they can’t perform it the same way on stage. Kevin, the beat boxer’s family lives just over the state line from where I live, so the did a Christmas show here. It was pretty packed as well, which amazed me. I didn’t know there were so many Pentaholics living in this area. Scott and Mitch also had a side channel called Superfruit, where they sing, talk, experiment with different genres, invite others outside of PTX to perform low-key with them.
OMG. My worlds have collided. There are mainly two types of videos I watch - comparisons of the US vs other countries... and.... Pentatonix reactions. Subscribed immediately to this channel too in the hopes of more Pentatonix reactions!!
I just found this music channel of you guys, I follow on your other stuff, so pleased to see you reacting to Pentatonix!! These guys are my absolute favorite group! I would love to see more from them for you! I recommend Mary Did You Know, Daft Punk, First Noel, and New Rules x Are You That Somebody
Yes, please do more Pentatonix. They are amazing anything you pick to listen to you'll love. They do Evolution of Michael Jackson, Evolution of Rihanna, Evolution of Beyonce, and Evolution of Ariana grande. Those are some fun ones.
Go further down that hole, my friends. There's so much more! I have another recommendation. Eva Cassidy. An American singer who tragically passed of cancer at 33. However years after her death and visionary played her music on your country's radio and later on video, top of the pops i think it's called. In that year, 2000 i tbinn or 2001, there were 5 of her songs in your chart toppers. So england was instrumental in saving an artist with a huge talent but without whom the world would never hear her.
Have been wishing you'd start reacting to music!!! So happy!!!! If you'd like to react to PTX live, in concert, please react to "Pop Spring 2016". It's a festival in Japan. This video is just under 15 minutes, but many, many have done it successfully. It was recorded by MTV, so the visual & audio are very good. They sing 3 of their original songs, plus "The Evolution of Michael Jackson". Also, please react to Gabriel Henrique 's music. My suggestions are "I want to Know What Love Is". Choose the one where he sings it in his car. Your mind will be blown. Promise! ❤❤ 10:24
You absolutely should react to Pentatonix The sound of silence, Pentatonix Bohemian Rhapsody, and Pentatonix daft punk medley. That last one, they won a Grammy for.
Awesome rabbit hole to go down.. have subscribed to follow your journey. The beat boxer is Kevin. He beat boxes while playing the cello. Calls it cello-boxing. He xan also sing. Xx
So far I've been loving ur reactions 2 music, I have been watching ur other channel for quite a while so I was excited 2 check this 1 out. U should also check out "Home Free" they're an Acapella group & really good, just like Pentatonix.
You didn't hear a cut because there was none. Kevin the beatboxer is a beast. He can shift seamlessly from beatboxing to singing and back. He can also throw in cello playing while doing both.
Pentatonix is great. You should watch their tribute to Tom Hanks at his Kennedy Center tribute from 2014. A great performance. I also recommend Straight No Chaser" a great acapella group that was founded in 1996 at The University of Indiana. Their First big hit was in 1998 with their very funny take on "The 12 days of Christmas" a very funny performance worth reacting to. Also, if you want to react to a great talent from the late 50s, I recommend Buddy Holly. For a great song on him. I recommend "True Love Ways" a beautiful song. Great reaction James and Millie!
Definitely watch Hallelujah, but then you should also check out the other two big acapella groups, VoicePlay and HomeFree. They each have their own sound/style and it's really cool.
If you are impressed with the way they mesh songs, you should hear their BTS mashup. You can't even tell it's 2 different songs. ITs one of my favorites!
Yes! They are Olympic-class masters of the mashup! Many to pick from there as well... the BTS mashup ("Butter x Dynamite") is great. Several other favorites: "La La Latch", "New Rules x Are You That Somebody", "Save the World/Don't Worry Child", and "Despacito x Shape of You" are amazing.
I love Pentatonix. If you enjoy acapella try listening to Home Free and their version of "Man of Constant Sorrow" or since James mentioned it the other day, they do a version of "Ring of Fire".
