Pentatonix Popspring Concert is one of their best live performances in my opinion. Three original songs and a Michael Jackson Medley. You’ll love it! 😊
It’s good, but there are good more recent ones too. Anything from Hollywood Bowl 2022 livestream, or any of their more recent Christmas tours. Popspring is good but they’ve matured a lot since then.
😄👉👉This arrangement won them their first Grammy. Second Grammy was for Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy and the 3rd was for a colab with the legendary Dolly Parton (All videos available on their channel for you to react to.) And YES! PENTATONIX is the ONLY A capella GROUP in history to win Grammys, top the Billboard charts, become WORLDWIDE SENSATIONS and they also the only. A capella group to get a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame last year!! They actually were nominated 2 more times, though they didn't get the Grammys it's and incredible honor to be recognized and nominated!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM! and I'll be here for this PENTATONIX journey with you!!
There was no a capella category in the Grammys, so in order for them to even be nominated, the Grammy organisers had to change the "Best Instrumental" category to "Best Instrumental Or A Capella" . Kind of amazing that a band without instruments should effectively win the Best Instrumental award. Their second Grammy, for Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy, is, as you probably know, an instrumental from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" ballet. So PTX performed an instrumental, without instruments.
They sell out massive arenas worldwide. If you ever get a chance to see them live, TAKE IT. Generally, they do sound a little bit different live. You know they aren't lip syncing.
Please do their latest live performance Kiss From A Rose 🌹 live Vevo video. You will be blown away by how far they have come since Hallelujah. They have been performing together since 2011 and it's like they are one person out there. Just truly amazing. So many great songs to choose from but Kiss From A Rose 🌹 is a whole different level. No other group can do what they can. Their talent truly is the real deal. You think they've reached the top and like in Willie Wonka they blow the ceiling off and go higher. No stopping them. Each one of them could have amazing careers if they were to go solo...but they won't do that. Great reaction Dude!!! I'm here for the PTX reactions. Please do Kiss From A Rose 🌹 next. Thanks!! Sending you love from Texas ❤❤
They play to audiences of 10,000+. In the US they sing more than a dozen shows during the holidays and the same during the year. They tour all over the world as well. They have been nominated for 2 more Grammys last year and the year before AND they are the only a cappella group to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame which they received last year. Thanks for joining us Pentaholics. So glad you like and appreciate them.
They won their first Grammy for this one. The thing about this group is they are even better live. I saw them perform last year and they are just amazing. They LOVE what they are doing and it shows in their music and on stage.
One of my favorite things is when someone says, "There's just so much going on." It's 5 voices. That's it. They're just so good that it seems like so much. I just love their talent so much...and who they all seem to be as individuals, as well. Thank you so much for reacting to them!
This was a full Pentatonix gig. They have terrific world wide concert tours. Matt and Avi are both great in their own special ways. There are some areas where Matt is better, but Avi is better in other areas. Also, it’s about personal preferences. Recommend their new video of O Holy Night.
And in the musicality necessary for the arrangement. Avi is a basso profundo and Matt a lyric bass. Must be fun to arrange older songs. For the reactor: Scott always makes live interesting. Fab riffs.
As noted by other commenters, the new member is bass Matt Sallee (very short buzzed hair, not quite as tall as beatboxer/tenor Kevin Olusola, who has a beard now). The original Pentatonix bass, Avi Kaplan (long hair and beard, often wearing a knit beanie) left for a solo career in 2017. Following for more Pentatonix reactions!
I had the opportunity to see them live in concert back in August of 2019,and it was an amazing experience! If you ever get the chance to see them live in concert, definitely go for it,because you're going to enjoy yourself a lot! Great reaction! Much love from Missouri USA💜💛💖❤💕💝😁
The Hollywood Bowl is an arena that is partially covered, partially open. For a concert like this it will usually seat 17-22,000 people - and Pentatonix sold it out, as they do the vast majority of their concerts! An interesting tidbit: Kirstie gave birth to her daughter almost exactly 3 months before this concert took place.
in 2017 Avi left the group for personal reasons, Matt joined the group soon after to cover bass. The last word of the live song was "over," Matt trying to go as low as Avi did in the original.
Matt is an amazing singer , as you go further on your pentatonix journey you ll see just how good he is 😊 one of their recent songs ' o holy night ' Matt was absolutely insane on that track !! Looking forward to seeing more PTX from you , great reaction, love that you compared the live to the MV 👏
PTX changed how people viewed a cappella with this mash up. I often tell people who are British that PTX was on Sunday Brunch in 2015 and did 3 songs live and showed their lack of cooking skills.
