If you haven't heard of Pentatonix, you might think that the words "chart-topping" and "a
cappella" don't exactly go together. But these talented stars have changed the game using
only their vocal chops. So how did they hit the big time? This is the untold truth of
Pentatonix.
Pentatonix began when three childhood friends from Arlington, Texas — Kirstin Maldonado,
Scott Hoying, and Mitch Grassi — began creating a cappella trios together. Mitch explained
to Go Pride Chicago,
"We had been in choir for most of our high school careers."
"Pentatonix is a scale, a scale widely used in all types of music. Five notes. It's normally
Pentatonic scale. We added the X to make it cooler."
After several school performances, a filmed version of their cover for Lady Gaga's "Telephone"
made its way onto YouTube and went viral. As of 2020, the song has over 1 million views,
on each of the group's two different iterations. From there, the friends posted several other
trio videos, including "Sweet Dreams" by Beyoncé and "Firework" by Katy Perry.
After going viral in high school, Scott, Kirstin, and Mitch went their separate ways — that
is, until they got back together to audition for Season 3 of The Sing-Off. But as Mitch
explained to Jake's Take, the minimum number of members in a group was five. He said,
"Through [a] friend, we found Avi Kaplan [our bass] and we found [our] beatboxer Kevin 'K.O.'
Olusola on YouTube."
And it sounds like the group came together just in time. As Kevin told The Hollywood
Reporter,
"Avi and I came in the day before the audition for the show, so that was very nerve-racking."
Nevertheless, once the five singers started performing together, they never looked back.
Pentatonix went on to win the show, and as singer-songwriter and judge Sara Bareilles
told Billboard,
"They're innovators, pushing boundaries in the right ways."
The group of five quickly became more than just an act — they had grown into a family.
In 2014, Scott confessed to Entertainment Weekly,
"We're like a family, to the point where we spend all our time together and sometimes
we don't get along."
"We're so diverse and are so different, but at the same time we all have this common love
for music."
According to Kevin, the family dynamic was something that happened naturally over time.
Considering that they barely knew each other when they started singing together, they initially
had trouble understanding each other's ideas. But these days, he says,
"Now that we understand each other so well, we understand how to make things work because
we know each person's dynamic and character."
One thing's for sure — this talented group is consistently dedicated to their craft.
As the members of Pentatonix explained to Entertainment Weekly, they even went as far
as to take French lessons for one of their songs. When they decided to do a cover of
"Papaoutai" by Stromae, they knew they were stepping out of their comfort zone, performing
a piece entirely in the French language. And apparently, it wasn't an easy task for the
fivesome.
With members of the band calling the experience, quote, "so hard," "a little rough," and, "tedious,"
Scott went on to explain that he managed to push through the lessons because of the thrill
of performing the original song. Plus, as Mitch noted, they knew fans would be disappointed
if they didn't characteristically crush it. Which, they totally did, even performing it
live for a French audience.
It appears that just about everybody knows everybody in the entertainment industry. After
leaving high school, Scott, Mitch, and Kirstin went on to have incredibly successful careers
with Pentatonix, and they probably never thought they'd ever cross paths with their old high
school classmates. But that's just what happened when they made it to Good Morning America.
"Good morning! Good Morning America."
In 2014, an old friend produced their interview for the morning show. As Scott explained to
Entertainment Weekly,
"[Mitch, Kirstin, and I] always talk about how we were a trio in high school, and he
was probably the fourth to our group of friends. We were so close to him. He's living out his
dream doing what he wants to do, too. It's like worlds colliding."
Over the years, Pentatonix has amassed legions of loyal fans. Their YouTube channel boasts
well over 18 million subscribers, and among their dedicated followers are a few familiar
names. As they shared with Entertainment Weekly, their famous fan base includes Channing Tatum,
Bonnie Hunt, Kelly Clarkson, Imogen Heap, and Christina Perri. And as the group confessed,
they still get a little starstruck when meeting other stars.
Scott explained that he had loved Kelly Clarkson ever since he was a kid. And when he met her
backstage at a concert, she apparently claimed she'd seen the entire collection of Pentatonix
music videos. Scott told the outlet,
"I never ask for pictures with celebrities, but I was like, I have to ask for a picture
because I want the band to believe this story."
"They can sing, y'all. It's insane."
The group even later went on tour with Clarkson. And as for Kirstin, Channing Tatum posting
their video for "Royals" was a huge moment. She said,
"I geeked out because I was like, 'He's seen us.'"
Because Pentatonix is an a cappella group, they rely strictly on their voices for just
about everything. And with no additional instruments, there's not a lot to hide behind. It would
be easy to assume that the group would need to do some pretty intense warm-ups to keep
their vocal cords in shape. But as it turns out, the singers have some...unusual pre-show
practices.
"Don't take the focus away from the music is kind of what this is saying."
During a press conference, Kirstin confessed that her warm-up consisted of simply brushing
her teeth. Scott claimed that all he needed was a Red Bull. And for Avi, he won't do a
show without first taking a nap! He explained,
"It relaxes me, but it also makes my voice lower."
The group also said that before they perform, they like to pray together.
Pentatonix seems like one of those music groups that has always had amazing luck. From their
first viral videos to their big win on The Sing-Off, their rise to the top seems relatively
charmed. But it turns out, they haven't always had it so easy.