Sorry, folks, but I couldn't understand anything you were saying when you spoke without stopping the video playback. It just drowned you out completely. All of the "Evolution of..." videos offer a unique opportunity to listen to PTX members as they switch from harmony to main melody and back without missing a beat - literally! It's something they do on almost every song they perform, but this gives you an opportunity to follow a specific member all the way through the song to see how they do it, unlike the vast majority of their videos and concert performances, where the camera cuts don't let you follow a single member.
You've mentioned how much you loved the songs of the 90's... you definitely need to check out Pentatonix outstanding medley "90's Dance Medley", you'll be bopping and chair dancing all through it.
Milly's face during Mitch's high note was great! We Pentaholics love a good Mitch-slap! ❤❤❤❤❤
Yes, react to Hallelujah! BEAUTIFUL
"No out of breath or anything." You *need* to react to Pentatonix's Carol of the Bells. Mitch is amazing, and doesn't seem to take a breath for like three minutes. (Of course he's breathing, but he's sneaking it in so skillfully you can't tell. Glorious. Also note that Pentaholics are more than willing to watch their Christmas music at any time of year, so no reason to wait 11 months. :) )
LOVE THEM!!! One of my favorites by them: Mary Did You Know? ENJOY!!!
The members of the group in this one are:
Left to right, back row - Mitch Grassi (with the beautiful high voice), Scott Hoying (baritone with amazing range), Kirstin "Kirstie" Maldonado (alto/soprano with an amazing range)
In the front - Avi Kaplan (bass ... actually a classicly trained basso profundo...who has blown out speakers with his powerful low notes. He left the group in 2017 and now has a solid solo career with some amazing work that you should check out), Kevin Olusola (beatboxer, tenor, and also plays the cello in a few of their songs... amazingly talented, you should also check out some of his solo work on his own channel)
After Avi left, Matt Sallee came in to take over the bass part, and hit the ground running. The group has a little different sound with Matt than with Avi, but they're still great.
Mitch and Kirstie in particular have had a penchant for changing their look frequently over the years, and people jumping around from year to year sometimes think they're different, new members, but the only change has been Avi/Matt... everyone else is the same.
also Daft Punk is insanely awesome is shows off the beatboxer in the center section
Daft Punk
When you do "Daft Punk" set yourself up for a double. th-cam.com/video/3MteSlpxCpo/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUUZGFmdCBwdW5rIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D You will think that there is post production skipping, so to disprove that you need to catch the "Private Performance" th-cam.com/video/tw4YCsHXKgI/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUUZGFmdCBwdW5rIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D where they stand at the front of a back-stage room and sing with no mic's and captured on a fan mobile device so the sound is not 100% hence catch the official FIRST.
Excellent choice
And yes its all one in take, they have performed this live in concert. For their "evolution" songs they usually film like 4 different full takes and then choose which one came out "best" and use that for the music video.
more Pentatonix, please.
I’m so excited! I am already subscribed to some of your other content, PTX is my passion. I’m obsessed with their music. This is going to be fun to watch you go down the rabbit hole! Hallelujah and then bohemian rhapsody are my recommendations so far.
They have several "Evolution Videos" as well as 90's Dance Medley, they crush these in live performances. "Evolution of Beyonce, Arianna Grande, Brihanna, Michael Jackson all amazing.
You should listen to the Daft Punk melody. They won their first Grammy for this.
You'll never go wrong with Pentatonix, they're the best a cappella group EVER!!!! More Penatonix, please!
Did anyone notice that they sequed from black & white to color in the 1960's.
Definitely suggest you two go down this rabbit hole!
Yep...Great rabbit hole!
Yes please! Pentaholics will flock to your channel too.