Thank you so much. Jumped on the band wagon immediately for more PTX. O and when the video in future get blocked, put a filter over it. We Pentaholics don't mind. Seen the vids, here for the reaction. Greetings from South Africa
This was Kirstie’s first concert back after giving birth earlier in the year. Another commenter on another song noted that she had to call out to the audience to get her breath back. They work HARD.
You see their new (2017) bass, Matt Sallee in the live! Avi Kaplan (long hair/beanie) was in the original video. They are singing in a partially covered/open air stage.
There’s a bunch from the Hollywood Bowl. Sound of Silence and Aha were 2 of my favorites. When you get to Aha! You may want to do 2 live ones. The official video is different than their usual. You don’t really get to SEE them sing much. The Hollywood bowl one is a good one to see how it usually sounds but then you definitely have to check out the Aha! Singapore version after that. Audio isn’t the best but it’s a must see.
Their official video of Bohemian Rhapsody is awesome. They also perform it live and it is on the Hollywood Bowl 2022 performance. They have such a deep catalog and they are all amazing.
Yes, the guy with the beard, Avi Kaplan, is the one who left the group for personal reasons. He now has a solo career which is worth checking out as well. PTX hasn't missed a beat and is going strong as ever still today.
You are correct. The first bass was Avi Kaplan, who has good solo stuff, too. Now we have Matt Sallee, the larger black man. No loss of quality, but I was fond of Avi, the guy in the beanie with the beard. Watch their Imagine--it's a great one, and Avi is in it.
Great reaction! Love that you had 2-4-1 videos. As a long time Pentaholic, it was great to see a side-by-side comparison of them Then And Now. I'm here for any Pentaholic reaction, welcome to the family ❤!!
I really like the combination of watching the original music video (which uses the studio recording) and then a recent live version, so you can see both how similar the live performance is to the studio and where the differences may be. Plus, since the original in this case is 10 years old, you can hear how their voices have changed in the years between. I know Kirstie started out being introduced as a mezzo soprano, but in recent years Scott has sometimes introduced her as "our alto-soprano", which probably indicates that her lower range has increased slightly.
The only time I've seen them have instruments w/out them being on stage with them is their version of "Creep". And that's because it was recorded for the TV competition, The Masked Singer. 😊
Scott (tall blond baritone) is the member of Pentatonix most likely to forget the lyrics, according to everyone in Pentatonix, including Scott. Because of this tendency, they have teleprompters scattered all around the stage during their live performances. A bigger problem is their voices getting tired. One of the ways they care for their voices is drinking LOTS of water. This means, of course, that they also swallow a good deal of air, which can lead to a need to burp during performances. I saw an interview with Kevin (the beatboxer) where he said that because of this he's gone out of his way to figure out how to incorporate burps into his beatboxing. Kirstin gave him a dirty look. 😅 Also, both Scott and Kirstin say that they'll occasionally noticed that they aren't singing when they should be during a concert. The cause is always the same - they got caught up in listening to Mitch's beautiful voice and stopped singing because their own voices were making it hard to hear Mitch. (Mitch is the contratenor - the guy wearing the big hat in the "Hallelujah" official video.)
The Hollywood Bowl is an iconic concert and event outdoor amphitheatre venue in the Hollywood Hills. It opened July of 1922 so at the time of this concert, The Bowl was celebrating the 100th anniversary. It is amazing experience to attend a concert there. There are box seats with tables and candles. picnic areas surrounding where you bring your food, beverages of choice and make it a full experience. Highly recommended if you ever visit Los Angeles to see a show, schedule/season permitting. Or, take a tour.
I’d love to see your reaction to Pentatonix - Bohemian Rhapsody (Official Video) They have done this song such justice! Brian May gave them a shot out on his socials after their release! If you are a Queen fan, you’ll notice all the “nods” they gave to the band in the video! I’ll look forward to your thoughts! ❤️
PTX is great and you have a lot of good music ahead of you! If you also want to experience what are generally regarded as the other two big a capella groups, I would suggest checking out Voiceplay and Home Free, as well. A great intro to Voiceplay would be Valhalla Calling or We Don't Talk About Bruno (they tend to be the most theatrical of these three groups). Home Free, tends toward country music, but are much more than that, also. The typical introduction to them is Man of Constant Sorrow. Each of these three great groups bring something truly unique to the music they perform. Also, while all of them do quite a few covers, there are originals that they perform. Pentatonix, in particular, has several great original songs. Check out Sing or Coffee in Bed. For all three groups, you can see both videos and live performances. I would always suggest the videos first, and then maybe the live versions, similar to what you have done here. Also, people tend to not need to put a filter over Home Free and Voiceplay videos. The same is actually true for many PTX videos also, but, as you seem to have discovered, RUclips can be somewhat random about that.
