Scott Hoying of Pentatonix chatted about his new music, which includes his solo single “Mars,” and the new live versions of it. He also opened up about being an artist in the digital age.
Hoying is a three-time Grammy award-winning artist, and he has sold over 10 million albums worldwide as part of the multi-platinum-selling a cappella group Pentatonix; moreover, Hoying just released two brand new live versions of his breakthrough single “Mars” via BMG, and these include an acoustic version and a choir version. “That was a fun thing about doing this solo. I had three different ideas for the song and I decided to put all three of them out,” he said.
‘Mars’
“The first one had that Coldplay energy and I love that type of production and I loved how anthemic and huge it is,” he said. “After seeing Hugh Jackman in ‘The Greatest Showman’ behind-the-scenes video, where Hugh Jackson is with all of these singers, I decided to do ‘Mars’ with a giant choir, which was visceral and electric. I loved playing piano my whole life, I did that before I even sang, so I did an acoustic version as well. Me being able to tell the story on piano was very intimate,” he explained.
“Mars” was written by Hoying and produced by Jon Levine. The tune breaks new creative ground featuring his deeply personal lyrics about self discovery, overcoming adversity and profoundly, love.
Regarding his new song “Mars,” Hoying said, “It is very special to me, it’s not only a song I’m very proud of but also releasing it is such a symbol of all the self work I’ve done over the years. It’s a song I wrote from such an honest place about the love of my life and how much he impacted me as a person.”
“I’ve always dreamed of releasing solo music, but for a multitude of different reasons I never did. This year has been really special and transformative for me so it felt like the right time to go for it,” he added.
“It was an incredible experience,” Hoying said about “Mars.” “Honestly, as traumatic as it sounds, it was transformative for me and amazing. It was something that I wanted to do for years but I was a little scared to and didn’t have the time to. I was able to be hands-on and tell a very vulnerable, real story and to make a video out of it was very exciting,” he said.
2023 Grammy nomination
Hoying and his Pentatonix band mates are nominated for a 2023 Grammy Award for “Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album” for their album “Evergreen.” “That felt amazing,” he admitted. “This is our fourth nomination, and we have three wins in a row. This nomination was so special because it was for this particular album and I feel that we really pushed ourselves to connect, and to be as authentic as possible.”
“Also, we’ve never had a nomination in an album category before and that was really cool,” he added.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, Hoying said, “It has its pros and cons. What was cool for Pentatonix is that we’ve had so many physical sales, and when we moved to streaming it got a little bit harder. At the same time, I like how the digital age puts less pressure on a release in a way because there is so much music coming out in the Internet, and the landscape is so oversaturated.”
“You never know what is going to go viral. A song four years old that you’ve forgotten can all of a sudden blow up on TikTok. There are so many more opportunities to thrive,” he added.
Advice for hopefuls
For young and aspiring artists, Hoying said, “Every time you post even the dumbest TikTok or put out anything, that’s another lottery ticket for your dream coming true. Even though it’s a slim chance each time, you might as well just put yourself out there. There is really not as much risk of embarrassment. Just lean in and please ‘post’.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Hoying said, “Renaissance.” “I feel I am reaching a new level and that I am discovering myself in a new way,” he said. “I feel that the next few years coming up for me are going to be amazing.”
Future plans
He is excited about his new music in the future that he plans on releasing via BMG. “I have written so many new songs so I have all of the music in the world, and so many songs that I am really passionate about. I hope to release a lot of the new songs as singles later in the year,” he said.
“It feels amazing to be on BMG. I am obsessed with them,” he said. “They are so collaborative and transparent with everything. It really is a wonderful experience to be working with people that love art and that believe and trust in you.”
Hoying shared that his music and songwriting is “inspired by everything,” especially his own “personal life experiences.”
In his personal life, Hoying is engaged to his longtime partner Mark Manio. “That was amazing,” he said. “It was such a scary thing, I wanted it to be perfect. Leading up to it, it was a full anxiety moment. Even though I was freaking out, the moment was beautiful. We were just so excited.”
Dream duet partners
On his dream duet choices, he responded, “One of them just came true… with Meghan Trainor. I would love to do a duet with Celine Dion, Ariana Grande, and Jazmine Sullivan.” “I love top-tier vocalists, especially pop queens” he said.
He also expressed his love for country superstar Martina McBride. “I love Martina McBride,” he said. “I am a huge fan of her song ‘Concrete Angel’. I would sing anything with her.”
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, he said, “Success truly is being so proud of what you do, feeling fulfilled, having love around you, and being at peace. It’s about being happy in the moment, loving my day, and feeling excited about everything.”
For his fans, he said about his new music, “I hope they love it and I hope it brings them as much joy as it has brought me. It is a vulnerable, raw, organic side to myself that I haven’t shown in the past, and I can’t wait to share it with everybody.”
“Mars — Live” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
For more information on Scott Hoying, follow him on Instagram and Facebook.