Aha! When Mitch loses his damn mind would be unreadable to see them watch
My favourite pentatonix song is "say something"...she is incredible in it
Please react to pentatonix singing
The Prayer. YOU WILL CRY😭😭😭
Mary did you Know
Bohemian Rhapsody
Evolution of Michael Jackson
Do not worry about -the guy on the let- Avi Kaplan like most members of PTX he has a huge range - 5 octaves - and is absolutely stunning in Hallelujah as they all are. Looking forward to that reaction. On a side not blurring the video will help with copyright and stopping and talking and the fact that you rewind is great because you don't miss anything.
My favorite Christmas song is their version of Mary Did You Know. Check it out sometime.
No shade intended but I love their version of O Come All Ye Faithful better
enything they do is great. im an instrumentalist and i fell in love with this group very talented. i also found out on these videos the evolution or greats of a particular artist the go through all the songs without stopping and pick the best run. they are no cuts
My favorite Pentatonix is The Sound of Silence. you should check it out
Pentatonix does a arrangement of Daft Punk songs thats amazing. All of their voice, no autotune, they just make it sound that amazing!
100% one take. More PTX please!!!
The Pentatonix version of the song “Hallelujah” is truly incredible. As soon as I heard it, I added it to my playlist. It really showcases the beautiful voices that each of these amazing singers has! I’m certain that you would love it! ❤
Great Mitch Slap!
Evolution of Michael Jackson, Rihanna, and Beyoncé are all also quite good.
Pentatonix a (not so) "brief" background.
They won The Sing Off in 2011. They made a guest starring appearance on America′s Got Talent as non−competitors a couple of years after that.
The founding members are:-
Scott Hoying (tall blond guy, natural baritone but has an impressive five−to−six octave range, can go all the way up to high tenor and down to bass, sings the bass lines when the usual bass singer takes the lead);
Kirstin "Kirstie" (Rhymes with "Thirsty") Maldonado (the only female member, natural mezzo soprano, but can go down to low alto and as high as upper soprano, also can sing in whistle notes that are off the scale); For a time in 2018 between the group’s tours, had the female lead on Broadway in the production of “Kinky Boots”.
Mitch Grassi (a true contra−tenor, can hit high notes in his chest voice with ease and go WAY higher in his falsetto, also with ease);
Avriel "Avi" Kaplan (dark beard and long hair), true basso profundo, trained as an opera singer, also can go up into the tenor range; and
Kevin "KO" Olusola (beatboxer extraordinaire, also is a world−class cellist who plays cello on some of their songs, has a beautiful high tenor voice and gets occasional lead vocal solos as well, graduated pre−med from Yale and speaks several languages including Mandarin Chinese).
Kirstie, Scott & Mitch grew up together in Arlington, Texas, and began performing together as children in local youth musical theater. They ended up in high school together and performed in the choir. While there, they formed an a cappella group called The Trio which had several performance videos go viral on TH-cam, most notably a cover of Lady Gaga′s "Telephone". The three of them are best friends and consider themselves to be almost siblings.
Scott & Kirstie (who were a class year ahead of Mitch) both graduated high school in 2010 and went their separate ways to different colleges, Scott at USC and Kirstie at Oklahoma.
While at USC, Scott joined a USC−based a cappella group called the SoCal VoCals, where he met alumnus Ben Bram, who was now an arranger and vocal coach for the NBC TV show The Sing Off, an a cappella competition show. Ben convinced Scott to get The Trio to audition for the show. The three reunited (Mitch had to skip high school graduation ceremonies to go) in Los Angeles for the audition.
They found out that the rules had changed, so they needed at least five members to audition. Ben put them together with Avi (a native of Visalia, California), who he knew from Avi′s performing days at Mount San Antonio College in California. They found Kevin (from Kentucky) through one of his TH-cam videos that had gone viral featuring him playing the cello and beatboxing at the same time, a talent that Kevin coined as "Cello−Boxing".
Kevin arrived in Los Angeles literally the day before the audition! Scott came up with the name "Pentatonix" after the pentatonic scale. They performed a re−arrangement of "The Telephone" for the audition and passed, despite having been together as a five−piece group for less that 24 hours!
