How Pentatonix Radiates Nostalgic Joy, Cozy Vibes In Their Christmas Music
By Kelly Fisher
November 22, 2023
When Pentatonix set out to debut their collection of Greatest Christmas Hits, the powerhouse vocal group aimed to create “the perfect playlist,” for families opening presents and cherishing treasured moments with one another on Christmas Day.
That compilation — a 30-track project, including previously-released favorite and 8 new tracks, featuring “12 Days Of Christmas,” “Hallelujah,” “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” “Pure Imagination / Christmas Time Is Here,” and many other unforgettable hits — released in October. Pentatonix members Matt Sallee and Kevin Olusola recently caught up with iHeartRadio about how the music on their 12th overall full-length album fosters nostalgic memories in a fresh way, and brings feelings of joy to listeners of all ages. Some of their own favorites, they said, include “Please Santa Please” — “the perfect Christmas bop” — “Kid On Christmas” (which features Meghan Trainor), “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” — which “appreciates the bass vocalist,” Sallee noted of the song from a classic Christmas movie — and others.
The three-time Grammy Award winning vocal quintet (nominated at the 2024 Grammy Awards for their Holidays Around The World album) recognized that it seems “Christmas comes earlier and earlier every year,” with many people opting to begin listening to holiday music and decorate for Christmas in early November rather than waiting until after Thanksgiving. Though it still may be too early for some, Sallee and Olusola know that many of their fans have eagerly listened to The Greatest Christmas Hits already. Pentatonix and Ashley recently hosted a free, immersive listening experience in L.A., creating cozy environments to get into the Christmas spirit, with nods to Pentatonix’s Yule Log videos, The Greatest Christmas Hits album and “Winter Wonderland.”
Attendees of the holiday-themed pop-up event, dubbed The Ashley Listening Rooms with Pentatonix, never seemed too early to dig into Christmas music, though it happened in the first days of November. Sallee and Olusola noted that longtime fans of the acclaimed vocal group — which also includes Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi and Kirstin Maldonado — were “fully in it,” and “so excited” to dig into the Christmas album. “And who doesn’t wanna have that feeling of nostalgia and joy year-round? …Everybody had that feeling of coziness.” Olusola said the experience was “better than we could have ever imagined,” and that Pentatonix “had a blast with our fans in this new environment” with homey and welcoming living spaces to bring the music to life.
Now, with Thanksgiving fast approaching, the members of Pentatonix are also gearing up for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Joining the star-studded lineup of the iconic annual tradition, Sallee and Olusola said its’s a “surreal” moment to see parade-watchers waving back to them and gushing over their music (they also teased the they’ll “have people dancing with us…which we’ve never done before”).
“I can’t wait,” Olusola said. “I can’t wait to go and be on the float and just to see how much joy and happiness and togetherness this parade has brought to so many people.”
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will also feature Brandy, Cher, Chicago, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, Jessie James Decker, Jon Batiste and others in the all-star lineup. It’s set to air live on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 23) from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET with a re-broadcast from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on NBC. It will also be available to watch on Peacock.
Find the full The Greatest Christmas Hits album on iHeartRadio here, and listen to a few of the tracks below.