I love Pentatonix . The Hollywood bowel is outdoor. I was there and it was amazing. It was the best concert I'd been to. They are so fun. ❤❤ I subscribed for more Pentatonix.
It was a full concert they did at Christmas time in 2022. Miles Reuben's channel has the whole concert, separated into individual songs.They toured pretty much of last year, first in Asia, then Europe, Iceland then the full US tour, so they're used to doing these sold out concerts, complete with choreography, every few days. That takes dedication and endurance....and great health and vocal control. Great idea to combine the original studio version with a recent live version. It gives you a really good idea of just how good these guys are , how well their songs are arranged so they can be done live with no changes to the pieces, and yet there's no major difference between live performance and a studio production.
The 2022 Hollywood Bowl concert was actually in September, not part of their Christmas tour that year. It was their first concert back after Kirstin gave birth to her daughter in June 2022. The also had a small group of cello players who accompanied them in several numbers at that concert.
Pentatonix History….. 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 RUclips, 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 RUclips 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 RUclips), 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 RUclips, 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 done a cameo appearance in the new movie “Candy Cane Lane” starring Eddie Murphy. They are the carolers. 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. No dates YET! 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 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.
Avi Kaplan went solo in 2017 due family illness. He has his own youtube and tours also. He is great. Love him. Also Kevin has his youtube and does some crazy beatboxing
All of the members of Pentatonix are awesome, obviously. If you want your mind blown, check out Kevin's Fifth. Scott explains how they connected with their beat boxer, who was a med student at Yale, and convinced him to try out for an acapella competition
This was at the FAMOUS Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles (I was there🌟) it's an outdoor venue. Google it, it's AMAZING!! YES the group has had one member change Avi (Ah-vee) the original bass, left on good terms at the end of 2017 and Matt replaced him. Though the Daft Punk video is over a decade old the members are still quite young. All in their early 30s. Obviously they are more mature . The members names are: Scott Hoying - Tall blonde guy sings baritone but covers the bass when the bass singer has a singing lead. Scott also hits HIGH falsettos and is EXTREMELY soulful. Kirstin (Kirstie rhymes with thirsty) Maldonado sings mezzo soprano, alto. Kirstie changes her look A LOT!! Mitch Grassi (guy with the HIGH voice) sings counter tenor/tenor Mitch changes his look A LOT!! Kevin Olusula or K.O is the AMAZING beatboxer!! He plays cello at the same time while beatboxing "cello-boxing". K.O also sings tenor. Avi (Ah-vee) Kaplan was the original bass/basso profundo from 2021 to end of 2017, also sang baritone and overtone. Matt Sallee is the new (not so new) bass, baritone They ALL have solo, side projects as well. You'll soon find out that PENTATONIX or PTX is the GIFT that keeps on giving!! 🌟👉 I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you follow their social medias and FOLLOW PTXWEEKLYNEWS on all social medias!
This was a full PTX concert in an outdoor arena, the Hollywood Bowl, as part of the Hollywood Bowl’s 50th anniversary year. Correct, Matt Sallee replaced Avi Kaplan as bass. Seeing them live is so amazing! The vocals and beatboxing are so demanding, but they have incredible stamina. Kevin, the beatboxer actually warms up by beatboxing for a long time because he claims it gets easier for him the longer he does it. I wonder if other beatboxers feel that way or if they think he’s crazy, lol. Great reaction! Good idea to watch the two versions in one!
Not sure whether we've told you about the origin of Pentatonix yet, but if not it's time we did, so... 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 he was still a pre-teen, 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 RUclips 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 RUclips had something called RUclips 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 RUclips 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 RUclips. 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.
You will continue to be amazed at their range. This bunch can sing anything. They love to do Christmas music. They've even got a couple of pieces with rap. Two of my favorites are Kiira's "Gold", totally stripped-down with the 5 of them just sitting on chairs with microphones in front of them and Ariana Grande's "Problem" which is just plain fun. Keep digging. There's so much Pentatonix to enjoy!
They made this video inside Avi and Kevin's Apartment. In the kitchen and closets. It cost them $400.00 to make and they won their first Grammy for it.
Many people mistakenly think PTX recorded this themselves on an iPad, but that is not the case. It was shot, recorded and edited by FifGen Films, the small production company that has made several PTX and Avi videos over the years. This interview with Jimmy Bates, principle of FifGen, gives insight into the challenges and rewards of filming the video. strobist.blogspot.com/2013/11/pentatonix-daft-punk-video-low-budget.html
I know it’s a Christmas tune, but I can’t wait for you to react to “Mary, Did You Know?” As for this performance, the live version is in a lower key. Only people with perfect or relative pitch would hear it. That’s why I don’t like live performances unless it’s legit music.
