All A Capprofile: Pentatonix

The Pentatonix are anything but a traditional a cappella group. This five person group started in Arlington, Texas with the three original members: Kirstie Maldonado, Mitch Grassi, and Scott Hoying. The trio – who were all high school friends – entered a local radio station contest for the chance to meet the cast of Glee. Although their original a cappella arrangement of Lady Gaga’s hit “Telephone” did not win the contest, it was only the beginning of their journey to the top.

Once they noticed that NBC’s contest “The Sing-Off” was having auditions for the third season, the trio decided to add two more performers into the mix. With Avi Kaplan and Kevin Olusola now accompanying the group, they decided to rename the group the “Pentatonix”.

This new group never anticipated that they would go on to win the third season of “The Sing-Off”. The weekly challenges of arranging, rehearsing, and performing gave them the opportunity to rise to the occasion. Their renditions of Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” and the classic Buggle’s tune “Video Killed the Radio Star” are only two examples of their stunning performances from “the Sing-Off”. No matter the song or the challenge, the Pentatonix always added their own distinct groove.

One of the best examples of the Pentatonix sound is their cover of Ke$ha’s “Your Love is My Drug”. Even in the first verse, the soloist changes the original rhythm of the song. The added sweeps and rearranged beat-boxing are some of Pentatonix signatures. All of their hits from “the Sing-Off” are available to be purchased from the show’s albums on iTunes. Not only did they win 200,000 dollars from “the Sing-Off”, but they also got a recording contract with Sony Music.

Although they are still in the early stages of recording, the Pentatonix are building buzz around the release of their first full length-album. They have gained an even greater following from the release of their “covers on request” videos posted to their youtube account. Pentatonix have their listeners vote for what covers they would like to see them perform. Many of these YouTube videos have gone viral, including their cover of “Moves like Jagger” and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know”.

Pentatonix most recent YouTube sensation has to be their cover of fun.’s “We Are Young”. Not only has it reached over a million views, but also it has been featured on both Perez Hilton’s blog and the Huffington Post. This rendition displays the signature groove that will most likely be present on their newest album. As the Pentatonix have been releasing music, All A Cappella has been uploading it to the music library. Stay tuned for when the Pentatonix full-length album is released later this year!

By Maria Vivas