They won The Sing Off that season (all of the performances are available on TH-cam), in which they received a substantial cash prize AND a record contract with Epic Records. They pooled their prize winnings together and all moved to Los Angeles, and all got apartments right next door to each other in the same building.
But just a week later, Epic dropped them because the marketing people didn′t think an a cappella group could sell records.
Instead of giving up, they were determined and began recording their own songs on TH-cam, hiring Ben Bram as their producer and arranger. These usually consisted of the five of them sitting on a couch and performing cover songs live.
Several of the videos went viral, and Sony (the parent company of Epic) decided to give them another chance by placing them on one of their smaller labels, Madison Gate. They released two secular EPs and one Christmas EP on Madison Gate, all of which were strong sellers.
But when their cover of a medley of songs by Daft Punk not only went super−viral, but also won them their first Grammy, they were promoted all the way up to RCA Records, Sony′s top label.
They began writing and producing their own songs in addition to their covers, began putting out a Christmas album just about annually (which has become their best−selling genre), and have had multi−platinum album sales, sold−out world tours, and have won two additional Grammys.
Avi began getting burned out with all of the touring and heavy recording schedule, was suffering from anxiety and personal problems, and learned that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer in 2017. He announced he was departing from the group and taking some time away from the music industry.
Matt Sallee (from Baltimore) joined them in September 2017. He did only become official when they renewed their RCA contract in February 2018, but he recorded with them in September as a featured artist and went on their Christmas tour as a featured artist, as well. When he attended the audition for the group, he had already mastered the Bass part for most if not all their past catalogue. He was successful and has proved that he fits in well with the group.
If you think there have been other changes to the line up - look again. This is the ONLY change. Kirstie and Mitch are like chameleons and change looks frequently.
It is an often debated subject among the Pentaholics as to just how soon we introduce the "Beginners Guide" as we don't want to overdo the introduction. This is a compilation of snips of a whole load of songs which PTX have released. It highlights each member with some of their solos and then a brief history in video. It is quite long - 14+ minutes and is a little dated now (Feb 2020) but is a good watch th-cam.com/video/lDxIfwfCmQE/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUdYmVnaW5uZXJzIGd1aWRlIHRvIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D.
After a year away from music, Avi has now returned as a phenomenal solo artist in the Folk/Americana/Roots genre.
Ben Bram has been in charge of their production, including arranging and directing from the beginning. He is often referred to as the sixth member. Scott and Kevin are major players in the arrangements, but every member contributes. A good watch is "The Recording of Evergreen" where a camera was invited into the studio for the second week of recording.
Also, all members are songwriters for both Pentatonix and their own solo work.
Ed Boyer who mixes everything of theirs (even the HWB Livestream) is the one who pulled Ben Bram into the sing off in the first place.
They have Grammy wins for Daft Punk Medley, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Jolene featuring Dolly Parton. They were nominated for a 4th Grammy for their album Evergreen, but didn't win. Another nomination for Holidays Around the World album in the 2024 list!
Kirstie became a new mum which caused a pause in touring after their Evergreen Christmas tour 2021. Mid March 2023 Kirstie has announced that she is engaged to Ben Hausdorff, their videographer. They married 22/04/24! Not clear how the future is to follow, but Kirstie has announced that she is expecting number 2 in early 2025.
Not critical to the groups touring schedule, but Scott, Kevin and Matt are all married. Kevin and Matt with children.
They have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame installed in February 2023. They are the only a capella group with a star!
They came 3rd in the 2023 Masked Singer performing as "California Rolls" being unmasked in May 23.
2024 they have announced a change of record label. Lets see where that leads.
Things you need to know because if you get these wrong Pentaholics will come after you with pitch forks and torches! Ha Ha!!
1- There is NO Auto-Tune; what you hear is actually what they sing. They really are that good. One exception is the 90's Dance Medley where Cher used autotune as an effect - so they had to.
