Pentatonix blew the Metaverse away with a stunning a cappalla performance, exclusively performed in iHeartLand in Fortnite and on Roblox on Friday (December 23). The festive event comes at the heels of the five-member pop group debuted their 12-track Holidays Around the World album, including Christmas classics (“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Jingle Bells,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Silent Night” and more), as well as some star-studded collaborations (Meghan Trainor, Lea Salonga, The King’s Singers and others) throughout the collection.
“This album is unlike anything we've ever released before! Much like the album's title, HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD, we wanted to invite a few incredible artists from all around the world to help celebrate the season with us,” Pentatonix previously said in a statement of the group’s latest project. “These artists all sound amazing and we are so thrilled to have them on this record.”
The 30-minute Metaverse special concert featured breathtaking renditions of “12 Days of Christmas,” “Mary, Did You Know?,” “Star On Top,” — even a cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the iconic 1970s classic by Queen — and more. It was all hosted by iHeartRadio’s Tanya Rad. Viewers tuning in could see how iHeartland at State Farm Park has been transformed with features to celebrate the winter season (including ice skating and quests for hidden holiday gifts that Fortnite players can take part in, plus a winter-themed escape room, a parkour obstacle course and more), perfect for the Pentatonix holiday show. Fortnite players can also participate in trivia challenges throughout the podcast event, answering multiple choice questions by jumping on the square with the correct answer in hopes of winning iHeartLand gold.
Pentatonix also delivered a powerful rendition of what they said has become a classic Christmas song for them to perform — even though it isn’t a Christmas song at all: “I've heard there was a secret chord/ That David played and it pleased the Lord/ But you don't really care for music, do ya?/ Well it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth/ The minor fall, the major lift/ The baffled king composing Hallelujah/ Hallelujah, Hallelujah/ Hallelujah, Hallelujah.”
The Metaverse show — which could also be celebrated as Roblox users dress their avatars in Pentatonix holiday onesies and reindeer outfits, and access more exclusive Pentatonix content backstage — closed with one of Pentatonix’ singles on their Holidays Around the World album, “Kid On Christmas” (which features Trainor, though the a cappella artists sang it without her this time). The upbeat, joyful holiday track wishes listeners will forever experience the childlike magic of Christmas: “May your heart be evergreen/ Every December (whoa-oh)/ And a part of you believe/ And always remember, oh (whoa-oh, oh)/ That sugarplums dance and reindeer fly (reindeer fly)/ Santa always reads your letters (oh)/ And may you stay a kid on Christmas forever/ (Stay a kid on Christmas forever, won't ya?)/ (Stay a kid on Christmas)”
See the full Holidays Around the World track list here:
- “Kid on Christmas,” feat. Meghan Trainor
- “Jingle Bells,” feat. Lang Lang
- “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
- “Love Came On Christmas (Joy To The World x Kumama Papa),” feat. Grace Lokwa
- “Star On Top”
- “Prayers For This World”
- “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” feat. Hiba Tawaji
- “Christmas In Our Hearts,” feat. Lea Salonga
- “Feliz Navidad,” feat. La Santa Cecilia
- “Invincible,” feat. Shreya Ghoshal
- “Last Christmas,” feat. HIKAKIN & SEIKIN
- “Silent Night, feat. The King’s Singers
The iHeartRadio LIVE show performed by Pentatonix will be available for two days after its Friday debut, from December 23 through December 25. Fan scan also catch Darren Criss' special holiday performance from December 26th through December 28th, as well as Lauv from December 28th through December 30th.