Singing with Bing and Whitney? Pentatonix says it’s both “beautiful” and “terrifying”
Jabari Jacobs
In 2019, Pentatonix released a new version of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” that included Whitney Houston‘s original vocals from her 1987 version. On their new holiday album We Need a Little Christmas, the group sings with an even more legendary voice — Bing Crosby — which made for an experience that was both “beautiful” and “terrifying.”
The album features a new version of Crosby’s signature song, “White Christmas,” mixing his original vocals with Pentatonix and the London Symphony Orchestra.
“They asked us to do it last year…and we were all over it,” says group member Matt Sallee. “It’s just such a classic song, and I love when we get to do things with an orchestra.”
“So having that and having our vocal just seamlessly go into an orchestra… it was just beautiful,” he adds.
“It was also terrifying, though,” notes bandmate Scott Hoying. “Because putting our vocals on such a classic track…I feel like we’re walking a tightrope.”
Scott says it was the same with the Whitney song.
“Any time you do a classic song with some amazing artist that everyone loves, there’s always that…little bit of fear,” he recalls. “But it was so incredible.” He says the first time he heard it, “I just got, like, misty-eyed instantly…it was really, really powerful.”
While Pentatonix’s initial goal wasn’t to become the go-to Christmas group, they’ve since embraced the role.
“We saw it was connecting in a profound way, instantly,” he explains. “Then That’s Christmas to Me came out and went platinum in a month. And it was like, ‘Oh, well, O.K., we’re doing Christmas music!'”
“But we’re just so happy that we can make Christmas music that people want to consume,” he adds. “That’s a cool holiday to be a part of.”
By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
By ABC Audio on December 17, 2020
Jabari Jacobs
In 2019, Pentatonix released a new version of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” that included Whitney Houston‘s original vocals from her 1987 version. On their new holiday album We Need a Little Christmas, the group sings with an even more legendary voice — Bing Crosby — which made for an experience that was both “beautiful” and “terrifying.”
The album features a new version of Crosby’s signature song, “White Christmas,” mixing his original vocals with Pentatonix and the London Symphony Orchestra.
“They asked us to do it last year…and we were all over it,” says group member Matt Sallee. “It’s just such a classic song, and I love when we get to do things with an orchestra.”
“So having that and having our vocal just seamlessly go into an orchestra… it was just beautiful,” he adds.
“It was also terrifying, though,” notes bandmate Scott Hoying. “Because putting our vocals on such a classic track…I feel like we’re walking a tightrope.”
Scott says it was the same with the Whitney song.
“Any time you do a classic song with some amazing artist that everyone loves, there’s always that…little bit of fear,” he recalls. “But it was so incredible.” He says the first time he heard it, “I just got, like, misty-eyed instantly…it was really, really powerful.”
While Pentatonix’s initial goal wasn’t to become the go-to Christmas group, they’ve since embraced the role.
“We saw it was connecting in a profound way, instantly,” he explains. “Then That’s Christmas to Me came out and went platinum in a month. And it was like, ‘Oh, well, O.K., we’re doing Christmas music!'”
“But we’re just so happy that we can make Christmas music that people want to consume,” he adds. “That’s a cool holiday to be a part of.”
By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
