It’s been five months since Avi Kaplan, the founding bass singer of Pentatonix, decided to step away from the popular a cappella group. The Pentatonix YouTube channel, which has more than 13 million subscribers, has been quiet since then, but with the holiday season fast approaching, the musical quintet has now added a new member to its ranks. Matt Sallee will join Pentatonix as its bass voice for both an upcoming wintertime tour and a new album called A Pentatonix Christmas Deluxe.
Sallee, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, will take over Kaplan’s position in the lowest register of Pentatonix’s range. The group, whose other members are Kirstie Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, Scott Hoying, and Mitch Grassi, welcomed its new addition into the fold with an Instagram post. “We love Matt and we think you’ll love him too,” it reads.
Pentatonix fans will get their first chance to check out Sallee’s voice when A Pentatonix Christmas Deluxe arrives on October 20. Consisting of 16 tracks, the new album will add several numbers onto A Pentatonix Christmas, which was released last year as the group’s third holiday-themed collection. In a tweet, Sallee called A Pentatonix Christmas Deluxe “one of the most humbling things I’ve ever sung on.”
Can’t wait for you guys to hear this! Def one of the most humbling things I’ve ever sung on! https://t.co/pYiDT7aJHT
— mattsalleemusic (@salleemusic) October 17, 2017
For those who would prefer to see Pentatonix live, the group will play 14 shows across six cities in December, with Sallee featuring in all of the performances. Several of the dates are already sold out, but some tickets are still available by clicking here.