Pentatonix's Performance Of 'Hallelujah' Is Haunting

Nov 29, 2021

Pentatonix, the Grammy award-winning a capella group, is widely known for producing eerie and highly artistic videos; their work often seems to appear out of nowhere on YouTube. Pentatonix is an American a capella group that has been winning the hearts of music lovers from around the world since 2011. That's when they won NBC's "The Sing-Off," demonstrating that the group is a master of covers.

In fact, they covered Great Big World's hit Say Something in 2014, and almost immediately, the YouTube video gained nearly 30 million views. By 2016, the video had nearly 60 million enthusiastic views.

Pentatonix is currently made up of Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola and Matt Sallee. Matt replaced Avi Kaplan after he left to strike out on his own in 2017. Despite the group's change in personnel, these five vocalists are still amazing when it comes to recording different songs with their beautiful harmonies. Ask yourself: What other group can combine basslines, beatboxing, percussion and riffing together the way that they can?

This talented a capella group continually catches the attention of millions of listeners across the globe when they cover Christmas classics, contemporary pop and other hits. The group released their debut album in 2012 and quickly followed it up with their very first Christmas album. Since then, Pentatonix has become one of the most established groups in pop music, putting their own spin on previously recorded tracks as well as creating some of their own original songs. One of their most iconic covers is their a capella version of "Hallelujah."

However, one Pentatonix music video tops anything the group has done thus far; the group has brought their fans a complete album of holiday cheer with their album A Pentatonix Christmas. Chock-full of everyone's favorite holiday songs, this stunning album is sung in deep, a capella harmony. It is bound to be a new holiday tradition for many. The fact that Pentatonix's Christmas songs bring joy to many of their listeners is easily proven by the fact that the group has since released several more Christmas-themed albums.

The huge impact they have had on the way people listen to holiday music is evident from these albums. "That's Christmas to Me," "A Pentatonix Christmas," and "We Need a Little Christmas" are three full-length albums dedicated to the holiday cheer. They also released a holiday compilation album titled "The Best of Pentatonix Christmas" that features all their most beloved and famous wintertime songs.

The absolute favorite on the album of many a fan is Pentatonix's version of Leonard Cohen's somber song, "Hallelujah." This classic Cohen song is already beautiful; however, this may well be the best version yet. 

The incredible four-part harmonies and awesome beat-boxing set in a gorgeously stark video could be Pentatonix's most memorable video to date.

This unique music video looks as stark and stunning as it sounds; it's shot entirely in a stark yet beautiful desert landscape. The five members of Pentatonix, dressed in black, stand solemnly against the desert white sands as they deliver exceptional performances. The song's impact seems to be enhanced by the almost empty landscape the group finds themselves in.

Each of the four main vocalists takes turns singing a verse of this classic song, and each one is more compelling than the last. Lead baritone, Scott Hoying, starts the song as the rest of the group walks through the haunting desert landscape. The minute the rest of the group comes in, the swell of background harmonies will give you chills.

Pentatonix's vocal bass, Avi Kaplan, takes the next verse, amazing the viewer with his impressively deep tone, as well as his astonishing good looks. Mezzo-soprano Kirstin Maldonado takes the third verse. Her amazingly powerful voice is stunning even on its own. Finally, tenor Mitch Grassi finishes the last verse. Beatboxer Kevin Olusola ties the whole song together with his jaw-dropping talent. Once you remember that the group creates all of the beautiful music simply with their mouth and vocal cords, it becomes even more impressive.

Holding a straight tune is already complicated for many people. Generating so many different sounds and coordinating everything so it turns into this masterpiece of music seems incredibly complicated! A great many practice hours must have been needed to achieve this outstanding sound.

The holiday album features eleven more holiday-inspired tracks, including Irving Berlin's classic "White Christmas," as well as 90s pop NSYNC's "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays." Such a wide range of genres and songs all combine to make 

"A Pentatonix Christmas" is sure to be a Christmas classic for many families all over the world. It's never too soon for a little holiday spirit!

You can watch the music video below:

What did you think of Pentatonix's cover of Hallelujah? Honestly, isn't this your favorite Pentatonix hit so far? Let us know what you think about this video, and don't forget to pass this video along to your friends and family.