Kirstin Maldonado

Last updated

Kirstin Maldonado
Kirsten Maldonado Austin PTX Show.jpg
Maldonado performing in August 2015
Born
Kirstin Taylor Maldonado

(1992-05-16) May 16, 1992 (age 32)
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Other namesKirstin™, Kirstie Maldonado
Education Martin High School
University of Oklahoma
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2011–present
Spouse
Ben Hausdorff
​
(m. 2024)​
Children1
Parents
  • Michael Cisneros (father)
  • Angelica Maldonado (mother)
Musical career
Origin Arlington, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Labels
Member of
Website kirstinmaldonado.tumblr.com

Kirstin Taylor Maldonado (born May 16, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter. She is known for being a vocalist in the a cappella group Pentatonix. With the group, she has released seven studio albums, won three Grammy Awards, and sold over six million albums.

Contents

Maldonado released her debut solo single "Break a Little" on May 19, 2017, under the name Kirstin™ (stylized as kırstın™;™ stands for "Taylor Maldonado"). [1] Her first extended play Love (stylized as L O V E) was released on July 14. [2] Maldonado made her Broadway debut in 2018 as Lauren in the musical Kinky Boots . [3]

Early life and education

Kirstin Taylor Maldonado [4] was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 16, 1992. [5] Her mother, Angelica Maldonado, is of Spanish and Italian descent, while her father, Michael Cisneros, [6] is of Mexican descent. She was raised by her mother in Arlington, Texas. She was only five years old when she first expressed her wish to become a singer. At eight years old, she sang at her mother's wedding reception, ultimately convincing her mother to enroll her in voice lessons. [7] She also got into theater and starred in several local productions. It was through the local theater community that Maldonado met Mitch Grassi, a future fellow Pentatonix member.

Maldonado attended Holy Rosary Catholic School, and later Martin High School. At Martin High School, she met Scott Hoying with whom she and Grassi would later form Pentatonix. The three friends created an a cappella trio and started getting attention around their school for their covers of popular songs. [8] [9] She graduated from Martin High School in 2010 and attended the University of Oklahoma, where she studied musical theatre on a full-ride scholarship as a National Hispanic Scholar. [10] During her time in college, she joined Kappa Kappa Gamma. [11] She left before completing her degree to form Pentatonix. [12]

Career

Pentatonix

In 2011, Maldonado was contacted by her high school friend Scott Hoying who wanted to put together a group for NBC's a cappella competition The Sing-Off . Maldonado agreed to join the group, which also included Mitch Grassi, another of her high school friends. Together they formed the a cappella group Pentatonix along with Avi Kaplan and Kevin Olusola. The group entered and eventually won the third season of The Sing-Off . [13] Since then, they have released several albums and EPs, reached 13 million YouTube subscribers and over 2 billion YouTube views, and toured the world. [14] On February 8, 2015, Pentatonix won their first Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for their Daft Punk medley. [15] On February 15, 2016, Pentatonix won their second Grammy in the same category for their rendition of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" which was featured on their holiday album, That's Christmas to Me . [16] On February 12, 2017, Pentatonix won their third Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their cover of "Jolene" which featured Dolly Parton. [17]

Solo projects and appearances

In January 2016, Maldonado performed the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at the World Dog Awards in honor of the dogs who have played the role of Toto from the iconic story about The Wizard of Oz. [18]

In February 2016, the a cappella group Voctave released the video "Disney Love Medley" which featured Maldonado and her then-fiancé Jeremy Lewis. In the video, Maldonado and Lewis perform the songs "I See the Light" from Tangled , "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan and "Go the Distance" from Hercules with the members of Voctave providing the backing vocals. [19] In May 2016, Maldonado, along with Grassi and Hoying, appeared in an episode of Bones. [20]

On May 19, 2017, Maldonado released her first solo single, "Break a Little". Her debut EP, L O V E, was released on July 14, 2017. The EP debuted at #1 on the iTunes Pop Albums Chart. [21] In 2018, Maldonado made her Broadway debut, portraying Lauren in the musical Kinky Boots alongside singer Jake Shears and comedian Wayne Brady: [22] [23]

