No doubt about it, Pentatonix's transformation is turning heads. Here's a look back at their journey from being "The Trio" on YouTube, to winning NBC's "The Sing Off," to their current global sensation status.
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00:00Why was the Grammy-winning a cappella sensation Pentatonix dropped by their label in 2011?
00:05It's all part of the group's stunning transformation.
00:09As many longtime fans of Pentatonix know, the three founding members — Kirsten Maldonado,
00:14Scott Hoying, and Mitch Grossi — met when they were all in high school.
00:17Grossi told Go Pride that the three each shared an affinity for choir that would prove to
00:22be instrumental in their lives.
00:23Hoying has also shared a similar story, explaining to Entertainment.ie that the three grew up
00:28together and that he went on to develop a passion for a cappella music that he quickly
00:32shared with Maldonado and Grossi.
00:34In fact, Grossi explained to the site just how new a cappella was to each of them.
00:38Each of the members of the group had a longtime interest in musical theater, classical music,
00:42and choir, but once Hoying learned about a cappella music, it was a game-changer.
00:46Grossi said,
00:47"'So we all really loved music, but the a cappella thing wasn't really a main thing
00:51for any of us.
00:52When Scott went to college, he was in an a cappella group, and that's when he started
00:55to get into it."
00:57In 2011, Hoying, Grossi, and Maldonado decided it was time to take their act to the next
01:02level.
01:03Hoying and Maldonado were in college when the former asked the rest of the group if
01:06they wanted to try out for the sing-off.
01:07Luckily, they agreed, but then they were promptly confronted with a snag — they needed five
01:12people in their group to be on the show.
01:14Hoying told Entertainment.ie that they solved the problem quickly, explaining,
01:18"...I wanted to try out for the sing-off with my two friends, Kirstie and Mitch, but you
01:22have to have at least five people, so we decided to add a bass and beatboxer."
01:26The Hollywood Reporter has noted that things really came together for Pentatonix when they
01:30were down to the wire.
01:31It turns out that the quintet wasn't all the way formed until the day before they were
01:34due to audition.
01:35Kevin Olusola told the publication that things really were that hectic.
01:39He was planning to go to medical school before taking the leap to join the group.
01:43Clearly, it was meant to be.
01:44Olusola added,
01:45"...I had no idea we could connect like that instantaneously.
01:48We had this musical synergy that I had never felt before."
01:51In the end, Pentatonix ended up winning Season 3 of the show, setting the group on a path
01:55toward a surreal degree of success.
01:58The members of Pentatonix were surprised when they were unceremoniously dropped from their
02:02record label not too long after their sing-off win.
02:05In retrospect, Maldonado says the move wasn't that difficult to understand, given the unusual
02:10nature of the group.
02:11She told Triblive.com,
02:12"...they didn't know what to do with us, which is understandable because we are a cappella,
02:16which is not commonly mainstream."
02:18Instead of giving up, the group decided to take matters into their own hands and harness
02:22the power of social media and YouTube.
02:24Scott Hoying told Entertainment.ie that the YouTube channel was really the secret to everything.
02:29After explaining that the group was worried people's attention spans would move on quickly
02:33once the novelty of their sing-off win had worn off, he says that moving the show to
02:37the internet was the plan.
02:38He added,
02:39"...we thought, people are gonna forget about us really fast, and our label had dropped
02:42us, so we thought, okay, I guess we're on our own, let's start a YouTube channel.
02:46And that's when it really took off."
02:49Since Pentatonix has now been together for 10 years, it's not surprising that they feel
02:53like a family.
02:55Hoying told Entertainment Weekly that the group is so much like a family that they don't
02:58always gel with one another, with Mitch Grossi adding,
03:00"...we get snappy."
03:01Hoying was quick to explain that while that's true, the group gets along and works together
03:06well.
03:07Hoying also told Entertainment.ie that if there's one thing that can test the group's
03:10bond, it's being out on the road.
03:12Understandably, the grind of performing each night and traveling each day can exhaust even
03:16the closest of friends, and Hoying says that having to arrange music while doing so compounds
03:21that considerably.
03:22He explained,
03:23"...we always have to arrange on tour and write on tour, so whenever we have to double
03:27up on work, do shows, and write and arrange before and after them, usually we're a little
03:31more tired and irritable."
03:34While it's clear that each of the members of Pentatonix have been serious about the
03:37group since the sing-off, Scott Hoying and Kirsten Maldonado had to prove their dedication
03:41in a big way.
03:43When it was time to do the show, they were each in their freshman years of college.
03:46In the end, they had to make a choice — stay in school or move to Los Angeles to pursue
03:50their dream.
03:51Maldonado told Tulsa World that she had originally planned to move to New York to pursue a career
03:55in stage performance before taking a sharp turn westward instead.
03:59She says that the chance to be on the show together was too much to pass up, explaining,
04:03"...we thought it would be a cool opportunity and take us to the next level where we all
04:06wanted to go individually."
04:08It might be tempting to assume that the members of Pentatonix are so close that they must
04:12all love the same music, but doing so would be a mistake.
04:15While speaking to Entertainment.ie, Scott Hoying explained that though each member is
04:20into something else, their common enthusiasm for harmonies is what ties the group together.
04:24He said,
04:25"...Mitch loves tons of harmonies, I was always a big R&B guy, Avi loves choral music, and
04:30Kevin loves classical music, so he's really big into counterpoint and technical things.
04:34Kirsten loves singer-songwriters."
