Hmmm… There have been a lot of moments like
that. But, I feel that the most obvious change for me, was when we hit number one on the Billboard charts [Pentatonix, their self-titled album hit number one on Billboard’s 200 the week ending October 22] that was an eye-opening experience for sure. You knocked Taylor Swift right off the top! Congratulations on that. Thank you. Yes, she has been there for a long time!
vocals, I was blown away. If you compare us side by side, you can see that I definitely pull a lot of influences from her. I love her so much, it’s even a little unconsciously too, but it’s always there. I’m especially inspired by soundscapes and ambient music, really electronic music in general. Ironically, it’s something that is synthetic, but there is something so emotional about it for me. It’s pure. I feel like that kind of helped me in Pentatonix as well, because that’s what we really started out doing. We emulated electronic music, because it was really starting to get popular at that time—dubstep and EDM and all of that, it was everywhere. Your timeline from your early days to now fascinates me. It’s really mind boggling how much you’ve accomplished since 2011. It really is. It’s very surreal. I can’t even believe it
myself, because it’s all happened so quickly. We really dedicated ourselves to this career and it has really paid off. I wouldn’t have it any other way. At what point did you realize that you as a group had “made it...” Was there a particular moment when that hit you?
I feel like it has set a new precedence for us and has put us at a new and higher level. Now, I really feel like we’re competing in the top industry levels. As an a cappella band, that is almost unheard of, so it really makes me feel like we must be doing something right. People seem to be genuinely enjoying what we’re doing. I’m curious to know if you have felt any resistance in the music industry because of being an a cappella group? Sometimes maybe… I’ve never really been one
for the campiness of it all. I feel like we have strayed away from the gimmicky, kitschiness that has defined a cappella music for a while and I think we’re in a really great place, in that sense. My sense is that you have taken the best part of the early trends; things likeGlee andPitch Perfect, then refined it. You’ve found a way to rebrand yourselves in a way that works really well. Yeah, for sure… We’re a pop band too and we’ve
really tried to pay attention to the patterns and trends in pop music and want to stay current. We want to be able change with the tides. Who does most of the writing for your music? Do you all collaborate? We all took turns on this album in particular. We
collaborated with songwriters in groups of two or three and sometimes one on one as well—we’ve all had a hand in creating it. When do you plan to start touring with the new album? I’m not really sure, I’m assuming next spring,
maybe in March. We’re not certain yet because we have to arrange a bunch of live versions from our new album and prep for touring. There are lots of things to think about before it can happen. Not that you’re not busy enough already! I know, I know, we’re everywhere right now. But it’s
all really good and we like it… and the label likes it too. (Laughs) What’s next on the horizon? We have a new Christmas CD that’s going to be
coming out soon. Aside from a ton of promo and the tour coming up next spring, that’s about it. I don’t know if we can fit anything else in! What’s your favorite place that you’ve performed at so far? I think Japan is my favorite place to be and
perform. I’ve always been so fascinated by the culture, arts and the language and the people there are so sweet. And, the fans there are very intense. They are just so emotional when we meet them before and after the shows. They are so generous; they illustrate us a lot, give us gifts and write very sentimental things to us. They are the sweetest. I feel like once you have a fan in Japan, they are dedicated to you for life.
Do you have any favorite stories about a performance or one of your fans? Yes, yes, yes! Speaking of Asia, we did a show in
Manila in the Philippines and I think that was col- lectively one of our favorites so far. It was a stadium and we felt like Taylor Swift performing for a ton of people. They were so invested in the performance and our music, it was a really unforgettable night. Is there anything else specific that you’d like to include? I would really like to thank everyone for support-
ing our music and us … and for getting us to number one on Billboard! We love you all, so much.
Watch for their new tour next year, folks, it’s going to be a record breaker. Catch Mitch and Scott’s YouTube channel SuperFruiton
youtube.com/ user/sup3rfruit.
To purchase their latest album, or for everything Pentatonix-related, go to
ptxofficial.com.
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RAGE monthly | NOVEMBER 2015
RAGE monthly | NOVEMBER 2015
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