Personal life

Maldonado is married to freelance filmmaker and photographer Ben Hausdorff. [24] They began dating in 2018, and they worked together on different projects for Pentatonix. [25] In March 2022, Maldonado announced that she and Hausdorff were expecting their first child. [26] Their daughter was born on June 28, 2022. [27] In March 2023, Maldonado revealed that she and Hausdorff were engaged in Japan. [28] Maldonado married Hausdorff in Texas on April 21, 2024. [29]

Maldonado was previously (2016-2017) engaged to singer and entrepreneur Jeremy Lewis. She met him in August 2013 through The Sing-Off, and the two started dating in October of the same year. [30] They got engaged on May 29, 2016, in Paris, France. [31] In 2017, the couple postponed their wedding, eventually calling it off in October. [32]

Discography

Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy Awards
YearCategoryWorkResultRef.
2017 Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" on Rachael Ray Nominated [33]
Grammy Awards
YearCategoryWorkResultRef.
2015 Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella "Daft Punk"Won [34]
2016 "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"Won [35]
2017 Best Country Duo/Group Performance "Jolene" (ft. Dolly Parton)Won [36]
2023 Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Evergreen Nominated [37]
2024 Holidays Around the World Nominated [38]
Streamy Awards
YearCategoryWorkResultRef.
2014Best Cover Song"Daft Punk"Won [39]
Best Original Song"Love Again"Nominated [39]
Best Musical ArtistPentatonixNominated [39]
2015Best CollaborationPentatonix and Lindsey Stirling Nominated [40]
Best Cover Song"Evolution of Michael Jackson"Nominated [40]
YouTube Music Awards
YearCategoryWorkResultRef.
2013 Response of the Year"Radioactive" (with Lindsey Stirling)Won [41]
2015 Artist of the YearPentatonixWon [42]
Shorty Awards
YearCategoryWorkResultRef.
2015Best YouTube MusicianPentatonixWon [43]
Billboard Music Awards
YearCategoryWorkResultRef.
2015 Top Billboard 200 Album That's Christmas to Me Nominated [44]
Top Billboard 200 ArtistPentatonixNominated [45]
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
YearCategoryWorkResultRef.
2016 Favorite Music Group PentatonixNominated [46]
2017 Nominated [47]
IHeartRadio Music Awards
YearCategoryWorkResultRef.
2016 Best Cover Song "Cheerleader" Nominated [48]
Webby Awards
YearCategoryWorkResultRef.
2016Video Remixes/MashupsEvolution of Michael JacksonNominated [49]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin High School (Arlington, Texas)</span> Public school in Arlington, Texas, United States

James W. Martin High School is a secondary school for grades 9 to 12 in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is part of the Arlington Independent School District. The school's colors are red, black and silver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentatonix</span> American a cappella group

Pentatonix are an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, consisting of vocalists Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Matt Sallee, and Kevin Olusola. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements with vocal harmonies, scat singing, riffing, vocal percussion, and beatboxing, they produce cover versions of modern pop works or Christmas songs, sometimes in the form of medleys, along with original material. Pentatonix was formed in 2011 and subsequently won the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off, receiving $200,000 and a recording contract with Sony Music. When Sony's Epic Records dropped the group after The Sing-Off, the group formed its YouTube channel, distributing its music through Madison Gate Records, a label owned by Sony Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Olusola</span> Nigerian-American singer-songwriter, beatboxer, and cellist

Kevin Oluwole Olusola, also known as K.O., is an American singer-songwriter, beatboxer, and cellist. Olusola is best known as the beatboxer of the a cappella group Pentatonix. After the group won NBC's The Sing-Off in 2011, they released eleven albums, which have sold over 2 million records, and have amassed more than two billion views on their YouTube channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitch Grassi</span> American singer

Mitchell Coby Michael Grassi is an American singer from Arlington, Texas. Known for his high tenor voice, Grassi came to international attention as a founding performer in two groups—the a cappella quintet Pentatonix, and the duo Superfruit with Pentatonix bandmate Scott Hoying. As of September 2023, Pentatonix has released eleven albums and six EPs, have had five songs in the Billboard Hot 100, and won three Grammy Awards as "the first a cappella group to achieve mainstream success in the modern market". As of September 2023, Superfruit's YouTube channel has over 2.4 million subscribers and has accumulated over 483 million views.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avi Kaplan</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1989)

Avriel Benjamin Kaplan is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for being the former vocal bass of the a cappella group Pentatonix from 2011 to 2017. As a part of the group, he released five studio albums, won three Grammy Awards, and sold over six million albums.

