When Fifth Harmony disassembled, it seemed like the world of strong, girl groups in America were over for good. Now, Citizen Queen is here to bring a fresh sound to female-focused music and acapella.
On December 3, 2018, Scott Hoying, lead baritone vocal and Pentatonix member, announced on Instagram that he put this female acapella group together. He told fans to follow the journey as these were some of the most talented women he had ever met.
In that same post, Hoying mentioned the help he got creating the group from Pentatonix’s musical arranger and producer Ben Bram as well as Shams Ahmed.
That same day, the group released their first video, a cover of Ariana Grande’s number one single “No Tears Left To Cry” on their YouTube channel. The video quickly gained traction and accumulated about half a million viewers since its upload.
Just four days later, the girls released a 40-second teaser video comprised of some of their upcoming projects. One of the projects that viewers got a sneak peek of was what would become their largest viewed video to date, “Evolution of Girl Groups.”
This tribute to female music has gained about 2.5 million views in just one week and really put the girls on the map in terms of gaining a wider audience. The video features some of our favorite girl power anthems like, “Lady Marmalade” by LaBelle, “Waterfalls” by TLC, “Wannabe” by Spice Girls as well as “Work From Home” from our last great girl group, Fifth Harmony.
The acapella group released the covers “This Christmas” and “Lost in Japan,” with accompanying behind-the-scenes videos. Now, with about 3.5 million channel videos in what is barely a month of releasing content, it seems like Scott Hoying was right about their potential.
Citizen Queen is comprised of five members which include: beatboxers, Cora Isabel and Kaedi Dalley, and vocalists, Kaylah Sharve’, Nina Nelson and Hannah Mrozak.
Each of the girls have a large history with music. If Mrozak seemed like a familiar face to you, it’s because it isn’t the first time she’s graced our screens. Back in 2014, Mrozak auditioned for “American Idol” and made it through to the Hollywood rounds before making her exit. A few years later in September 2017, she auditioned for “The Voice.” During her audition, Mrozak got a three-chair turn and made it through multiple episodes before her sad departure before the live shows.
While she may have dropped her last name for the new group, Kaylah Sharve’ Baker hasn’t dropped her love of singing. Actually, before branching off into Citizen Queen, Sharve’ Baker was a member of the esteemed Los Angeles acapella group, SoCal VoCals.
The SoCal VoCals are USC’s oldest acappella group and are the reigning champions of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. They also hold the record for most victories in the competition, winning in consecutive attempts in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015 and most recently in 2018.
Similarly, videos can be found online of the group’s vocal percussionists, Cora Isabel and Kaedi Dalley, auditioning for acapella academy in 2017.
A Capella Academy was a summer camp that was brought to life after former Pentatonix member, Avi Kaplan, tweeted the idea. Kaplan wanted to create a summer camp where talented young musicians who audition and are accepted could come and hone their craft.
It definitely seems like these girls learned a thing a two from their time because they’re starting to take the world by storm.
Citizen Queen just ended their stunt supporting act for Pentatonix on The Christmas Is Here! Tour and now have some time to work on potentially creating their own original music. While there is no word out on what they have in the works or will be releasing next, it’s easy to see that they’ve already created an eager fanbase.
Will you be adding Citizen Queen to your roster of female artists? Do you think they’re going to become the female Pentatonix? Let us know!