An award-winning song and a band that has toured all over the world sounds like a good combination. That’s exactly what Pentatonix is providing with their new cover of “Shallow.”
The song is not strictly a cappella like some of their past songs.
There is a cello accompaniment. But prepare to be amazed when you notice that the cellist is also providing manmade percussion. That’s right, Kevin Olusola isn’t just playing background music. He’s also beatboxing, which he refers to as “celloboxing.”
“Man, MAD RESPECT for Kevin!” read a YouTube comment from Connor Huthsing. “Beatboxing and playing the cello at the same time! What an underappreciated legend!”
It’s some serious talent, but Olusola isn’t the only amazing thing about this cover.
Lead vocalists Kirstin Maldonado and Scott Hoying combine their voices in a performance that is as sweet as it is powerful. They don’t hold back for a single second of the song.
The result? It’s a breathtaking cover.
Of course, they have their backup vocalists there to make the sound even richer.
Mitch Grassi and Matt Sallee weave their own voices into four-part harmony with Hoying’s and Maldonado’s bright leading vocals. The group, along with Olusola’s musical and percussive accompaniment, manages to take the song from lackluster to energetic and back again.
“I knew they all could sing amazingly but I must say that Kirstin really went all in on this one,” said one YouTube commenter. “Girl had me in tears. Most powerful and emotional I have ever heard our of her (sic). AMAZING!!!!”
It’s yet another cover in a long line of amazing covers the group has released since its formation in 2011.
Pentatonix gained fame as an A Capella group when they won Season 3 of The Sing-Off. They aimed to revolutionize A Capella singing in the 21st century. Since their start, they have released seven albums and performed around the world, including on Conan and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. They have also performed for Tom Hanks and President Obama. In addition to all of this, they appeared in Pitch Perfect 2 as a team competing against the Barden Bellas.
Since then, they’ve amazed fans around the world.
They have a particularly active presence on YouTube, where they regularly share videos of both original and cover songs. In 2017, their bass lead, Avi Kaplan, left to spend more time with his family. He was replaced by Matt Sallee.
The group’s performance of “Shallow” does homage to the powerful pop ballad. The song was written by Lady Gaga and performed in the movie “A Star Is Born.” Gaga, alongside co-star Bradley Cooper, performed the song. And it serves as one climax of the movie’s plot.
The song has been immensely popular, topping charts in more than 12 countries.
It also won many awards, such as the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and it won two Grammys from four nominations.
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