The moment the first harmonies filled the air, something extraordinary happened. What began as a familiar melody transformed into an emotional journey that reminded listeners why vocal music, stripped of all instrumentation, can strike deeper than any orchestra.
Pentatonix, the Texas-born vocal ensemble that has revolutionized contemporary a cappella music, delivered a stunning interpretation of Stevie Wonder’s 1984 classic “I Just Called to Say I Love You” that showcases both technical mastery and profound emotional intelligence. The performance, featured on their 2021 holiday album Evergreen, represents another milestone in the group’s ongoing mission to prove that the human voice remains music’s most powerful instrument.
From Arlington High School to Grammy Glory
The quintet—Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee—has traveled a remarkable trajectory since three Martin High School students in Arlington, Texas first harmonized together over a decade ago. Their journey from uploading YouTube videos to winning three Grammy Awards embodies a modern music success story built on pure vocal talent and innovative arrangements.
Their Grammy victories tell the story of consistent excellence: Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella awards in both 2015 (for “Daft Punk”) and 2016 (for “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”), followed by Best Country Duo/Group Performance in 2017 for their collaboration with Dolly Parton on “Jolene.” Each award validated their approach of taking beloved songs and reimagining them through intricate vocal layering, beatboxing, and harmonic complexity that rivals full instrumental arrangements.

The Evergreen Project: A Pandemic-Era Triumph
Released on October 29, 2021, Evergreen arrived as Pentatonix’s tenth studio album overall and marked their sixth holiday-themed project—a testament to their status as perennial architects of seasonal music. The album’s creation carried special significance for the group, as member Scott Hoying revealed in interviews leading up to the 2023 Grammy Awards ceremony.
“We had been away from each other for longer than we ever had in our career because of the pandemic,” Hoying explained to ABC Audio. “And we got to come back together … and we went in and we built it together and, like, stripped it apart and built it more. And we just love how it turned out. It’s probably our favorite album collectively as a band.”
That collaborative chemistry shines throughout the 14-track collection, which features both traditional holiday fare and unexpected choices like their take on Wonder’s timeless love song. The decision to include “I Just Called to Say I Love You”—released as the album’s second single on October 1, 2021—demonstrated Pentatonix’s understanding that holiday albums need not be confined to explicitly seasonal material. Love, after all, remains the ultimate holiday message.
Honoring a Legend’s Masterwork
Stevie Wonder’s original recording dominated global charts in 1984, reaching number one in an unprecedented 19 countries and becoming his best-selling single to date. Written, produced, and performed entirely by Wonder for the film The Woman in Red, the song earned both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song, while also garnering three Grammy nominations.
Pentatonix approached this iconic composition with reverence and innovation in equal measure. Their arrangement maintains the song’s gentle, intimate spirit while adding layers of vocal complexity that transform Wonder’s synthesizer-driven original into an organic tapestry of human sound. The group’s beatboxer provides subtle rhythmic foundation while the vocalists weave intricate harmonies that ebb and flow with the song’s emotional arc.
Television Performances and Tour Success
The group shared their interpretation with national audiences through multiple television appearances during the album’s promotional cycle. On November 23, 2021, Pentatonix performed “I Just Called to Say I Love You” on NBC’s TODAY show, introducing morning viewers to their fresh take on the classic. They also appeared on NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special, where they performed “Wonderful Christmastime” and “We Need a Little Christmas,” further cementing their role as contemporary keepers of holiday tradition.
The Evergreen Christmas Tour 2021 launched on November 27, 2021, in Baltimore, Maryland, comprising 16 dates across the United States before concluding with two hometown performances in Grand Prairie, Texas on December 22-23. The tour sold out at multiple venues and generated such demand that the group organized “The Evergreen Experience,” a livestreamed concert filmed at Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center on December 11, which was broadcast worldwide via Moment House on December 19-20.
For the tour, Pentatonix incorporated instruments into their live show for the first time, adding drums, cello, and piano to complement their vocal arrangements—a significant evolution for a group built on pure a cappella foundations.
Grammy Recognition and Industry Impact
Evergreen earned Pentatonix their fourth career Grammy nomination when it was recognized in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category for the 2023 ceremony (the 65th Annual Grammy Awards). Though the group had previously been perfect 3-for-3 in converting nominations to wins, Michael Bublé’s Higher ultimately claimed the award. The nomination nonetheless represented a significant achievement—marking the first time Pentatonix had been recognized for a full album rather than individual arrangements.
Scott Hoying reflected on the nomination with characteristic humility: “We’ve never been nominated for an album before, and we’ve put out so many albums. Honestly … I know this sounds like a diplomatic answer, but I really mean it … just to be nominated with such icons that I grew up loving is really, really cool.” He competed in a category alongside Kelly Clarkson’s When Christmas Comes Around, Norah Jones’s I Dream of Christmas, and Diana Ross’s Thank You.
The album’s commercial performance matched its critical reception, accumulating over 100 million streams and charting strongly across multiple Billboard categories. These numbers contributed to Pentatonix’s remarkable holiday music dominance—in 2020, they were Billboard’s top streaming artist of holiday music in the United States, with more than 90 million streams during Christmas week alone.

