Pentatonix's Transformation Is Turning Heads

why was the grammy-winning acapella sensation pentatonix dropped by their label in 2011. it's all part of the group's stunning transformation as many longtime fans of pentatonix know the three founding members kirsten maldonado scott hoying and mitch grassi met when they were all in high school grassy told go pride that the three each shared an affinity for choir that would prove to be instrumental in their lives hoying has also shared a similar story explaining to entertainment.ie that the three grew up together and that he went on to develop a passion for a cappella music that he quickly shared with maldonado and grassy in fact grossi explained to the site just how new a cappella was to each of them each of the members of the group had a long time interest in musical theater classical music and choir but once hoing learned about acapella music it was a game changer grassy said so we all really loved music but the acapella thing wasn't really a main thing for any of us when scott went to college he was in an acapella group and that's when he started to get into it in 2011 hoying grassy and maldonado decided it was time to take their act to the next level hoyang and maldonado were in college when the former asked the rest of the group if they wanted to try out for the sing-off luckily they agreed but then they were promptly confronted with a snag they needed five people in their group to be on the show hoying told entertainment.ie that they solved the problem quickly explaining i wanted to try out for the sing-off with my two friends kirsty and mitch but you have to have at least five people so we decided to add a bass and beatboxer the hollywood reporter has noted that things really came together for pentatonix when they were down to the wire it turns out that the quintet wasn't all the way formed until the day before they were due to audition kevin olusela told the publication that things really were that hectic he was planning to go to medical school before taking the leap to join the group clearly it was meant to be elusiola added i had no idea we could connect like that instantaneously we had this musical synergy that i had never felt before in the end pentatonix ended up winning season 3 of the show setting the group on a path toward a surreal degree of success the members of pentatonix were surprised when they were unceremoniously dropped from their record label not too long after their sing-off win in retrospect maldonado says the move wasn't that difficult to understand given the unusual nature of the group she told triblive.com they didn't know what to do with us which is understandable because we are acapella which is not commonly mainstream instead of giving up the group decided to take matters into their own hands and harness the power of social media and youtube scott hoying told entertainment.ie that the youtube channel was really the secret to everything after explaining that the group was worried people's attention spans would move on quickly once the novelty of their sing-off win had worn off he says that moving the show to the internet was the plan he added we thought people are gonna forget about us really fast and our label had dropped us so we thought okay i guess we're on our own let's start a youtube channel and that's when it really took off since pentatonix has now been together for 10 years it's not surprising that they feel like a family hoing told entertainment weekly that the group is so much like a family that they don't always gel with one another with mitch grassi adding we get snappy hoying was quick to explain that while that's true the group gets along and works together well hoyang also told entertainment.ie that if there's one thing that can test the group's bond it's being out on the road understandably the grind of performing each night and traveling each day can exhaust even the closest to friends and hoing says that having to arrange music while doing so compounds that considerably he explained we always have to arrange on tour and write on tour so whenever we have to double up on work do shows and write and arrange before and after them usually we're a little more tired and irritable while it's clear that each of the members of pentatonix have been serious about the group since the sing-off scott hoying and kirsten maldonado had to prove their dedication in a big way when it was time to do the show they were each in their freshman years of college in the end they had to make a choice stay in school or move to los angeles to pursue their dream maldonado told tulsa world that she had originally planned to move to new york to pursue a career in stage performance before taking a sharp turn westward instead she says that the chance to be on the show together was too much to pass up explaining we thought it would be a cool opportunity and take us to the next level where we all wanted to go individually it might be tempting to assume that the members of pentatonix are so close that they must all love the same music but doing so would be a mistake while speaking to entertainment.ie scott hoying explained that though each member is into something else their common enthusiasm for harmonies is what ties the group together he said mitch loves tons of harmonies i was always a big r b guy avi loves choral music and kevin loves classical music so he's really big into counterpoint and technical things kirsten loves singer-songwriters hoyang also says that these diverse influences and interests are what make the group stronger additionally the fact that each member can draw from a different influence makes the music they work on and create together all the more powerful and enriched when it was time to release the group's first original