In a devastating turn, their label dropped them unexpectedly, shortly after they won
The Sing-Off in 2011. As Scott revealed to Cincinnati Magazine, it was a tough reality
to face. The label contract had been part of their prize for winning the show, and the
whole group had just moved to Los Angeles to work on music full-time. Scott added,
"When we ended up getting dropped, it was really, really, really sad."
"We love what we do, and we wanna continue doing that."
But there was a silver lining. As Scott explained, their original contract wasn't exactly a good
one. So, when they were dropped, it gave them the chance to become known on YouTube. Soon,
they had 8 million followers — and found a home at a much bigger label: RCA Records.
Despite getting a big boost from their appearance on The Sing-Off, Pentatonix's fame really
started to grow thanks to social media. And looking back at their career, it's clear that
YouTube and other platforms have played a huge role in expanding their fan base. Mitch
explained to Jake's Take,
"Not only [is it] way easier to spread the word about new material, but it's a great
way for our fans to keep up with our current activities, plus they get to know us on a
more personal level."
In 2016, Avi summed up their success with fans, telling Face Culture,
"I think social media is really the heart and soul of […] everything."
The Pitch Perfect movies arguably brought the world of a cappella competition to the
mainstream. And Pentatonix seemed like an obvious group to include in the story.
"Hey! We're Pentatonix. And we are so excited to officially announce we're going to be in
Pitch Perfect 2."
For the sequel in 2015, the singers snagged a little cameo featuring an a cappella mashup,
and fans were thrilled. As Mitch explained, their performance for the film was a bit of
a throwback to their early days. He told Entertainment Weekly,
"It isn't really something we would do in terms of style. It was very reminiscent of
The Sing-Off, but it was kind of fun to go back to where we started and do it up a bit
cheesier than usual."
Scott claimed producers were pretty easy going with allowing the group creative freedom,
telling the outlet,
"They were like, do your thing. We arranged it, sent it, and they were like, 'Check, we
love it.'"
"A-ca-mazing."
If you're a Pentatonix fan, you've probably got their Christmas tracks blasting all December
long. Aside from maybe Mariah Carey and Michael Buble, few artists have made as much of a
splash from their holiday offerings. Scott even joked with Billboard that making Christmas
music might have been one of their smartest moves. But he has a point. Of their ten top
200 albums, half of those were Christmas records.
"Y'know, Pentatonix, it's always Christmas, we're the Christmas band some would say, so
it's Christmas year round for us."
Kirstin explained that the group kept coming back to Christmas songs for a reason, telling
Nola,
"A cappella and Christmas music really go well together. It feels in the spirit of Christmas,
how jolly and fun Christmas songs are."
Kirstin even co-wrote one of the band's original holiday tracks, "Good to Be Bad."
One of the saddest moments in the group's history came in 2017, when Avi decided it
was time to say goodbye. He announced his departure in a tearful Facebook video, alongside
the other members of the group.
"I've decided to take a step back from Pentatonix."
Reassuring fans that his six years with the band had been unforgettable, he explained
that he had sometimes become overwhelmed by the pace of life that came with being part
of Pentatonix. He said,
"It's been one of the toughest decisions to make in my entire life. […] I believe in
what we do, and I believe in what they will do."
Later that year, a new bassist, Matt Sallee, had joined the group ahead of a new album
and tour. And Matt, as it turned out, had already been a total fan of the people he
would so closely be working with. In an Instagram post, he wrote,
"They have been nothing but the most humble and sweet human beings in the world and I'm
so blessed and humbled to work with a group of people I have looked up to for such a long
time. Dreams do come true people!"
It appears that pop icon Ariana Grande means a lot to Pentatonix. Like...a lot. And, musically
speaking, she's provided the group a wealth of great material. They covered her song "Problem"
in 2014, and then in 2019, they performed a viral compilation of her music for "The
Evolution of Ariana Grande." Grande saw the video and tweeted it, writing,
"This is so incredible my face has chills and the last minute made me sob."
To that rave review, Pentatonix replied,
"Thank you [Ariana Grande] for the kind words! We're so happy you enjoyed it!! We love you!"
In fact, the group talks about Grande so much that there's actually a five-minute mashup
video on YouTube composed purely of clips of those moments. And when asked by Billboard
what their favorite album of 2018 was, the whole group agreed it had to be Grande's Sweetener.
Scott admitted, quote, "We're Ariana stans." Um, a little! Could there be a collaboration
in the future? We can only cross our fingers.
If you're looking for even more music from the Pentatonix gang, you're in luck. Two of
the members of the group, Scott and Mitch, have created a duo called Superfruit. As Mitch
explained to Out in 2017, the new project allows him to show his, quote, "raunchy" side.
Hello! He admitted,
"It's a little less G-rated, but the funny thing is there isn't a difference between
Pentatonix and Superfruit as far as who we are, because Scott and I are being ourselves
in both situations. [Superfruit is] more gay-friendly and a lot […] more liberated."
In an interview for Paper, Scott said that branching out from the main group was pretty
easy thanks to some early rule-making. He explained to the outlet,
"We've always had a rule. Since everyone has their own solo project, even from the very
beginning, our rule has been that everyone can do whatever they want but, Pentatonix
always comes first."
Sounds like we don't have to worry about Pentatonix breaking apart into solo projects any time
soon. Which is good because we're counting on those signature a cappella hits!
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