@@j4m35reacts I think they can ☺️ they had so much fun doing the video,and it's awesome ❤️ just wait and listen when someone plays the trumpet 😄 with his mouth.
Here's a different live version, this one a frankly not-so-great fan cam recording, but it will still give a bit of a different take on the live performance. It was from April 2016 and you can see that it does have Avi Kaplan on bass, and the choreography is rather more energetic (seeing whereas they were 6 years younger). I prefer the bass in this live one. ruclips.net/video/j_L6LQIMo9M/видео.html
I recommend you check out Avi Kaplan's solo music (about 90% of which is original). While most reactors start with the first single he was legally allowed to release after leaving PTX - "Change on the Rise", I like to recommend a much newer original song "When I'm a Fool", recorded live at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles with backing by some of the area's best studio musicians. ruclips.net/video/LE24UTH3pmQ/видео.html
You're right Avi Kaplan is the one who's no longer with the group 😔 personally I liked them more when Avi was there , just because his base is out of this world. But they are still one of the best acapella group out there, in my opinion it is Pentatonix and Home Free that are the best out there. 🥰
$400, filmed in a kitchen, recorded in a closet, equals a Grammy win the Pentatonix way. Actually the category they won in the name had to be changed so that they could be included. It was originally best arrangement or instrumental and then that year they added acapella. There is a video of them doing a green room performance that I think was for a Make-A-Wish Foundation. They're standing there singing and it sounds the same. Pentatonix never does a song in the studio that they cannot reproduce live On a second note we pentaholics, the name we fans refer to ourselves as, completely understand the need to alter the video because of copyright . I know that this is your channel and you can do whatever you want but I just need to mention something to you. I have epilepsy and the blinks that you put into the video to alter it started to bring on a seizure. This is very typical for somebody with epilepsy I had to stop watching the video. Fortunately I was able to recognize the onset and was able to stop getting a full seizure. I looked back at Hallelujah which I watched and saw that you just changed the background. Like I said your channel you do what you feel is right I just wanted to pass that on to you. There have been several reactors who had something similar in the background of their room where they were recording. I also mentioned this to them The part of the reaction that I did see I really really liked
Matt replaced Avi (beanie and beard). He is a horrible singer and the reason I will never go see PTX in concert. He ruins everything Avi sang first because he just can't sing or get very low so he chooses to go high which sounds stupid. I absolutely think he should be singing in a little church somewhere, if they would have him. PTX really dropped the ball on this one. I just fast forward through his parts. I enjoyed your reaction though.
![[DRAGON BALL LEGENDS REVEALS ＆ STUFF] LEGENDS FESTIVAL 2024 Special Edition Part 1](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mV5bGIswTtQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Pentatonix Popspring Concert is one of their best live performances in my opinion. Three original songs and a Michael Jackson Medley. You’ll love it! 😊
Couldn’t agree more strongly!
It’s good, but there are good more recent ones too. Anything from Hollywood Bowl 2022 livestream, or any of their more recent Christmas tours. Popspring is good but they’ve matured a lot since then.
😄👉👉This arrangement won them their first Grammy. Second Grammy was for Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy and the 3rd was for a colab with the legendary Dolly Parton (All videos available on their channel for you to react to.)
And YES! PENTATONIX is the ONLY A capella GROUP in history to win Grammys, top the Billboard charts, become WORLDWIDE SENSATIONS and they also the only. A capella group to get a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame last year!!
They actually were nominated 2 more times, though they didn't get the Grammys it's and incredible honor to be recognized and nominated!!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM! and I'll be here for this PENTATONIX journey with you!!
There was no a capella category in the Grammys, so in order for them to even be nominated, the Grammy organisers had to change the "Best Instrumental" category to "Best Instrumental Or A Capella" . Kind of amazing that a band without instruments should effectively win the Best Instrumental award. Their second Grammy, for Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy, is, as you probably know, an instrumental from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" ballet. So PTX performed an instrumental, without instruments.
They sell out massive arenas worldwide. If you ever get a chance to see them live, TAKE IT. Generally, they do sound a little bit different live. You know they aren't lip syncing.
Please do their latest live performance Kiss From A Rose 🌹 live Vevo video. You will be blown away by how far they have come since Hallelujah. They have been performing together since 2011 and it's like they are one person out there. Just truly amazing. So many great songs to choose from but Kiss From A Rose 🌹 is a whole different level. No other group can do what they can. Their talent truly is the real deal. You think they've reached the top and like in Willie Wonka they blow the ceiling off and go higher. No stopping them. Each one of them could have amazing careers if they were to go solo...but they won't do that.