2- What produces everything that you hear in the video, you see in the official video. If there is an instrument used in the music, you see it on screen. In the 2022 Christmas album, there are some instruments not featured throughout the album.
3- They never release something on video they can’t reproduce with the exact same quality live on-stage.
4. It is "Pentatonix" there is no "The".
As a note. They do all of their material live on their tours, including medleys like this one. Thanks for watching this one.
Every rendition of covers they do are Amazing, along with their originals! "Chef's kiss"
Love, love Pentatonix! You should listen to several of theirs. Hallelujah is a good one and The Prayer, oh gosh they don't have a bad song. They are amazing!
Yay PTX!!! Your first reactions to them are the reason I joined your channel to begin with. Glad you’ve come back around to them. Looking forward to more PTX ❤
There from Arlington Texas where i live my best friend went to High School with them.
I just saw them live and Kirsten said her and Mitch used to sing Wicked songs in the car together when they were 10 years old. They have friends a long time. I think that's so sweet.
Saw them live a few years ago. Simply fantastic!
They do this in concert so I assume it is one take.
It is. All the Evolution pieces are. They do about 4 full takes of each medley and choose the best one.
The 90s, and the Daft Punk medleys are fun to listen to. More like this is their evolution of Michael Jackson. Their cover (OMV) of "Bohemian Rhapsody" is all spot on. Check out Them with US Icon Dolly Parton doing "Jolene" with them
"do they do this all in one take" - yes. Anything they produce they can do this live as well as un-mic'd.
I recommend:
"90's Dance Medley" - similar to this mashup but with 90's dance music. Mitch is unreal in this one. Avi, their bass singer, left the group in 2017 and this one highlights their new member Matt.
"Daft Punk Medley" - a mashup of Daft Punk songs. This is the song for which they won their first Grammy.
"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" - A fully acapella song of a fully instrumental song.
"Sing" - An original song by them.
"Can't Hold Us" - a rap song that they nailed and one of my favorite from what they've done.
"Hallelujah" - Because not listening to one of their Christmas songs would criminal. They are known for them and have one of the best selling Christmas albums of all time.
Sing-off Season 3, Pentatonix' 7th song: "Born to be Wild" - Pentatonix was formed so they can perform on the talent show: the Sing-off. It's their very first songs ever. Mitch was still in high school. This was live but pretty rough compared to their later performances. They were good enough to win it and absolutely floored the judges. They've only gotten better.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
My favorite is Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies.
Fairy ( singular) 😁
If you wanna see how truly each one is very talented and every voice here is amazing each one of these people could be famous on their own, and people have said that over and over again, but go and listen to Pentatonix the sound of silence! I still love that one of the best or Boham Rhapsody!
Please check out the a cappella band HOMEFREE another tremendous talented group of vocalists
Enjoy the Pentatonix rabbit hole their evolutions are always fun they are amazing with the older classics and pop to rap
This is a wonderful and so much fun rabbit hole! Huge fans are called "Pentaholics." They have original music and have won 3 grammys and nominated for many more. I would suggest finding live concert takes. They aren't as good quality sometimes but you realize just how crazy talented they are when they sound EXACTLY the same live!
I’ve seen them live a few times, they never disappoint. Absolutely kill any song they sing.
Their version of Bohemian Rhapsody is a must hear !!
I'm thrilled you two have discovered one of the best acapella groups. If you decide to react to more of Pentatonix, I will be here for it.
Yes. All the evolution songs are filmed in one take. They do 3 or more takes n choose the best. No cut and paste
Their transitions between songs are impeccable. If you would like more of these one-take medleys, check out the Evolution of Michael Jackson. And, the official video for their cover of Hallelujah had oodles of views, like 600 million or more. If you find it difficult to post Pentatonix videos, try adding a filter (raindrops, fireworks, clouds etc.) over the video. Apparently that helps. I like this expansion into music reactions! Peace from Ohio …
Their version of Imagine is so beautiful. I just saw them live and they were so amazing. Watching Kevin beatbox and play the electric cello at the same time was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I highly suggest checking in out.
