Pentatonix

This article is about the a capella group. For the group's 2015 album, see Pentatonix (album). For the musical scale, see Pentatonic scale.
Pentatonix
Pentatonix at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2023. From left to right: Matt Sallee, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Scott Hoying and Kevin Olusola
Background information
Also known asPTX
OriginArlington, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Years active2011 (2011)–present
Labels
Members
Past members
Websiteptxofficial.com
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2011–present
GenreMusic
Subscribers20.2 million[1]
100,000 subscribers2012
1,000,000 subscribers2013
10,000,000 subscribers2017
Last updated: Feb 10, 2024

Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) are an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, consisting of vocalists Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Matt Sallee, and Kevin Olusola. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements with vocal harmonies, scat singing, riffing, vocal percussion, and beatboxing, they produce cover versions of modern pop works or Christmas songs, sometimes in the form of medleys, along with original material. Pentatonix was formed in 2011 and subsequently won the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off, receiving $200,000 and a recording contract with Sony Music.[2][3] When Sony's Epic Records dropped the group after The Sing-Off, the group formed its YouTube channel, distributing its music through Madison Gate Records, a label owned by Sony Pictures.[4][5][6]

Their debut EP PTX, Volume 1 was released in 2012, followed by their holiday release PTXmas the same year, with Pentatonix's third release, PTX, Vol. II, debuting at number 1 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart and number 10 on the Billboard 200 in 2013.[4] In May 2014, Pentatonix signed with RCA Records.[7] That same year, the group released their fourth EP, PTX, Vol. III, two full-length studio albums; PTX, Vols. 1 & 2, a compilation album released in Japan, Korea and Australia, and their second holiday release, That's Christmas to Me. That's Christmas to Me was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), platinum on December 24, 2014, and double platinum on February 11, 2016, becoming the highest-charting holiday album by a group since 1962, and the fourth-best-selling album in the United States in 2014.[8][9][10] The following year, Pentatonix released their eponymous album, their first consisting mostly of original material, which debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart for the first time in their career, followed by a third Christmas album, A Pentatonix Christmas, in 2016, and a new EP, PTX, Vol. IV – Classics, the year after.

In September 2017, Avi Kaplan, the group’s original bass, left the group and was replaced by Sallee,[11][12] who was included on their album Pentatonix Christmas Deluxe and featured on their next album PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. I. Sallee graduated from Berklee College of Music, where he had been a member of the a cappella group Pitch Slapped.[13]

Pentatonix has won three Grammy Awards: they were the first a cappella act to win Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, doing so in 2015 and 2016,[14] and Best Country Duo/Group Performance in 2017.[15] On February 21, 2023, the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[16]

  1. ^ "About PTXofficial". YouTube.
  2. ^ Hyman, Vicki (November 29, 2011). "Pentatonix scores 'The Sing-Off' title". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  3. ^ Nededog, Jethro (November 29, 2011). "'The Sing-Off's' Pentatonix on Going From Newly Formed Group to the Show's Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Barnes, Brooks (November 17, 2013). "A Tiny Label Is Behind an a Cappella Group's Success". NewYorkTimes. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  5. ^ "Interview: Entertainment.ie speaks to US a cappella group Pentatonix". Entertainment.ie. November 25, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  6. ^ Karp, Hannah (December 11, 2014). "Pentatonix Tears Up the Charts". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  7. ^ "Pentatonix Signed to RCA Records". The Hollywood Reporter. May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  8. ^ "American album certifications – Pentatonix – That's Christmas to Me". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  9. ^ "Pentatonix Has the Highest-Charting Christmas Album by a Group Since 1962". Yahoo Music. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  10. ^ Caulfield, Keith (December 24, 2014). "Pentatonix's 'That's Christmas To Me' Surpasses 1 Million in Sales". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  11. ^ Nyren, Erin (May 12, 2017). "Avi Kaplan Exits Pentatonix in Tearful Goodbye Video". Variety. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  12. ^ Hoying, Scott [@scotthoying] (October 13, 2017). "Excited to introduce Matt Sallee!! Our new bass joining us this holiday season! I hope y'all LOVE him as much as we do!pic.twitter.com/YAZQ2iJKpe" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Haynes, Allana (March 22, 2019). "From singing in a Baltimore church to performing around the world with a cappella group Pentatonix". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grammy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grammy3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "MULTIPLE AWARD-WINNING A CAPPELLA GROUP PENTATONIX TO BE HONORED WITH HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME STAR", walkoffame.com, retrieved February 22, 2023