<i>PTX, Volume 1</i> 2012 EP by Pentatonix

PTX, Volume 1 is the debut extended play album by the a cappella group Pentatonix. It was released on June 26, 2012.

<i>PTX, Vol. II</i> 2013 EP by Pentatonix

PTX, Vol. II is the third extended play (EP) by American a cappella group Pentatonix. It was released digitally on November 5, 2013, while physical versions of the album were available from November 12, 2013. As of October 23, 2015, PTX, Vol. II has sold 199,965 copies.

<i>PTX, Vol. III</i> 2014 EP by Pentatonix

PTX, Vol. III is the fourth extended play album by the a cappella group Pentatonix. It was released on September 23, 2014 by RCA Records, although it was released earlier in Australia on September 19, 2014. The extended play contains four covers as well as three original tracks. As of October 23, 2015, PTX, Vol. III has sold 201,226 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superfruit (duo)</span> American music duo

Superfruit is an American musical and comedy duo consisting of Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying, both known as members of the a cappella group Pentatonix. Superfruit is also the name of their comedy show, featured on their eponymous YouTube channel. Their channel was created in August 2013 with a focus on comedic vlogs and music performances. As of July 2023, the channel has over 2.4 million subscribers and over 481 million views.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Hoying</span> American singer and songwriter

Scott Hoying is an American singer, musician and songwriter who came to international attention as the baritone of the a cappella group Pentatonix and one-half of the music duo Superfruit. As of June 2021, Pentatonix has released eleven albums and two EPs, have had four songs in the Billboard Hot 100, and won three Grammy Awards as "the first a cappella group to achieve mainstream success in the modern market". As of November 2021, Superfruit's YouTube channel has over 2.4 million subscribers, and over 444 million views.

<i>Pentatonix</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Pentatonix

Pentatonix is the fourth studio album by American a cappella group Pentatonix, which was released on October 16, 2015.

<i>A Pentatonix Christmas</i> 2016 studio album by Pentatonix

A Pentatonix Christmas is the fifth studio album by American a cappella group Pentatonix. It is also their second full-length holiday album since That's Christmas to Me in 2014. Featuring two new original songs, "Good to Be Bad" and "The Christmas Sing-Along", A Pentatonix Christmas debuted on the Billboard 200 at number three with 52,000 albums sold in its first week, and later peaked at number one, selling 206,000 units in its best week. A Pentatonix Christmas marks as their second number one album on the Billboard 200 after Pentatonix. The album also debuted atop the Billboard Holiday Albums chart, their second number one on that chart after That's Christmas to Me. The deluxe edition of the album dropped from number 6 to 200 on the Billboard 200 in 2018, the greatest drop for an album that still remained on the chart, in Billboard history. The album also, with a guest appearance by The Manhattan Transfer, marked the first recording by the fourth iteration of the group, as this was Trist Curless' first participation with the group in a recording since the death of Tim Hauser, whom Curless officially replaced in 2014.

<i>PTX, Vol. IV: Classics</i> 2017 EP by Pentatonix

PTX, Vol. IV: Classics is the fifth extended play album by the a cappella group Pentatonix. It was released by RCA Records on April 7, 2017, and is their first EP since 2014's PTX, Vol. III. It is their final release with original member Avi Kaplan, who left the group later that year.

A Pentatonix Christmas Tour was the sixth concert tour by American a cappella group Pentatonix to promote their fifth studio album, A Pentatonix Christmas. The tour began on December 3, 2017, in Chicago, and concluded on December 22, 2017, in Boston.