Great reaction Dude!!! I'm here for the PTX reactions.
Please do Kiss From A Rose 🌹 next.
Thanks!! Sending you love from Texas ❤❤
They play to audiences of 10,000+. In the US they sing more than a dozen shows during the holidays and the same during the year. They tour all over the world as well. They have been nominated for 2 more Grammys last year and the year before AND they are the only a cappella group to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame which they received last year. Thanks for joining us Pentaholics. So glad you like and appreciate them.
During their Christmas tours they perform about 20 shows selling out 11,000 - 13,000 seat arenas. They are the real deal.
They won their first Grammy for this one. The thing about this group is they are even better live. I saw them perform last year and they are just amazing. They LOVE what they are doing and it shows in their music and on stage.
One of my favorite things is when someone says, "There's just so much going on." It's 5 voices. That's it. They're just so good that it seems like so much. I just love their talent so much...and who they all seem to be as individuals, as well.
Thank you so much for reacting to them!
This was a full Pentatonix gig. They have terrific world wide concert tours.
Matt and Avi are both great in their own special ways. There are some areas where Matt is better, but Avi is better in other areas. Also, it’s about personal preferences.
Recommend their new video of O Holy Night.
And in the musicality necessary for the arrangement. Avi is a basso profundo and Matt a lyric bass. Must be fun to arrange older songs. For the reactor: Scott always makes live interesting. Fab riffs.
Not possible without great passion and talent.
Like I think I said previously...if you show them...we will come!! This will be fun!!
Yes, the Hollywood Bowl is an open-air amphitheater.
As noted by other commenters, the new member is bass Matt Sallee (very short buzzed hair, not quite as tall as beatboxer/tenor Kevin Olusola, who has a beard now). The original Pentatonix bass, Avi Kaplan (long hair and beard, often wearing a knit beanie) left for a solo career in 2017. Following for more Pentatonix reactions!
My FAVORITE song is "The Prayer". It's one of their Best!!
My favorite Pentatonix original song is Love Me When I Don't and my favorite cover is Kiss From A Rose. I'm subbing for the Pentatonix rabbit hole!!
Oh I didn't realise they did original material! Will definitely check that out 👍🏻
I had the opportunity to see them live in concert back in August of 2019,and it was an amazing experience! If you ever get the chance to see them live in concert, definitely go for it,because you're going to enjoy yourself a lot! Great reaction! Much love from Missouri USA💜💛💖❤💕💝😁
The Hollywood Bowl is an arena that is partially covered, partially open. For a concert like this it will usually seat 17-22,000 people - and Pentatonix sold it out, as they do the vast majority of their concerts!
An interesting tidbit: Kirstie gave birth to her daughter almost exactly 3 months before this concert took place.
in 2017 Avi left the group for personal reasons, Matt joined the group soon after to cover bass. The last word of the live song was "over," Matt trying to go as low as Avi did in the original.
Matt is an amazing singer , as you go further on your pentatonix journey you ll see just how good he is 😊 one of their recent songs ' o holy night ' Matt was absolutely insane on that track !! Looking forward to seeing more PTX from you , great reaction, love that you compared the live to the MV 👏
Another one similar to this one is an original LOVE AGAIN ❤
PTX changed how people viewed a cappella with this mash up. I often tell people who are British that PTX was on Sunday Brunch in 2015 and did 3 songs live and showed their lack of cooking skills.
Thank you so much. Jumped on the band wagon immediately for more PTX. O and when the video in future get blocked, put a filter over it. We Pentaholics don't mind. Seen the vids, here for the reaction. Greetings from South Africa
This was Kirstie’s first concert back after giving birth earlier in the year. Another commenter on another song noted that she had to call out to the audience to get her breath back. They work HARD.
You see their new (2017) bass, Matt Sallee in the live! Avi Kaplan (long hair/beanie) was in the original video. They are singing in a partially covered/open air stage.
There’s a bunch from the Hollywood Bowl. Sound of Silence and Aha were 2 of my favorites.
When you get to Aha! You may want to do 2 live ones. The official video is different than their usual. You don’t really get to SEE them sing much. The Hollywood bowl one is a good one to see how it usually sounds but then you definitely have to check out the Aha! Singapore version after that. Audio isn’t the best but it’s a must see.
Their official video of Bohemian Rhapsody is awesome. They also perform it live and it is on the Hollywood Bowl 2022 performance. They have such a deep catalog and they are all amazing.
Yes, the guy with the beard, Avi Kaplan, is the one who left the group for personal reasons. He now has a solo career which is worth checking out as well. PTX hasn't missed a beat and is going strong as ever still today.