04:36Hoying also says that these diverse influences and interests are what make the group stronger.
04:41Additionally, the fact that each member can draw from a different influence makes the
04:44music they work on and create together all the more powerful and enriched.
04:48When it was time to release the group's first original album, Grossi told Popdust that they
04:52drew inspiration from a variety of sources, including singers from the 1990s.
04:56He said,
04:57"...the funny thing is, I feel like we pulled a lot of influence from either 90s singers
05:00like Lauryn Hill or people who are imitating her, like Tori Kelly."
05:05Even though Pentatonix got their start by performing a cappella covers on The Sing-Off
05:08and on YouTube, the group had its sights set on producing their own original music, too.
05:13In an interview with Entertainment.ie from seven years ago, Mitch Grossi emphasized
05:17this point when he explained,
05:18"...this next album that we're going to do is primarily original, so we're starting to
05:22work with writers and write on our own to kind of create our own sound."
05:25"...I feel like the first time we were working on an original album, there were a lot of
05:29questions about, how do we do it, what's the formula for an awesome pop song?"
05:34That album ended up being their self-titled release that hit music stores, radio, and
05:38the internet in 2015.
05:40As reported by Billboard, the album hit No. 1 on the brand's Top 200 chart, which was
05:44an incredibly impressive feat for an a cappella group.
05:47Scott Hoying told The Sun Chronicle that making the decision to create original music was
05:51pretty natural for the group.
05:53It was just time.
05:54He said,
05:55"...I think we thought it was time to focus on originals because we had just done a bunch
05:58of covers and we had had success in that way."
06:00As he added, the group just felt like it was the right time to go for it, so they did.
06:05Pentatonix had a lot to celebrate when the 2015 Grammys rolled around.
06:09The group won their first-ever award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental, or A Cappella.
06:13The group was understandably thrilled with the win, even updating their website with
06:17a statement celebrating their victory.
06:19They wrote,
06:20"...more than 48 hours later, we are still feeling the Grammy buzz.
06:23This past weekend was one of the greatest of our entire lives and such a major moment
06:27for Pentatonix."
06:28The group capitalized on their success almost immediately, heading out on a nationwide tour
06:32throughout the United States.
06:34As Riff Magazine notes, the band sold out nearly all of their dates.
06:38While speaking to the publication ahead of the Grammy Awards, Scott Hoying put all his
06:41hopes out there.
06:42Pentatonix really wanted to win.
06:44He said that he felt like they had a strong shot, especially because of the unique nature
06:48of their group, explaining,
06:49"...people want to see something new, refreshing, organic.
06:52I think there's something humble and super fun about a cappella."
06:56When it comes to writing and arranging their own music, the members of Pentatonix really
06:59prefer to work together as much as possible.
07:02Scott Hoying told Cincinnati Magazine that typically, one member of the group will come
07:06up with an idea for a song or arrangement and explain how the other members can contribute
07:10to either original music or performing a cover of a song.
07:13Since he, Mitch Grassi, and Kirsten Maldonado all have different styles and voices, the
07:18group then begins collaborating on how to best make the song shine.
07:21Hoying adds that when it comes to arranging a song, there is often a lot of improvisation,
07:25but the end result is often the same — just a good time with people they each love.
07:29He explains,
07:30"...by the time we're done arranging it, we have it learned and ready to perform.
07:33It's a really fun, organic process just making stuff up on the spot with your friends."
07:38As people who are still quite young, it's not really surprising that the members of
07:41Pentatonix have been very adept at using the power of social media to build their brand
07:45and band.
07:46While speaking to Billboard in 2019, Scott Hoying was quick to credit social media with
07:51being their, quote, "...biggest power move," as using the various platforms has allowed
07:55the band to directly interact with fans and build loyalty and even friendships.
07:59In fact, Pentatonix began as the trio when they first started their YouTube channel,
08:05but just having a channel on the platform wasn't enough.
08:08There's a lot of work that goes into making something happen professionally through YouTube
08:11and other social media and sharing platforms.
08:14One way Pentatonix used YouTube to their full advantage was to really flesh out the description
08:18box of each video, adding links to their website, sites where fans can buy songs, and all of
08:23their social media pages and accounts.
08:25Fans were able to feel like they really had a bond with the band, which in turn made fans
08:29keep coming back for more.
08:31Fans were stunned when Avi Kaplan, who joined the group back in 2011 for the sing-off, left
08:36Pentatonix in 2017.
08:38Kaplan announced his departure in an emotional video posted on Facebook, explaining that
08:42the decision wasn't one he made quickly or easily.
08:45But in the end, Kaplan felt he wasn't able to stay connected to friends and family the
08:49way he wanted to as a member of the group.
08:51This decision is something that I've been struggling with a lot."
08:55Kaplan also added that he didn't want to do anything to stop the group's success, so he
08:59decided it was time to go.
09:01He explained,
09:02"'I could never inhibit their success in any way.
09:03I would never, ever want that.'"
09:05"'I really just do not want to slow down this group.'"
09:11While fans were disappointed and upset, they were also thrilled when the band announced
09:15they had a replacement for Kaplan.
09:16Matt Salee announced he had come on board in October 2017, writing on Instagram that
09:21he already felt at home with the group.
09:23The post said,
09:24"'They have been nothing but the most humble and sweet human beings in the world, and I'm
09:27so blessed and humbled to work with a group of people I have looked up to for such a long
09:31time.'"