<i>PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. I</i> 2018 studio album by Pentatonix

PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. I is the sixth studio album by American a cappella group Pentatonix, released on April 13, 2018. It is their first album with bass vocalist Matt Sallee, and without original bass vocalist Avi Kaplan. It is also their first full-length album not to feature any original material.

<i>Christmas Is Here!</i> 2018 studio album by Pentatonix

Christmas Is Here! is the seventh studio album by American a cappella group Pentatonix. It is also their third full-length holiday album following A Pentatonix Christmas in 2016.

Pentatonix: The World Tour was the ninth concert tour by American a cappella group Pentatonix to promote their greatest hits. The tour began on May 11, 2019, in Oakland, and concluded on September 16, 2023, in Puyallup, WA.

<i>The Best of Pentatonix Christmas</i> 2019 compilation album by Pentatonix

The Best of Pentatonix Christmas is the first compilation album by American a cappella group Pentatonix. It contains Christmas songs, originally recorded for and included on their holiday albums PTXmas, That's Christmas to Me, A Pentatonix Christmas and Christmas Is Here!, as well as four new songs: "Do You Hear What I Hear?", "God Only Knows", "Joyful, Joyful", and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch". It was released via RCA Records on October 25, 2019. In December 2019, the group toured the United States in support of the album.

<i>We Need a Little Christmas</i> (Pentatonix album) 2020 studio album by Pentatonix

We Need a Little Christmas is the fourth Christmas album, and eighth album overall, by the American a cappella group Pentatonix. It was released on November 13, 2020, by RCA Records.

<i>Meet Me Next Christmas</i> 2024 film by Rusty Cundieff

Meet Me Next Christmas is a 2024 American Christmas romantic comedy film directed Rusty Cundieff and written by Molly Haldeman and Camilla Rubis. It stars Christina Milian, Devale Ellis, Kofi Siriboe, Tymika Tafari, Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, Matt Sallee, and Kalen Allen. The film was released by Netflix on November 6, 2024.