A Legacy Built on Innovation
The group’s interpretation of “I Just Called to Say I Love You” exemplifies their broader artistic philosophy: respect the source material while fearlessly exploring new sonic possibilities. Their YouTube channel, boasting over 19 million subscribers and more than 5 billion video views, serves as a digital archive of this philosophy in action, documenting hundreds of covers and original compositions.
Pentatonix has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide and achieved the rare feat of placing two albums at number one on the Billboard 200: their 2015 gold-certified self-titled album and 2016’s 2x platinum That’s Christmas to Me. Their catalog includes multiple RIAA certifications for platinum and gold-selling projects, and their single “Hallelujah” achieved platinum certification in Canada and gold status in Germany and Switzerland.
Beyond commercial metrics, the group has earned cultural recognition that includes three NBC holiday television specials, a cameo in Pitch Perfect 2, and most notably, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On February 21, 2023, they became the first a cappella group ever honored with this distinction, receiving the 2,748th star in the category of Live Performance.
The Enduring Power of Pure Voice
What makes Pentatonix’s rendition of “I Just Called to Say I Love You” particularly resonant is how it strips away technological mediation while adding human complexity. Where Wonder’s original used synthesizers and drum machines to create a warm, intimate sound, Pentatonix employs only voices to achieve similar emotional impact—proving that the oldest instruments remain the most versatile.

The arrangement builds gradually, beginning with spare harmonies before introducing additional vocal layers that suggest strings, bass, and percussion without ever losing sight of the song’s central message. When the full ensemble converges on the chorus, the effect is simultaneously grand and intimate, much like the feeling of being surrounded by loved ones—appropriate for a holiday album built around themes of connection and warmth.
Year-Round Relevance for Holiday Music
Evergreen’s success extends beyond typical holiday season boundaries. The album continues to generate substantial streaming numbers throughout the year, contributing to Pentatonix’s status as one of history’s best-selling holiday music groups. Their strategic inclusion of songs like “I Just Called to Say I Love You”—which carries holiday warmth without strictly seasonal lyrics—helps explain this sustained appeal.
Following Evergreen, Pentatonix released Holidays Around the World in October 2022, which earned them yet another Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 2024 ceremony, bringing their total nominations to five. This consistent recognition underscores their evolution from competition winners to established innovators in contemporary vocal music.

The group has since continued their holiday dominance with The Greatest Christmas Hits compilation and maintains an aggressive touring schedule, including international dates across Singapore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Their 2023 holiday tour, “The Most Wonderful Tour of the Year,” became their highest-attended and most successful to date, playing to over 200,000 people across 22 cities.
A Testament to Vocal Excellence
Pentatonix’s interpretation of “I Just Called to Say I Love You” stands as more than a mere cover—it represents a philosophy of music-making that honors tradition while embracing possibility. By taking Stevie Wonder’s synthesizer-based love letter and reimagining it through pure vocal artistry, they bridge generations and genres while demonstrating that fundamental human connection requires no technology beyond the human voice.
As digital algorithms increasingly shape musical creation and consumption, Pentatonix offers a refreshing counterpoint: five people, five voices, infinite possibilities. Their Evergreen album, and particularly their treatment of Wonder’s classic, reminds us that the most sophisticated musical instrument remains the one we’re all born with—if only we have the courage, creativity, and collaborative spirit to use it fully.