I am a big fan of yours and also a huge Pentaholic, so this is awesome!
Such a fun reaction!! Those of us who watch Pentatonix reactors understand that getting them online is difficult. Putting a filter over the video, or putting words across it helps get past the copyright problems. Pausing, as you did on this one, also helps. Hope you decide to go down the Pentatonix rabbit hole!
I think you'll enjoy Say Something (the beatboxer, Kevin plays cello in it) and Bohemian Rhapsody too. This group is incredible.
I’ve seen them live and they are absolutely amazing! More PTX please 😊❤
Hope you both check more of their stuff out bohemian rhapsody amazing grace. The prayer. 90s dance medley.
If you end up doing more PTX reactions, just 2 quick suggestions (adjust the video audio down a smidge and your mics up, cause you sound low compared to the music), and used filters or text to cover the music video as that is a frequent source of the copyright blocking (obviously pauses for commentary help as well to qualify for fair use)
You mentioned looking for a break. There isn't any because these guys are just that good at arranging and singing. They're the best!
The three in the back usually take the lead in songs, but Kevin (beat boxing) and Avi (bass) sing in some songs too. Kevin is also an amazing cello player. Avi years back left the group and they have a different bass singer now. The other three left to right are Mitch (with the beautiful high tenor voice), Scott in the middle and then Kirstie is the girl.
Gotta do Sounds of Silence and Hallelujah! Do us all a favor.
I’ve been a fan since 2016 and saw the in one of their Christmas concerts last year. It was awesome! Their policy is that they won’t record it in the studio if they can’t perform it the same way on stage. Kevin, the beat boxer’s family lives just over the state line from where I live, so the did a Christmas show here. It was pretty packed as well, which amazed me. I didn’t know there were so many Pentaholics living in this area. Scott and Mitch also had a side channel called Superfruit, where they sing, talk, experiment with different genres, invite others outside of PTX to perform low-key with them.
I love Pentatonix. Please react to Hallelujah! Another great video James and Millie.
Listen to Home Free a Acapella group and there are some movies about Johnny Cash that you might like
Sound of silence, hallelujah, Any of their Christmas songs and one of my favorites is their daft punk mix
OMG. My worlds have collided. There are mainly two types of videos I watch - comparisons of the US vs other countries... and.... Pentatonix reactions. Subscribed immediately to this channel too in the hopes of more Pentatonix reactions!!
They do these evolution videos live and in one take. Usually they do it four or five times and then choose the best to publish.
PTX! THATS ALL!!
In addition to all the excellent recommendations from the previous comments, I highly recommend their covers of Mad World, Can’t Hold Us and Problem.
Love all of those!1
Must do Hallelujah! Almost 700 million views.
Their medleys are in one take!
I just found this music channel of you guys, I follow on your other stuff, so pleased to see you reacting to Pentatonix!! These guys are my absolute favorite group! I would love to see more from them for you! I recommend Mary Did You Know, Daft Punk, First Noel, and New Rules x Are You That Somebody
Yes, please do more Pentatonix. They are amazing anything you pick to listen to you'll love. They do Evolution of Michael Jackson, Evolution of Rihanna, Evolution of Beyonce, and Evolution of Ariana grande. Those are some fun ones.
Go further down that hole, my friends. There's so much more! I have another recommendation. Eva Cassidy. An American singer who tragically passed of cancer at 33. However years after her death and visionary played her music on your country's radio and later on video, top of the pops i think it's called. In that year, 2000 i tbinn or 2001, there were 5 of her songs in your chart toppers. So england was instrumental in saving an artist with a huge talent but without whom the world would never hear her.
PTX is the masters of transitions!
Yes!!!! Cool beans.
Oh, I forgot to add: check out the National Anthem they sang at a football playoff game a couple of weeks ago.