album grassy told popdus that they drew inspiration from a variety of sources including singers from the 1990s he said the funny thing is i feel like we pulled a lot of influence from either 90s singers like lauren hill or people who are imitating her like tori kelly even though pentatonix got their start by performing acapella covers on the sing-off and on youtube the group had its sights set on producing their own original music too in an interview with entertainment.ie from seven years ago mitch grassi emphasized this point when he explained this next album that we're going to do is primarily original so we're starting to work with writers and write on our own to kind of create our own sound i feel like the first time we were working on an original album there were a lot of questions about how do we do it what's the formula for an awesome pop song and that album ended up being their self-titled release that hit music stores radio and the internet in 2015. as reported by billboard the album hit number one on the brand's top 200 chart which was an incredibly impressive feat for an acapella group scott hoying told the sun chronicle that making the decision to create original music was pretty natural for the group it was just time he said i think we thought it was time to focus on originals because we had just done a bunch of covers and we had had success in that way as he added the group just felt like it was the right time to go for it so they did pentatonix had a lot to celebrate when the 2015 grammys rolled around the group won their first ever award for best arrangement instrumental or acapella the group was understandably thrilled with the win even updating their website with a statement celebrating their victory they wrote more than 48 hours later we are still feeling the grammy buzz this past weekend was one of the greatest of our entire lives and such a major moment for pentatonix the group capitalized on their success almost immediately heading out on a nationwide tour throughout the united states as rift magazine notes the band sold out nearly all of their dates while speaking to the publication ahead of the grammy awards scott hoing put all his hopes out there pentatonix really wanted to win he said that he felt like they had a strong shot especially because of the unique nature of their group explaining people want to see something new refreshing organic i think there's something humble and super fun about acapella when it comes to writing and arranging their own music the members of pentatonix really prefer to work together as much as possible scott hoying told cincinnati magazine that typically one member of the group will come up with an idea for a song or arrangement and explain how the other members can contribute to either original music or performing a cover of a song since he mitch grassi and kirsten maldonado all have different styles and voices the group then begins collaborating on how to best make the song shine hoiang adds that when it comes to arranging a song there is often a lot of improvisation but the end result is often the same just a good time with people they each love he explains by the time we're done arranging it we have it learned and ready to perform it's a really fun organic process just making stuff up on the spot with your friends as people who are still quite young it's not really surprising that the members of pentatonix have been very adept at using the power of social media to build their brand and band while speaking to billboard in 2019 scott hoying was quick to credit social media with being their quote biggest power move as using the various platforms has allowed the band to directly interact with fans and build loyalty and even friendships in fact pentatonix began as the trio when they first started their youtube channel but just having a channel on the platform wasn't enough there's a lot of work that goes into making something happen professionally through youtube and other social media and sharing platforms one way pentatonix used youtube to their full advantage was to really flesh out the description box of each video adding links to their website sites where fans can buy songs and all of their social media pages and accounts fans were able to feel like they really had a bond with the band which in turn made fans keep coming back for more fans were stunned when avi kaplan who joined the group back in 2011 for the sing-off left pentatonix in 2017. kaplan announced his departure in an emotional video posted on facebook explaining that the decision wasn't one he made quickly or easily but in the end kaplan felt he wasn't able to stay connected to friends and family the way he wanted to as a member of the group this decision is something that i've been struggling with a lot kaplan also added that he didn't want to do anything to stop the group's success so he decided it was time to go he explained i could never inhibit their success in any way i would never ever want that i really just do not want to slow down this group while fans were disappointed and upset they were also thrilled when the band announced they had a replacement for kaplan matt salee announced he had come on board in october 2017 writing on instagram that he already felt at home with the group the post said 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 check out one of our newest videos right here plus even more list videos about your favorite celebrities are coming soon subscribe to our youtube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one [Applause] [Music]

Channel: The List

Views: 2,970,719

Keywords: the list, pentatonix, tranformation, kirstin maldonado, a cappella

Id: Lie6hc6BJeQ

Length: 9min 50sec (590 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 12 2021