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20 Best Acapella Groups of the 21^st Century

Acapella music is often performed by a group of singers without using instrumental accompaniments. Acapella groups essentially use their voices to mimic musical instruments and create a weave of harmonies to capture their audiences. Acapella music has existed for centuries and has since then grown more popular over the years.

As of now, dozens of acapella groups have emerged over the years and have incorporated their unique sounds and styles into their music. The concept of acapella music is quite different since singers are forced to harmonize with each other. This genre of music is quite different form the rest and when done right it is quite appealing to the audience.

1.Pentatonix

Pentatonix is an acapella group that is base in Texas, United States of America. The group consist of Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Matt Sallee, and Kevin Olusola. The acapella group focuses on making cover version and a twist into Christmas songs. Unlike the original versions of the song, the group incorporates different form of medleys, beatbox, riffs, basslines, percussion, and beatboxing.

The acapella group has garnered twenty-million subscribers on their YouTube, where they share their pop covers and harmonies. As of now Pentatonix three Grammys, Best Arrangement, Instrumental or Acappella for Daft Punk and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, as well as Best Country Duo/Group Performance for Jolene with Dolly Parton.

Read more on 20 Most Popular Country Songs of All Time.

2. Home Free

Austin Brown, Rob Lundquist, Adam Rupp, Tim Foust, and Adam Chance make up the American country acappella group, Home Free. The initial group adopted the name, Home Free which was form a boat owned by Atwood’s grandfather who helped support the group financially in their early years.

Back in 2013, the acapella group participated in the fourth season of The Sing-Off which on NBC. The same group was fortunate enough the group won the price of $100,000 and a recording contract with Sony after performing an arrangement of Hunter Hayes’ I Want Crazy as their last competing song.

3. Naturally 7

Naturally 7 is an American acappella group known for creating an instrumental ensemble with their voices. This group was founded back in 1999 by the group leader Roger and Warren Thomas and later Rod Eldridge, Ricky Cort Dwight Stewart, Sean Simmonds, and N’Namdi Bryant joined and are the current members of the group

Since 1999, the group known for incorporating their voices, mouths, and distortion effects to create the sounds of an instrumental ensemble. The group is famously known for its masterpiece, Music is the Key which was ranked at number one in Germany and came in second in Switzerland. Their 2006 album, Ready II Fly put them on the map after it was ranked at number fourteen and sixty-four in Australia and France respectively.

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4. Straight No Chaser

Straight No Chaser is a professional American a cappella group that was founded at Indiana University back in 1996. The initial founders of the group were university students who eventually graduated and were replaced by other students in the same university. The group still goes by the same name and is run by students at the same school.

This group is now commonly referred to as SNC, has produced over eight studio albums. Back in 2008, the groups released its debut album titled, Holiday Spirit which won the CARA awards for the best Holiday Album. As of now the group consists of Jerome Collins, Randy Stine, Walter Chase, Steve Morgan, Mike Luginbill, Seggie Isho, Tyler Trepp, Jasper Smith and Freedom Young.

5. The Filharmonic

The Filharmonic acapella group is unlike others in the United States, the group comprises of young Filipino American based in L.A. the group comprises of Jules Cruz on vocal bass, Joe Caigoy, VJ Rosales, and Trace Gaynor as tenors, and Niko Del Ray as the group’s beatboxer. The group first hit the lime lights when they joined a Sing Off competition on NBC.

Fortunately, the group made its way to the semi-finals and joined the national tour. Unlike other acapella groups, the Filharmonic group brings in a unique blend of hip hop, pop and the 90’s. The group has also been featured in the Universal Pictures hit movie, Pitch perfect.

6. Rockapella

The Rockapella is an American a cappella musical group founded in New York City back in 1986. Form the group’s name, it is quite evident that the group focuses on acapella renditions of pop and rock tunes. The group has developed over time and has now moved to more R&B sounds rather than confining themselves to only pop and rock.

