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Who are the members of Pentatonix? Acappella group stuns with national anthem rendition at CFB playoff

Pentatonix wowed college football fans across the country with its stirring rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA: College Football Playoff Championship 2023 began at SoFi Stadium on Monday, January 9. The national anthem singers for this year's championship are the three-time Grammy award-winning acappella group Pentatonix.

The team shared their excitement on Twitter before singing the national anthem, "First selfie of 2023 we’re backstage at @SoFiStadium getting ready to sing the national anthem before tonight’s @CFBPlayoff #NationalChampionship game! tune in at 7:30p ET on @ESPN !!." 

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Who are the members of Pentatonix?

Pentatonix became known to the public when they won NBC's hit series 'The Sing-Off' in 2011 According to RCA Records, they have sold 10 million albums worldwide with billions of streams. The cappella group hails from Arlington, Texas. Their YouTube channel currently has 20 million subscribers and 5.9 billion views. Pentatonix has also won three Grammys to date, in 2015 and 2016 for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, and in 2017 for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola and Matt Sallee are the members of the band.

Mitch Grassi

Mitch Grassi is one of the main singers of the band. He was known for his high tenor voice. He attended Martin High School along with Scott Hoying and Kirstin Maldonado. In high school, Grassi formed his own singing group called 'The Trio' along with Hoying and Maldonaldo. He has described himself as gay and uses the pronouns he/she, per Pentatonix fandom.

Scott Hoying

Scott Hoying is also the vocalist of the acapella band. Hoying and Grassi have been good friends for a long time. He also teamed up with Grassi to form the musical duo 'Superfruit.' He also became known with the acapella group Acapop! KIDS, which he formed with members aged 17 or younger. Hoying has been in a relationship with model Mark Manio since 2017, whom he proposed to on a beach in the Bahamas in 2022, according to Wikipedia.

Kirstin Maldonado

Kirstin is known as a singer and actress. She has recorded seven albums with the band. The singer is of Spanish and Italian descent. The 30-year-old attended Holy Rosary Catholic School and later Martin High School. Meanwhile, Kirstin studied musical theater at the University of Oklahoma on a full scholarship as a National Hispanic Scholar. However, she left college to form the band. She has launched solo projects, including 'Break a little.' The singer is currently in a relationship with Ben Hausdorff and has a daughter together.

Kevin Olusola

Kevin is known as the band's beatboxer. However, he became famous after his cello-boxing version of Mark Summer's 'Julie-O' went viral in April 2011. Kevin was born in Kentucky to Oluwole Olusola, a psychiatrist, and Curline Paul, a nurse from Grenada. He attended several schools, including Owensboro Public Schools, Triplett School and Sutton Elementary School. Kevin has been married to Leigh Weissman since 2019, with whom he dated for two years. The duo is blessed with a one-year-old daughter.

Matt Sallee

Matt Sallee is the second bass player in the band. Sallee joined the band as a replacement for one of the former members of Pentatonix, Avi Kaplan. His first album with the band is 'A Pentatonix Christmas Deluxe.' Sallee was born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in La Plata, and was trained by his father, a music pastor. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Sallee joined the group during his freshman year and led it during his senior year at Berklee, Pentatonix Fandom reports.

'The best version of the national anthem'

The Internet quickly reacted to the band singing national anthem. A user wrote, "The best part of this National Championship by far - Pentatonix singing the National Anthem. #CFBChampionship." "We didn’t know at the time, but @PTXofficial singing the National Anthem was the most entertaining moment of tonight’s game. #NationalChampionship," tweeted another. A comment read, "You all set a new high standard for performing the National Anthem. Bravo!."

A user claimed, "You guys DID SO GOOD. AND YOUR OUTFITS. I LITERALLY GASPED AND SCREAMED THE WHOLE TIME. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU." Another added, "I cannot wait!! You all deserve this recognition so much!! I love yall!" A user said, "Thank you! Music of @PTXofficial speaks to my soul, from Sing Off until today. Good job well done!." A comment read, "My 15 year old special needs daughter just watched. She had tears in her eyes." A user stated, "Your performance of the national anthem was 5-star. Your tuning, blend, balance, tone, and phrasing are ridiculous. Loved it so much!." A user explained, "literally the best version of the national anthem I’ve ever heard, you guys sounded so beautiful."

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