With Christmas right around the corner, it’s time to talk about musicians that begin to thaw on November 1. And no, I’m not talking about Mariah Carey. I’m talking about the 5-person a cappella group Pentatonix.
Pentatonix currently consists of baritone Scott Hoying, counter-tenor Mitch Grassi, mezzo-soprano Kirstin Maldonado, beat boxer Kevin “K.O.” Olusola, and bass Matt Sallee. The group started in 2010 as a trio that consisted of Hoying, Grassi, and Maldonado, who became friends through their high school’s choir and drama groups in Arlington, Texas. The three started releasing covers on Hoying’s YouTube channel, and in 2011, they found their original bass Avi Kaplan through a mutual friend and their beat boxer Osusola through a viral video of him playing the cello while beat boxing.
The newly formed Pentatonix won the a capella competition show The Sing-Off in November 2011, which came with $200,000 and a recording contract with Sony Music. They were dropped not long after, likely due to their marketability at the time. But that didn’t stop them from continuing to release music.
After releasing their first pop album PTX in mid-September 2014, they soon released That’s Christmas to Me in late October 2014, just in time for the holiday season. Today, they’ve released eight total Christmas albums and several more song compilations, EPs, and singles. These albums left a huge mark on my childhood, and will always put me right into the holiday spirit.
Christmas Classics!
Even though I was only 5 years old when Pentatonix released their first EPs and singles, I immediately fell in love. I’m a Music major and my dad has played music throughout his whole life, so we’re both major music people. (Shoutout to my dad!) When I was a kid, Pentatonix’s music immediately warmed my heart. There’s something about that no instrument, pure harmonic vocal sound that I just loved.
Some of their early songs that will always be on my Christmas playlist are their covers (all from 2014-2015-ish when Kaplan was still their bass):
- “Mary Did You Know“
- “Hallelujah“
- “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen“
- “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy“
- “Carol of the Bells“
I will say their newer Christmas music is popular and very pretty, but it just doesn’t hit the same for the nostalgic Christmas vibes I love during the holiday season. When I think of Christmas, I always picture homemade desserts, a tree decorated with handmade ornaments made by me and my sister, and Pentatonix music playing throughout a house full of decorations. I still listen to their music every holiday season, or even in the summer when I just want memories of a simpler time in life.
When I think of the effects that Pentatonix’s Christmas music has had on my life, I’m immediately thrown into my childhood. Hearing “Hallelujah” or “Mary Did You Know” brings me memories of childhood Christmases where school parties were magical, home was warm and inviting, and my nights were spent snuggled under a blanket watching my favorite Christmas movies. The piece that’s in all of my memories is Pentatonix’s latest single, EP, or album. I looked forward to their newest Christmas music every fall to really get into the holiday spirit.
Nowadays, I’ll sit in my car, dorm room, or my bedroom at home, put on my headphones, and listen to a playlist with all of Pentatonix’s Christmas music. I’ll sing with them, even doing some of the harmonies that I’m able to pull out of their older music. I’ll go to sleep with their voices soothing my soul. Even when the holiday season doesn’t feel the same as it did when I was little, just their music helps me feel closer to that time.