VoicePlay
I, the author, have no affiliation to VoicePlay or any sort of financial connection to them. Lccohrt (talk) 07:10, 30 December 2021 (UTC)
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VoicePlay | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | A cappella |
| Years active | 1997(as 4:2:Five)–present |
| Website | www |
| Members | Eli Jacobson Cesar de la Rosa Geoff Castellucci Layne Stein |
| Past members | Mykal Kilgore Scott Porter Tony Wakim Earl Elkins Jr J. None |
VoicePlay is an a capella group based out of Orlando, Florida[1][2] that originally formed in 1997 under the name 4:2:Five. In 2013, VoicePlay competed on Season 4 of NBC's The Sing-Off and subsequently went on 2 national tours with the show. VoicePlay is known for performing music that spans genres alongside theatrical skits.
History[edit]
In 1997, a group of high school friends came together to create an a capella group then known as 4:2:Five[3][1]. The founding members of the group were Mykal Kilgore (high tenor), Layne Stein (baritone), Earl Elkins Jr. (tenor), Geoff Castellucci (bass), and Scott Porter (vocal percussion). In 2000, they earned a win as "Best Pop Group" in Ed McMahon's Next Big Star contest[4][5], an Internet talent search. Kilgore left the group in 1999, and Porter in 2003.
Orlando provided VoicePlay with many opportunities to perform and gain credit as a professional group. [3] They performed at the Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks in the city and also toured on cruise ships.
In 2009, VoicePlay auditioned for the first season of NBC's The Sing-Off[2], but did not make the cut.[1]
In 2010, Eliezer "Eli" Jacobson joined the group as Tenor 2[3][1]. In 2011, Tony Wakim[6], who knew Castellucci as a colleague in the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue at Universal Studios Orlando, joined as the baritone.
This configuration of five launched VoicePlay's YouTube channel in 2012[7]. Their mashup cover of "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift and "As Long As You Love Me" by Justin Bieber caught the attention of the Sing-Off producers, who reached out and encouraged VoicePlay to audition again- but with a catch. Because "I Knew You Were Trouble/As Long As You Love Me" features singer and Broadway actress Rachel Potter, the producers wanted VoicePlay to audition as a group of six. Potter was unavailable to do the Sing-Off, so VoicePlay asked Honey Larochelle to compete with them. VoicePlay was eliminated in the fifth episode of the show.
After their performances on The Sing-Off, VoicePlay went on two national tours with the show[1]. Larochelle did not join VoicePlay on either tour and was replaced by Emoni Wilkins, who had competed in the Sing-Off season 4 as part of the group TEN, season 4's runner-up. For the 2014 tour, VoicePlay was joined by Season 4 winners Home Free (group) and The Filharmonic, who were eliminated in the sixth episode. In 2015, VoicePlay's tourmates were Street Corner Symphony (group), who were runner-ups of the Sing-Off's second season, and The Exchange (band), runner-ups of Season 5.
Near the end of 2016, Wakim decided to leave VoicePlay[6]. This was announced in January 2017, as VoicePlay opened auditions for a new baritone. While searching, they performed with Erik Winger as their guest baritone.[6] In March 2018, VoicePlay introduced J. None as their newest official member.
In 2019, VoicePlay won Pop Group of the Year from the A Capella Music Awards[8]. That same year, they were Shorty Awards Finalists for YouTube Musician of the Year.[2]
In July 2020, Elkins left the group as well. He was the third founding member to do so, leaving only Castellucci and Stein of the original five.
In June 2021, J. None left the group to join the US military. In July 2021, 10 days after their YouTube channel reached one million subscribers[7], VoicePlay announced Cesar De La Rosa as their newest official member, taking over the parts of baritone/tenor 2.
On October 3, 2021, VoicePlay opened for Genshin Impact's celebratory first year anniversary concert[9], "Melodies of an Endless Journey".
Music[edit]
Under the name 4:2:Five, VoicePlay released an EP in 2001 and two albums (titled "Unstoppable" and "Time Machine") in 2004. In 2012, VoicePlay released their Disney album, "Once Upon an Ever After," as well as their holiday album, "Peppermint Winter." In 2014, they released their album "Collide" along with its deluxe edition, which featured three additional tracks. Every song on Collide features another singer or group, most of whom VoicePlay knew through The Sing-Off. In 2017, VoicePlay released their second holiday album, "Warm Up". They have also released 3 Disney movie medley albums: Moana in 2017, Slushy (Frozen 2) in 2020, and The Little Mermaid, also in 2020.
In between albums, VoicePlay continues to churn out a steady stream of singles. They produce new music videos on their YouTube channel at least once per month, often with theatrical elements and talented collaborators. Credits on each posted video show that the arrangements and productions are completed almost entirely in-house by Stein and Castellucci[7], with Castellucci's wife Kathy Castellucci listed as production manager. Videos include a diverse variety of covers such as songs from The Nightmare Before Christmas, romantic ballads like Can't Help Falling in Love with You, pop medleys like Panic! In Four Minutes, and their popular "ACA Top 10" series, in which they do a countdown of a certain genre of music. Their most highly viewed video on the channel is the Moana Medley, with over 38 million views.
VoicePlay's largest collaboration was their May 2020 cover of the song "Just Sing" from Trolls World Tour, which they created as a fundraiser for MusiCares during the pandemic.[10] The 19 guest singers included notable performers such as Scott Porter, Rachel Potter and Jeff Thacher.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 SCULLEY, ALAN. "VoicePlay is all about that a cappella". The Sun Chronicle.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "VoicePlay - The Shorty Awards". shortyawards.com.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "VoicePlay Rocks the House at UCPAC in Rahway!". Spotlight Central.
- ↑ Duff-Hoppes, Jill (May 17, 2001). "'COMPLETELY DIFFERENT'". Orlando Sentinel. p. 1.
- ↑ "Contest One Winners!". September 29, 2000.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 PINACALI, AMANDA. "VoicePlay Brings Accomplished Guest Singer to UCPAC Performance". TAP into Rahway.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Hale, James (July 1, 2021). "YouTube Millionaires: Meet The Fab Five Behind VoicePlay". TubeFilter. p. 1.
- ↑ "A CAPPELLA MUSIC AWARD RECIPIENTS".
- ↑ Mohapatra, Ankit (September 26, 2021). "Genshin Impact Concert 2021: Date, locations, guests and more details".
- ↑ CRISTI, A. A. "VoicePlay Releases New Music Video In Support of MusiCares". Broadway World.
External Links[edit]
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