You are correct. The first bass was Avi Kaplan, who has good solo stuff, too. Now we have Matt Sallee, the larger black man. No loss of quality, but I was fond of Avi, the guy in the beanie with the beard. Watch their Imagine--it's a great one, and Avi is in it.
Ooh I love Imagine, will have to check out their version!
Great reaction! Love that you had 2-4-1 videos. As a long time Pentaholic, it was great to see a side-by-side comparison of them Then And Now. I'm here for any Pentaholic reaction, welcome to the family ❤!!
I really like the combination of watching the original music video (which uses the studio recording) and then a recent live version, so you can see both how similar the live performance is to the studio and where the differences may be.
Plus, since the original in this case is 10 years old, you can hear how their voices have changed in the years between. I know Kirstie started out being introduced as a mezzo soprano, but in recent years Scott has sometimes introduced her as "our alto-soprano", which probably indicates that her lower range has increased slightly.
THIS IS WHY PTX IS THE NUMBER ONE ACAPELLA GROUP IN THE WORLD 🌎
🎶🎙🎵
Avi Kaplin was the original "Bass" singer of PTX but left the group for personal reasons. Matt Sallee was added soon afterwards.
The only time I've seen them have instruments w/out them being on stage with them is their version of "Creep". And that's because it was recorded for the TV competition, The Masked Singer. 😊
The Hollywood bowl can seat 17.000 people think. Google.
Matt took over for Avi in 2017.
Scott (tall blond baritone) is the member of Pentatonix most likely to forget the lyrics, according to everyone in Pentatonix, including Scott. Because of this tendency, they have teleprompters scattered all around the stage during their live performances.
A bigger problem is their voices getting tired. One of the ways they care for their voices is drinking LOTS of water. This means, of course, that they also swallow a good deal of air, which can lead to a need to burp during performances. I saw an interview with Kevin (the beatboxer) where he said that because of this he's gone out of his way to figure out how to incorporate burps into his beatboxing. Kirstin gave him a dirty look. 😅
Also, both Scott and Kirstin say that they'll occasionally noticed that they aren't singing when they should be during a concert. The cause is always the same - they got caught up in listening to Mitch's beautiful voice and stopped singing because their own voices were making it hard to hear Mitch. (Mitch is the contratenor - the guy wearing the big hat in the "Hallelujah" official video.)
The Hollywood Bowl is an iconic concert and event outdoor amphitheatre venue in the Hollywood Hills. It opened July of 1922 so at the time of this concert, The Bowl was celebrating the 100th anniversary. It is amazing experience to attend a concert there. There are box seats with tables and candles. picnic areas surrounding where you bring your food, beverages of choice and make it a full experience. Highly recommended if you ever visit Los Angeles to see a show, schedule/season permitting. Or, take a tour.
I’d love to see your reaction to
Pentatonix - Bohemian Rhapsody (Official Video)
They have done this song such justice!
Brian May gave them a shot out on his socials after their release!
If you are a Queen fan, you’ll notice all the “nods” they gave to the band in the video!
I’ll look forward to your thoughts! ❤️
PTX is great and you have a lot of good music ahead of you! If you also want to experience what are generally regarded as the other two big a capella groups, I would suggest checking out Voiceplay and Home Free, as well. A great intro to Voiceplay would be Valhalla Calling or We Don't Talk About Bruno (they tend to be the most theatrical of these three groups). Home Free, tends toward country music, but are much more than that, also. The typical introduction to them is Man of Constant Sorrow.
Each of these three great groups bring something truly unique to the music they perform. Also, while all of them do quite a few covers, there are originals that they perform. Pentatonix, in particular, has several great original songs. Check out Sing or Coffee in Bed. For all three groups, you can see both videos and live performances. I would always suggest the videos first, and then maybe the live versions, similar to what you have done here. Also, people tend to not need to put a filter over Home Free and Voiceplay videos. The same is actually true for many PTX videos also, but, as you seem to have discovered, RUclips can be somewhat random about that.
Sensory overload in the best possible way.
I love Pentatonix . The Hollywood bowel is outdoor. I was there and it was amazing. It was the best concert I'd been to. They are so fun. ❤❤ I subscribed for more Pentatonix.
It was a full concert they did at Christmas time in 2022. Miles Reuben's channel has the whole concert, separated into individual songs.They toured pretty much of last year, first in Asia, then Europe, Iceland then the full US tour, so they're used to doing these sold out concerts, complete with choreography, every few days. That takes dedication and endurance....and great health and vocal control.
Great idea to combine the original studio version with a recent live version. It gives you a really good idea of just how good these guys are , how well their songs are arranged so they can be done live with no changes to the pieces, and yet there's no major difference between live performance and a studio production.
