Vocal group Pentatonix sing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ in spine-tingling five-part harmony

2 January 2025, 13:20 | Updated: 2 January 2025, 14:58

Pentatonix singing the US national anthem with five layers of harmony has scratched an itch in our brains.

At an NFL game on Christmas Day, which saw the Baltimore Ravens go up against the Houston Texans, music was – as is custom at any sporting showdown – central to the occasion.

Before the game began, Pentatonix, a five-part American a cappella vocal group, took to the football field to sing their country’s national anthem.

The Star-Spangled Banner is up there with the all-time great national anthems. Every year at the Superbowl, a new artist stands up to perform it. Singers in the past have included Renée Fleming and Whitney Houston, and in February 2025, Jon Batiste will perform it live on the field for over 100 million viewers at home.

It’s an anthem that demands to be sung with drama and vocal flair, with plenty of opportunities for the soloist to flex their virtuosity.

Sung in five-part harmony, with plenty of riffs and production to create the vocal group’s iconic sound, it was a spine-tingling moment. Watch it here:

Pentatonix Performs the National Anthem

Social media reactions to the group’s crunchy harmonies came flooding in, with one viewer saying: “I’ve never heard a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner other than Whitney Houston, that I wanted to listen to over and over!”

Another said: “Best anthem ever! We rewinded [because] it was too good to only hear once!”

Read more: What are the lyrics to the US anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner?

Pentatonix was born in 2011 as a vocal group from Arlington, Texas. Its name, a play on ‘pentatonic’ which is a musical scale containing five different tones, represents the group’s five members.

Made up of Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Matt Sallee and Kevin Olusola, they are now a triple Grammy-winning, multi-platinum-selling ensemble with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Also known as ‘Kevin O’, Olusola is as a cellist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and beatboxer. Check out this video of him beatboxing and playing Bach’s Cello Suite No.1 at the same time:

Prelude from Bach Cello Suite No.1 - Kevin Olusola

The group are most famous for their pop-style arrangements of classic songs, hymns and carols, and are known for their tight harmonies, scat singing, and vocal percussion. Individually, their voices are incredible – but together, it’s a Grammy-winning sound...