Although the group is based in New York, it has gained so much success in Asia. The acapella group released its first debut single Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Back in 1993 and immensely contributed to the groups fame.

7. The Real Group

Clara Fornander, Joanné Pastor Nugas, Johannes Rückert Becker, Axel Berntzon, and Daniele Dees are members of the Swedish acapella group, Real Group. The group initially comprised of students at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and has grown to be more. The group writes majority of their songs.

The group mainly sing in English and Swedish and often give credit to the American singer Bobby McFerrin as an influence on their style. The group has won over twelve Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, including Best Contemporary Cover, Best Jazz Song, Best Holiday Album, and Best Classical Album. As of now the group has performed at more than 2000 concerts worldwide.

8. Maytree

Maytree is a South Korean a cappella group with five members, Jan Sang, Kang Soo-Kyung, Kwon Young, Kim Won and Lim Soo-yeon. The group was initially founded by members of a university acapella group named, Gigahtz. The group did not release any music until 2006 when they released the album titled, Maytree.

In 2015 and 2020 the group released the album, MayTree in Love, and Back to me respectively. The acapella group has received many awards for its outstanding talent, including wins at various A Capella competition around the world. Their covers from the TV hit show, Squid Game pushed them further into the limelight after amassing over 260 million views on YouTube.

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9. Take 6

Take 6 is one of the most famous a cappella groups out there. The group was initially formed in 1980 by campus students of the Oakwood collage in Huntsville. All its original members grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is a contemporary group that incorporates jazz into their tunes to elevate their music. 

The group has now won of an impressive eight Grammy Awards in a variety of categories, including Best Soul Gospel Performance, Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Best R&B Performance, and Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. This can be attributed to their unique style of doing things.

10. The Manhattan Transfer

The Manhattan Transfer is an acapella group that began way back in 1969 and has grown to become one of the greatest groups of all time. The American vocal group majorly performs swing, Brazilian jazz, rhythm and blues and pop music. As of now the group has won an impressive eleven Grammys for their works.

The vocal group has released thirty studio albums over their career, with the most popular being The Manhattan Transfer Live and The Best of The Manhattan Transfer. Both of this studio albums have been awarded the Platinum certification by the BPI and ARIA respectively. This success can be attribute to their unique and captivating way of doing their music.

11. The Flying Pickets

The Flying Pickets is an acapella group that is based in Britain. The vocal group is known for their unique twists in their Christmas music. The group was founded back in 1982 by Brian Hibbard and has grown to become much bigger.

In the early years of the groups career, it majorly performed in clubs and pubs in London. Their first single, Only You was listed as the top Christmas song for a total of five weeks. This song put the group in the limelight as it became popular in Europe, Ireland, and Canada. The present members of the group include Andy Laycock, Simon John, Michael Henry, Christopher Brooker, and Martin George.

12. VoicePlay

Voiceplay is an award winning acapella Group from Orlando, Florida. The group hit the limelight after becoming a finalist on The Sing-Off. The group is known for its amazing harmony and inventive re-imaginations of popular music with nothing but their voices.

The group was initially created by three high school students who bonded over singing. The four current members of this acapella group are Eli Jacobson, Cesar De La Rosa, Geoff Castellucci, and Layne Stein. The group recently realizes that they need a woman touch and therefore they brought on board, Honey LaRochelle.

 The group is known for its high energy vocals they display in their music. Back in 2019 the group was named the Pop Group of the Year at the A Cappella Music Awards and have over one hundred million YouTube views.

13. The Persuasions

The Persuasions were a five-member acapella group formed in Brooklyn, New York. The group began singing way back in 1962 and has since then grown to become a popular acapella group in the United States. The group is commonly known for its unique combination of gospel, soul rock and even jazz.

Frank Zappa appreciated the groups unique style and flew them to Los Angeles to record their first ever album. This opened up so many doors for the group and further pushed them into the limelight. One of their latest albums was with Barenaked Ladies, titled Ladies and Gentlemen: Barenaked Ladies and The Persuasions. Since the release of the album, it has been peaked at number thirty on the Billboard Independent Album chart and number eighty-seven in Canada.

