Avi Kaplan Leaves Pentatonix, Official A Capella Group Of Your Heart, To Pursue Solo Career
Because the year is 2017 and all good things must die, Avriel Benjamin Kaplan announced via a funereal Facebook video that he has made the decision to leave Pentatonix.
For those of you whose lives remain somehow untouched by the freakishly talented fivesome, Pentatonix is an a capella group that shot to stardom after placing first in the third season of NBC’s “The Sing-Off.”
In the good-bye video, posted to Facebook on May 12th, Kaplan sits surrounded by the rest of the group as he breaks the news to his passionate fan base.
“This decision is something I’ve been struggling with a lot and it’s one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my whole life,” says Ari. “I’ve decided to take a step back from Pentatonix.”
Kaplan cited the group’s crazy schedule as the primary reason for his departure, saying that he wants more time to be with his family and escape to nature, but that doesn’t mean he intends to take a vacation from music.
He’s already dropped the first video off his new EP “Sage and Stone.”
This time around, as Avriel and the Sequoias, Kaplan will explore a folk music sound. You can watch his new video below.
And if you immediately hate it, revisit Pentatonix’s cover of “Hallelujah” for a good, solid afternoon cry.
Becky Scott is the editor of The Schmooze. Follow her on Twitter at @arr_scott
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
