Pentatonix and Christmas go together like peanut butter and jelly— and this year, the group has released a brand-new Christmas single for us to enjoy.
It’s fair to say 2018 has been a crazy year for members Scott Hoying, Kevin Olusola, Matt Sallee, Kirstin Maldonado, and Mitch Grassi.
In May of 2017, beloved member Avi Kaplan announced he would be leaving the group.
In an interview, Kevin told The Morning Call members were initially shocked by Avi’s announcement. As more time passed, however, they began to understand the reasons behind his decision.
Pentatonix has been on tour nearly every single year, dropping two full albums annually. “Because we knew we’re somewhat of a novelty group in the pop industry, we knew we had to work that much harder,” Kevin explained.
“It can take a toll on people. It really, really does. And Avi is very, very close to his family and he wanted to be there for them.”
Luckily, Pentatonix soon found a talented replacement— cue Matt Sallee.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Matt has been singing his entire life. He participated in his church choir, ultimately going on to do many schools shows and musicals around the Southern Maryland area. Debuting in the Pentatonix’s “Deck the Halls” video, Matt quickly made his way into the hearts of fans. Kevin told Billboard:
“From the first couple of moments we had with him, fans were already drawing fan picture of him and making art of him. That’s also how we knew he was special.”
As you can imagine, it’s not always easy to switch group members. Sometimes the new member isn’t as popular with the fans; other times their personality doesn’t match with the group. Luckily, Matt was the perfect fit.
This year, members embarked on a cross-country tour to promote their newest album, PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. I.
Despite their busy schedules, members still had time to record and release a brand-new Christmas single for their fans.
In this new video, Pentatonix performs “Where are you Christmas” from the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
The song was written especially for the movie by James Horner, Will Jennings, and Mariah Carey. In the film, it’s sung by Taylor Momsen who played Cindy Lou Who.
As per usual, the group’s video doesn’t have any fancy bells or whistles— but quite frankly, they don’t need them. Pentatonix has been built on pure, unadulterated talent— a characteristic they put entirely on display.
Since being uploaded last week, the group’s new rendition has been viewed 2.4 million times.
Comments on the video read:
“You can’t have Christmas without Pentatonix.”
“Nobody puts me in the Christmas Spirit like these guys. Who else agrees?”
“This the best performance they’ve had for some time.”
“Pentatonix makes Christmas 10x more magical.”
Watch the incredible, new rendition below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