References

  1. ↑ Tom, Lauren (May 19, 2017). "Pentatonix's Kirstin Maldonado Drops First Solo Single 'Break a Little': Listen". Billboard . Archived from the original on May 20, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  2. ↑ Scott, Jason (July 14, 2017). "Kirstin Breaks a Little, But Pulls It Together With Triumphant 'LOVE' EP". PopCrush. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  3. ↑ "See Pentatonix's Kirstin Maldonado Make Her Broadway Debut in Kinky Boots". Playbill. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  4. ↑ Campbell, Kathy (May 30, 2016). "Pentatonix Singer Kirstin Maldonado Is Engaged to Jeremy Michael Lewis: See Her Ring". US magazine. Archived from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  5. ↑ O'Malley-Greenburg, Zack (January 5, 2016). "Pentatonix: Everything You Need To Know About The World's Biggest A Cappella Act". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  6. ↑ First Command [@FirstCommand] (December 19, 2011). "Congrats Kirstie Maldonado and #Pentatonix, who won NBC's #TheSingOff ! Kirstie is daughter of FC's Michael Cisneros" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ↑ "#WCW Kirstie Maldonado inspires as sole female in Pentatonix". The Daily Dot. June 24, 2015. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Biography of Pentatonix". nbc.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  9. ↑ Malkoff, Amy (November 27, 2011). "An Exclusive Interview With Pentatonix's Scott Hoying". casa.org. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Pentatonix Official Website". May 6, 2019. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2021. Kirstin is a National Hispanic Scholar and was a sophomore Music Theater major at The University of Oklahoma before joining Pentatonix.
  11. ↑ "The Key Magazine Kappa Kappa Gamma Key Fall 2016". thekey.kappa.org. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Kirstie Maldonado- Interview With Pentatonix' Lead Singer". Asian Fusion. January 27, 2014. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  13. ↑ Gallo, Phil (November 29, 2011). "'The Sing-Off' Finale: Pentatonix Takes The Trophy". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  14. ↑ Jone, Preston (February 15, 2016). "Pentatonix takes home another Grammy; Fort Worth's Kirk Franklin also a winner". Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on July 20, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Huffington Post: "Grammy Winners List For 2015 Includes Sam Smith, Pharrell, Beyoncé & More"". HuffPost . February 8, 2015. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Pentatonix Just Scored Their Second Grammy in a Row!". February 15, 2016. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Dolly Parton and Pentatonix win country duo/roup performance award for 'Jolene'". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  18. ↑ Springfield, The CW (January 15, 2016). "Winners of 'The World Dog Awards'". WWLP.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  19. ↑ "See Pentatonix's Kirstin Maldonado perform sweet 'Disney Love Medley' with boyfriend". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  20. ↑ Philpot, Robert (May 16, 2016). "Pentatonix to appear in 'Bones' musical mystery". Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Kirstin Maldonado's Solo Debut EP L O V E Now Available". RCA Records. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Wayne Brady Will Return to Broadway's Kinky Boots | Playbill". Playbill. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  23. ↑ "See Pentatonix's Kirstin Maldonado Make Her Broadway Debut in Kinky Boots | Playbill". Playbill. February 3, 2018. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  24. ↑ "kirstin™ on Instagram: "love you love you 🥰❤️"" . www.instagram.com. May 6, 2021. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  25. ↑ July 2019, Nick Govoni 17 (July 17, 2019). "Ben Hausdorff Shoots Pentatonix and New Kirstin Maldonado Music Videos with Pocket Cinema Camera 4K". Broadcasting Cable. Retrieved May 13, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ↑ Maldonado, Kirstin [@kirstin] (March 19, 2022). "KTM2 era … 🥰👶❤️ @hausdo" – via Instagram.
  27. ↑ "BREAKING: Kirstin Maldonado Of Pentatonix Welcomes First Child With Boyfriend Ben Hausdorff". Music Mayhem. July 4, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Pentatonix's Kirstin Maldonado reveals how she told her bandmates she's engaged". Jam Broadcasting. March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  29. ↑ Ross, Alex (April 22, 2024). "Pentatonix Singer Kirstin Maldonado Marries Ben Hausdorff in Texas Wedding Ceremony: 'This Is It' (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  30. ↑ "Pentatonix Singer Kirstin Maldonado Is Engaged: See Her Ring - Us Weekly". July 5, 2016. Archived from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  31. ↑ "All the Details on Kirstin Maldonado's Romantic Proposal". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Split? Pentatonix Singer Kristin Maldonado Calls Off Wedding To Work On 'Issues'". Radar Online. October 10, 2017. Archived from the original on November 25, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  33. ↑ "The 44th Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations" (PDF). New York City: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. March 22, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 3, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Grammy Awards Winners" . Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Grammy Awards 2016: See the Full Winners List" . Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  36. ↑ Roberts, Randall (February 12, 2017). "Dolly Parton and Pentatonix win country duo/roup performance for 'Jolene'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  37. ↑ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". www.grammy.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  38. ↑ Enos, Morgan (November 10, 2023). "2024 GRAMMY Nominees of the Year". www.grammy.com. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  39. 1 2 3 "Streamy Awards Winners". Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  40. 1 2 "Streamy Awards Winners" . Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  41. ↑ Lopez, Korina (November 4, 2013). "YouTube Music Awards winners list". USA Today . Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  42. ↑ "YouTube Music Awards winners list" . Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Pentatonix accepts the Best YouTube Musician Shorty Award" . Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  44. ↑ "Top billboard 200 album finalists" . Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  45. ↑ "Top billboard 200 artist finalists" . Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  46. ↑ "Host Blake Shelton, Pentatonix nominated for Nickelodeon's 2016 Kids' Choice Awards". NewsOK.com. February 2, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  47. ↑ "2017 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards". Nickelodeon. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  48. ↑ "2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominees Revealed! | iHeartRadio". iHeartRadio. Archived from the original on February 10, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  49. ↑ "Tyler Oakley, Pentatonix, and more lead Webby nominations | DailyDot". DailyDot. April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Kirstin Maldonado at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.