It won’t be long before Pitch Perfect 2 sings its way into theaters. Fortunately for us, we can tease you a little along the way! We recently had the pleasure of chatting with the Filharmonic, a six-piece group who play against the beloved Bardon Bellas in the film’s A Cappella competition for worldwide harmonic domination.
The Filharmonic was seen on last seasons’ The Sing-Off on NBC. They also performed the national anthem at a Dodgers game and opened for The Pentatonix at the Pomona Fairplex last year.
Recently the Filharmonic partnered up with World of Dance and released a cover song of Uptown Funk. They were named number 2 of the top Youtube covers of the song on Celebrity Cafe.
Q&A with the Filharmonics About Pitch Perfect 2
Q1. When filming Pitch Perfect 2, what for you was the most rewarding part of the entire experience?
NIKO: The most rewarding part was the excitement of being able to say that we’re about to share the big screen with names like Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Banks, Rebel Wilson, Chrissie Fit, and our friends Pentatonix. We never imagined that A Cappella would one day bring us to a major motion picture, let alone something as big as Pitch Perfect 2.
Q2. What was the most challenging aspect of filming Pitch Perfect 2?
JULES: The heat. We filmed our scene in humid Louisiana right in the middle of summer, so we had to do everything possible to not look like we were melting in front of the cameras.
Q3. To date, what has been the most inspiring thing in your life that has led you down this path to where you are today?
VJ: The most inspiring thing in my life that has led me to where I am today are the teachers and mentors that I have been blessed to meet. My first voice teacher, my band director in high school, and my college music instructors have helped me cultivate my gift … and helped me realize that it is a gift to be shared with the world. And I think I’m at the point in my life where I’m doing just that.
Q4. Which scenes are you most looking forward to seeing in the film on screen and why?
BARRY: The movie is going to be awesome scene after scene, but some of the ones we are looking forward to see are any scenes that Rebel Wilson are in, and also the competition sequences. We’re excited for the ICCAs because we’ve heard great things about the Bellas and the German group.
Q5. Which scenes do you think audiences will enjoy the most and why?
TRACE: The second movie revolves around an international competition, so the scenes we’re featured in showcases exactly how music A Cappella genre can cover. There are countries all over the world being showcased, so I really think the audience will enjoy hearing how far you can stretch A Cappella.
Q6. What did you learn about yourself and as a group while you were filming Pitch Perfect 2?
NIKO: Personally I learned how hard it is to be an actor… Being able to stay on set the whole day and perform the same scene over and over again without getting tired is no easy feat. As a group I think we learned that wearing suits in Louisiana during the summer isn’t advised, especially while singing and dancing for hours on end.
JULES: When we were filming our scene, I remember having the realization that I could never be doing this if it weren’t for the rest of the guys in the group. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude, that I think I almost messed up some choreography.
JOE: While shooting our scenes for Pitch Perfect 2, I learned that in performing music, it’s not enough just to sound good. It is a visual art just as much as an aural art. With so many cameras on us, we knew we needed to always look good and make sure we were performing our hearts out. Then we realized that we should be performing our hearts out whether there are cameras involved or not.
BARRY: I learned that I love Elizabeth Banks even more than I thought I did. I also learned that I really enjoy being a part of projects that involve music and film. They are both great ways to tell stories and try to change the world.
Q7. What is an important lesson people can learn when watching the film?
BARRY: An important thing people can learn from the film is that A Cappella music has a place in colleges and in the mainstream as well. It’s a great and a raw art form that is getting attention that it should have. We as a group are grateful be a part of it.
Q8. What was a day like on set?
JOE: Being on set for Pitch Perfect 2 was so much fun. After picking our wardrobe and getting our hair and makeup done, we went to the stage to film our parts. So many people were involved, from the audience, to the other performers, and the crew working behind the scenes. We would shoot the scenes, reset cameras and do them over to get all the possible shots we could get.
Q9. What projects do you have coming up next?
TRACE: So much!! We’re just finished up our album MotownFillie which came out at the beginning of April. It has a ton of brand new music, a song in Tagalog, and even an original song! After that, it’s just a lot of performing. We fly around the country a lot putting on shows, so we’ll keep doing that as long as people are asking for us! We’ll also be focusing a lot on our YouTube channel, putting out new videos as often as we can.
Q10. What is the ultimate goal that you would like to accomplish within the next five years?
NIKO: I think as a group, moving forward and constantly bettering ourselves is the biggest goal. After that, hopefully we can follow in Pentatonix’s footsteps and start planning for world tours, platinum albums, and hopefully a Grammy as well.
JULES: 1 million plus YouTube subscribers.
JOE: For us, it isn’t about the fame or the fortune. We started this group as an outlet to share our music and shed light on the Filipino- American culture. In the next five years, my ultimate goal is to share our music on a world-wide scale.
BARRY: To have done a Filipino and an American tour, and just share our music.
TRACE: I’d love to travel, nationally and internationally. Performing live is my favorite part of this whole process, so being able to go around night to night with our own touring show would be a dream come true.
VJ: Making a living through creation of music, and solely that. Finding the Filharmonic’s spot in this industry and bringing music to the people, influencing and uplifting them in positive ways.
Q11. Last question, what is the one word you can use to describe the feeling you (each of you or as a group) have the moment you all come together and begin performing as a group, whether during rehearsals or on stage/in front of the camera?
NIKO: Trust… Whether it’s practicing or performing on stage I want to say that trust is the biggest feeling in any situation. By this I mean, I trust that during rehearsals we are gonna do our best to push ourselves to our limits and to be better than we were yesterday. In turn, when we get on stage I trust that my brothers and I will put on the best show possible to show people that what we have/do on stage is something truly unique and special.
JULES: Fulfilling.
JOE: The one word I can think of is “synergy”. As individuals we are talented musicians, but once we come together on stage or in rehearsal, we produce a sound that not one individual can accomplish by himself.
BARRY: Love.
TRACE: Wow this is hard… Surprising? Energetic? Notreallife? Unimaginable.
VJ: Purpose.
Check out their Uptown Funk cover song:
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