It began as a festive live stream, but quickly became one of the most talked-about holiday performances. Scott Hoying and Kirstin Maldonado, longtime friends and vocal powerhouses from Pentatonix, joined forces for a spine-tingling mashup of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked and “Go the Distance” from Hercules, performed during a Christmas livestream — and later immortalized in a TikTok clip that’s still making the rounds.
The setting was intimate yet electric: twinkling holiday lights, a cozy stage space, and a small but passionate live audience. But the real magic happened when the crowd became part of the performance — turning the final choruses into a full-bodied choir of voices that lifted the medley to new heights.
From the first notes, Hoying’s warm, resonant baritone anchored the arrangement, carrying “Go the Distance” with the kind of conviction that makes you believe every word. Maldonado entered with crystalline clarity, her voice taking flight on “Defying Gravity” in a way that felt effortless yet emotionally charged. When their harmonies met, the blend was pure Pentatonix alchemy — perfectly balanced, impossibly tight, and charged with feeling.
The arrangement itself was a masterclass in storytelling. Rather than simply switching songs, the two wove them together — melodies and lyrics overlapping like threads in a tapestry, building toward a final, soaring key change that sent the room (and the TikTok audience) into chills.
As the crowd’s voices swelled, the performance stopped feeling like a livestream and more like a shared moment between artists and fans — a reminder of what makes music in the holiday season so powerful. By the time the last chord faded, the room was on its feet, and the livestream chat was a wall of heart emojis and “THIS IS EVERYTHING.”
What could have been a simple seasonal performance became something else entirely — a holiday memory that proved, yet again, that when Scott Hoying and Kirstin Maldonado sing together, the result is nothing short of magical.