BUT, better than that is the "PRIVATE PERFORMANCE." Stand at the front of a back-stage room and SING - no mic's. Captured on a fan mobile device!!
The 2022 Hollywood Bowl concert was actually in September, not part of their Christmas tour that year. It was their first concert back after Kirstin gave birth to her daughter in June 2022. The also had a small group of cello players who accompanied them in several numbers at that concert.
@@slhoog8164 I think the fact that Kirstin repurposed that same gown for the holiday tour a few months later is what confused @Gwennedd .
They are amazing. I will stop and watch them every, single time.
Pentatonix History…..
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 RUclips, 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 RUclips 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 RUclips), 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 RUclips, 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 done a cameo appearance in the new movie “Candy Cane Lane” starring Eddie Murphy. They are the carolers.
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. No dates YET!
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 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.
@perrystevenson6364...Wow! Most of what you wrote I already knew...but the things I didn't know I appreciate learning. Nice info! Thanks!!
I saw them in London last year. They didn't disappoint. Fantastic show.
Following for more Pentatonix
The Hollywood Bowl is an outdoor amphitheater that seats 17,500 people.
Avi Kaplan went solo in 2017 due family illness. He has his own youtube and tours also. He is great. Love him. Also Kevin has his youtube and does some crazy beatboxing
All of the members of Pentatonix are awesome, obviously. If you want your mind blown, check out Kevin's Fifth. Scott explains how they connected with their beat boxer, who was a med student at Yale, and convinced him to try out for an acapella competition
They also have their own star on Hollywood Blvd!
This was at the FAMOUS Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles (I was there🌟) it's an outdoor venue. Google it, it's AMAZING!!
YES the group has had one member change
Avi (Ah-vee) the original bass, left on good terms at the end of 2017 and
Matt replaced him.
Though the Daft Punk video is over a decade old the members are still quite young.
All in their early 30s. Obviously they are more mature .
The members names are:
Scott Hoying - Tall blonde guy sings baritone but covers the bass when the bass singer has a singing lead. Scott also hits HIGH falsettos and is EXTREMELY soulful.
Kirstin (Kirstie rhymes with thirsty) Maldonado sings mezzo soprano, alto.
Kirstie changes her look A LOT!!
Mitch Grassi (guy with the HIGH voice) sings counter tenor/tenor Mitch changes his look A LOT!!
Kevin Olusula or K.O is the AMAZING beatboxer!! He plays cello at the same time while beatboxing "cello-boxing". K.O also sings tenor.
Avi (Ah-vee) Kaplan was the original bass/basso profundo from 2021 to end of 2017, also sang baritone and overtone.
Matt Sallee is the new (not so new) bass, baritone
They ALL have solo, side projects as well. You'll soon find out that PENTATONIX or PTX is the GIFT that keeps on giving!!
🌟👉 I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you follow their social medias and FOLLOW PTXWEEKLYNEWS on all social medias!
For a truly live version of this, watch their "private performance" with no mics ruclips.net/video/tw4YCsHXKgI/видео.html
yes
It’s Avi who has left. And!Kirstie uses wigs.
Love the double reaction. You should also do it with 90’s Dance Medley (official and Hollywood Bowl) and Bohemian Rhapsody (offic. and HB).
I love how you altered the screen to fend off copyright strikes! Plenty of wonderfulness ahead of you
PTX!!
There is an unmixed version that was done as a make a wish. They sang it straight up no post production in Kevin's living room. Sounds the same.
This was a full PTX concert in an outdoor arena, the Hollywood Bowl, as part of the Hollywood Bowl’s 50th anniversary year. Correct, Matt Sallee replaced Avi Kaplan as bass. Seeing them live is so amazing! The vocals and beatboxing are so demanding, but they have incredible stamina. Kevin, the beatboxer actually warms up by beatboxing for a long time because he claims it gets easier for him the longer he does it. I wonder if other beatboxers feel that way or if they think he’s crazy, lol. Great reaction! Good idea to watch the two versions in one!
Not sure whether we've told you about the origin of Pentatonix yet, but if not it's time we did, so...
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 he was still a pre-teen, 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 RUclips 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 RUclips had something called RUclips 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 RUclips 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 RUclips. 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.
Matt is great, but Avi is super special. 😊
Awesome Reaction!!
You will continue to be amazed at their range. This bunch can sing anything. They love to do Christmas music. They've even got a couple of pieces with rap. Two of my favorites are Kiira's "Gold", totally stripped-down with the 5 of them just sitting on chairs with microphones in front of them and Ariana Grande's "Problem" which is just plain fun. Keep digging. There's so much Pentatonix to enjoy!