14. The Maccabeats

Founded at Yeshiva University, The Maccabeats is an Orthodox Jewish acapella group. The all-male group brings in a new perspective into their music by making covers and parodies of hit using Jewish-themed lyrics. The group was initially founded by undergraduate students who were brought together by their love for music.

They group has since then released total of four studio albums: Voices from the Heights, Out of the Box, One Day More, and Hanukkah Anthology. While all the fourteen members are active members of the group, only half of the group travel to live performances. They performed at the White House’s Jewish American Heritage Month gala, before the former United States president, Barack Obama.

15. Voctave

Voctave is an esteemed eleven member acapella group based in Florida, United States. The group hold the title as one of the best acapella groups of all time with their unique twist of music from Disney, Broadway, jazz standards and Christmas music. As of now, the group has released a total of ten studio albums.

The group draws their inspiration form Broadway and Disney music. The group has now released numerous Christmas albums featuring both secular and religious music. Some of their latest albums include The Corner of Broadway and Main Steet, and Volume 2.

16. Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue is an all-male cappella group that was initially founded by post graduate students at the Oxford University.  Though the group was founded by member of the University, it has opened its doors for members outside the University. The group has been named one of the best groups in the UK and this can be attributed to their unique eclectic mix of songs.

The group was founded back in 2000 and has since then been successful both at the national level and at the international level. The group took part in the Britain’s Got Talent competition and made its way up to the semi-finals. They later performed on Broadway, and even toured the world. their music has allowed them to amass over seventeen million views on YouTube.

17. BYU Vocal Point

BYU Vocal Point is an acapella group that consists of nine members from the Brigham Young University. The group was initially founded by two students, Bob Ahlander and Dave who were students at the University. The group was directed for a short time by McKay Crockett, who is an Emmy-winning director.

Their debut studio album was titled If Rocks Could Sing and put them on the map. The group recently released their all-Disney album titled, Magic: Disney Through Time. Some of the awards received by the group include The Pearl Award, The ICCA international Champions, The NBC Sing Off and the regional Emmy Awards.

18. Amarcord

Amarcord is a German male classic ensemble that was initially founded by five members of the Thomanerchor. The group often performs as a quintet. Members of the group include Wolfram Lattke, Robert Pohlers, Martin Lattke, Dietrich Bartth, Frank Ozimek, Daniel Knauft, Holger Krause.

The group has won contests and competitions all over the world, including multiple CARA awards and other prizes in Spain and Finland. Their debut studio album Insalata a cappella put them on the limelight and since then their career in music took off. The group has focused on Medieval music and Renaissance music where the best shine.

19. DCappella

DCappella is an a cappella group that was founded by Disney Music Group. Back in 2012, Disney Music Group announced their search for talent and opened their doors for auditions form interested participants.

The group now consists of six vocalists, Orlando Dixon, Antonio Fernandez, Morgan Keene, Kalen Kelly, Joe Santoni, and RJ Woessner. The group has been to tours which were sold out. Back in 2019, the acapella group released their fists holiday album titled, Rockin Holiday which was received quite well by the public.

Read more on 100 Most Popular Christmas Songs of All Time.

20.Aca-word

The award winning acapella group, Aca-word was founded back in 2012 and has since then been performing original covers of classical rock hits. The group incorporates contemporary pop tunes to the original covers to bring in a new perspective into their music.

The 13-person group manages to fuse new music with old classic music in a quite sophisticated way that captures an audience. The group has been fortunate enough to perform at various fairs, holiday festival, farmers markets and all other events in San Francisco Bay Area. The group recently released their debut single, which was a cover of Dua Lipa’s song, Break My Heart.

All these ensembles bring together an array of talent fused into contemporary music. Acapella groups essentially use their voices to mimic musical instruments and create a weave of harmonies to capture their audiences.