Tobey Keith, “Red Solo Cup”. Hilarious, and American stereotyped as hell!
Have been wishing you'd start reacting to music!!! So happy!!!!
If you'd like to react to PTX live, in concert, please react to "Pop Spring 2016". It's a festival in Japan. This video is just under 15 minutes, but many, many have done it successfully. It was recorded by MTV, so the visual & audio are very good. They sing 3 of their original songs, plus "The Evolution of Michael Jackson".
Also, please react to Gabriel Henrique 's music. My suggestions are
"I want to Know What Love Is". Choose the one where he sings it in his car. Your mind will be blown. Promise! ❤❤ 10:24
You absolutely should react to Pentatonix The sound of silence, Pentatonix Bohemian Rhapsody, and Pentatonix daft punk medley. That last one, they won a Grammy for.
Awesome rabbit hole to go down.. have subscribed to follow your journey.
The beat boxer is Kevin. He beat boxes while playing the cello. Calls it cello-boxing. He xan also sing. Xx
So far I've been loving ur reactions 2 music, I have been watching ur other channel for quite a while so I was excited 2 check this 1 out. U should also check out "Home Free" they're an Acapella group & really good, just like Pentatonix.
There is no cut, hear then in concert it is the same.
You didn't hear a cut because there was none. Kevin the beatboxer is a beast. He can shift seamlessly from beatboxing to singing and back. He can also throw in cello playing while doing both.
Pentatonix is great. You should watch their tribute to Tom Hanks at his Kennedy Center tribute from 2014. A great performance. I also recommend Straight No Chaser" a great acapella group that was founded in 1996 at The University of Indiana. Their First big hit was in 1998 with their very funny take on "The 12 days of Christmas" a very funny performance worth reacting to. Also, if you want to react to a great talent from the late 50s, I recommend Buddy Holly. For a great song on him. I recommend "True Love Ways" a beautiful song. Great reaction James and Millie!
Sound of Silence, Hallelujah and Amazing Grace are all soooo good!
Scott in the moddle can do bass as well
great rabbit hole to go down
You should check out NF, he has so many great ones. “Hope” or “Search” go place to start if you haven’t heard him before.
Please go down tha acapella rabbit hole. All PTX and Homefree.
I have to say it again... great singers don't need a band. ❤
Definitely watch Hallelujah, but then you should also check out the other two big acapella groups, VoicePlay and HomeFree. They each have their own sound/style and it's really cool.
Try Straight No Chaser, another a cappella group. A good one to react to might be their mashup of "I'm Yours" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".
Sing
Sound of silence
Somebody that I used to know
Mary, did you know?
Some others to check out
They are the best ever! Check out Mary Did You Know?
They were in pitch perfect 2.
If you are impressed with the way they mesh songs, you should hear their BTS mashup. You can't even tell it's 2 different songs. ITs one of my favorites!
Yes! They are Olympic-class masters of the mashup! Many to pick from there as well... the BTS mashup ("Butter x Dynamite") is great. Several other favorites: "La La Latch", "New Rules x Are You That Somebody", "Save the World/Don't Worry Child", and "Despacito x Shape of You" are amazing.
You need to check out PTX..they are beyond phenominal
Evolution of Michael Jackson 😊
I love Pentatonix. If you enjoy acapella try listening to Home Free and their version of "Man of Constant Sorrow" or since James mentioned it the other day, they do a version of "Ring of Fire".
If you like them you should also check out home free they are awesome
VERY DEEP RABBIT HOLE!!
Try rose
Sorry, folks, but I couldn't understand anything you were saying when you spoke without stopping the video playback. It just drowned you out completely.
All of the "Evolution of..." videos offer a unique opportunity to listen to PTX members as they switch from harmony to main melody and back without missing a beat - literally! It's something they do on almost every song they perform, but this gives you an opportunity to follow a specific member all the way through the song to see how they do it, unlike the vast majority of their videos and concert performances, where the camera cuts don't let you follow a single member.