Awesome reaction. Subbed for more PTX! Hope you go down the rabbit hole! Thank you!
Bohemian Rhapsody
Imagine
Amazing Grace
Sound of Silence
All good covers
Glad you enjoyed this. Popspring 2016 is a concert that will blow your mind. New sub here for the good review. Have a good from Tennessee,USA
Fun, talented, Wow ~ great reaction, Thanks!
Listen to Defying Gravity
They recorded this in Kevin and Avi's kitchen and closet for about $400...
This was recorded in Avi's closet & mixed in his kitchen.
They made this video inside Avi and Kevin's Apartment. In the kitchen and closets. It cost them $400.00 to make and they won their first Grammy for it.
Many people mistakenly think PTX recorded this themselves on an iPad, but that is not the case. It was shot, recorded and edited by FifGen Films, the small production company that has made several PTX and Avi videos over the years. This interview with Jimmy Bates, principle of FifGen, gives insight into the challenges and rewards of filming the video. strobist.blogspot.com/2013/11/pentatonix-daft-punk-video-low-budget.html
I know it’s a Christmas tune, but I can’t wait for you to react to “Mary, Did You Know?” As for this performance, the live version is in a lower key. Only people with perfect or relative pitch would hear it. That’s why I don’t like live performances unless it’s legit music.
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You definitely should check out Pentatonix with (Bohemian Rhapsody) it is another one that is so exquisite!!! You will not be disappointed 💣
Problem with that is, I don't like Bohemian Rhapsody 😳 maybe PTX can change that 🤷🏻♂️
@@j4m35reacts I think they can ☺️ they had so much fun doing the video,and it's awesome ❤️ just wait and listen when someone plays the trumpet 😄 with his mouth.
Enjoyed. Give a listen to their cover of The Lion King’s Can You Feel the Love Tonight official video for the visuals alone are stunning.
Yes only Avi Kaplan the bearded guy left amicably. Matt has been with the group since 2016/2017. Avi has a solo career now
Here's a different live version, this one a frankly not-so-great fan cam recording, but it will still give a bit of a different take on the live performance. It was from April 2016 and you can see that it does have Avi Kaplan on bass, and the choreography is rather more energetic (seeing whereas they were 6 years younger). I prefer the bass in this live one. ruclips.net/video/j_L6LQIMo9M/видео.html
I recommend you check out Avi Kaplan's solo music (about 90% of which is original). While most reactors start with the first single he was legally allowed to release after leaving PTX - "Change on the Rise", I like to recommend a much newer original song "When I'm a Fool", recorded live at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles with backing by some of the area's best studio musicians. ruclips.net/video/LE24UTH3pmQ/видео.html
Matt took Avi's place!
You're right Avi Kaplan is the one who's no longer with the group 😔 personally I liked them more when Avi was there , just because his base is out of this world. But they are still one of the best acapella group out there, in my opinion it is Pentatonix and Home Free that are the best out there. 🥰
$400, filmed in a kitchen, recorded in a closet, equals a Grammy win the Pentatonix way. Actually the category they won in the name had to be changed so that they could be included. It was originally best arrangement or instrumental and then that year they added acapella. There is a video of them doing a green room performance that I think was for a Make-A-Wish Foundation. They're standing there singing and it sounds the same. Pentatonix never does a song in the studio that they cannot reproduce live
On a second note we pentaholics, the name we fans refer to ourselves as, completely understand the need to alter the video because of copyright . I know that this is your channel and you can do whatever you want but I just need to mention something to you. I have epilepsy and the blinks that you put into the video to alter it started to bring on a seizure. This is very typical for somebody with epilepsy
I had to stop watching the video. Fortunately I was able to recognize the onset and was able to stop getting a full seizure. I looked back at Hallelujah which I watched and saw that you just changed the background. Like I said your channel you do what you feel is right I just wanted to pass that on to you. There have been several reactors who had something similar in the background of their room where they were recording. I also mentioned this to them The part of the reaction that I did see I really really liked
I'm sorry you had to stop watching the video, but I didn't put any 'blinks' in the video. The only effect I put on was a cartoon effect.
@@j4m35reacts The "blinks" were the way the background stage lights came across on the video. A trick of the recording unfortunately.
Why do people bring Matt into a video with Aviin it?
Because Matt was in the live version shown after the original version. Or didn't you watch the whole video?
Matt replaced Avi (beanie and beard). He is a horrible singer and the reason I will never go see PTX in concert. He ruins everything Avi sang first because he just can't sing or get very low so he chooses to go high which sounds stupid. I absolutely think he should be singing in a little church somewhere, if they would have him. PTX really dropped the ball on this one. I just fast forward through his parts. I enjoyed your reaction though.