I hadn’t heard of Pentatonix before but then again, I’m not between 15 and 20, which seems to be the generation that knows and follows their every move.
They performed on the Idea Festival stage in Louisville Kentucky in late September and dozens of teenagers screamed non-stop through their performance, so much and so often that I could barely hear their voices. LOL.
When I COULD hear their voices, I had several ‘wow’ moments.
Pentatonix is an incredible five member a capella singing group that has graced the stage of The Sing Off on NBC. The three lead singers are Scott Hoying, Kirstie Maldonado, and Mitch Grassi. Bass and percussion are Avi Kaplan and Kevin Olusola, respectively.
Scott, Kirstie and Mitch went to high school together at Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, where they formed a trio that began performing locally. The bass and percussion section (AVi & Kevin) were added when they decided to enter the Sing Off.
Their first debut includes four covers, highlighted by the group’s Gotye track, as well as Nicki Minaj’s “Starships,” Imogen Heap’s “Aha!” and Jasmine Sullivan’s “Love You Long Time.”
They sang others as well including The Baddest Girl written by Scott and Pentatonix producer Ben Bram and “Show You How to Love,” written by Avi and Kevin.
My only regret was not being able to get up and dance through most of their performance – they have a terrific sound. (and not hearing most of it because of the screaming — no screeching — teenagers.). Even a 20 year old and his girlfriend complained about it after their show.
Bottom line – everyone thought they were amazing.
Here’s a short video to get an idea of their flavor:
Photo credits: Renee Blodgett. For more on the Idea Festival, see my visual/photo write-up.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
