A singer named Peter walks onto the stage and faces a choir of 200 children. The room is quiet as he starts singing the first lines of “You Raise Me Up.” His voice is calm and steady, almost gentle. Then the first chorus ends—and everything changes. One by one, the children join in, and suddenly the song feels bigger, warmer, and full of life. As the music goes on, their voices rise together, filling the space with pure emotion. By the final chorus, the sound is overwhelming in the best way—200 young voices singing as one, sending chills through everyone listening. It’s not just a performance anymore; it’s a moment no one in that room will ever forget.

Peter Hollens is a singer/songwriter originating from Oregon in the grand old USA. Hollens started his career in music initially when he attended the University of Oregon where he became part of an acapella group.

Hollens hit the world radar when he took part in the US show “The Sing Off” in which his acapella group, led by Hollens, were a popular act on the show. Don’t miss the beautiful harmonies at the end of the video below, they’ll give you goosebumps!

Over the years Hollens has recorded with both Sony and Epic Records as well as recording his own music in his very own music studio located at his Oregon home. Hollens’ musical adventures have led him to collaborate with a variety of other musicians over the years including the Backbeats, Committed, and the Swingle Singlers.

In 2011 Hollens moved his musical adventures to YouTube where he has gained over 2.5 million subscribers and followers. The YouTube channel has been a grand success for Hollens leading to a number of successful collaborations. One of Hollens’ most popular videos is one of him covering the Josh Groban classic “You Raise Me Up.” The video has garnered a staggering 6.3 million views on YouTube and it’s really not hard to see why.

The video starts with Hollens on a stage facing a large crowd, before cutting to Hollens singing whilst sitting solo on a stool, as the piece rises to the initial chorus Hollens appears in quintuplet, recorded separately in order to allow Hollens an impressive solo lead position, whilst essentially being his own acapella group.

The shot pans out and cuts to Hollens facing away from the crown of youths. The youths then begin harmonising, a beautiful and slightly melancholic sound as Hollens continues to sing the solo parts of the song. As the video moves on the harmonies build in grandeur until the choir is at full range, filling the hall with the sound of stunning acapella gospel harmonies which sit in perfect accompaniment for Hollens’ clear lead vocals. See the amazing performance here.

Hollens is an artist of true skill and professionalism, never missing or dropping a note, his voice is clear, and bold making clear annunciation of each and individual word throughout his performances. The trick to a good acapella performer is the ability to be versatile in your vocal range, knowing how to blend your voice with others to create a smooth performance, something of which Hollens has perfected over his years as a professional singer.