Scott And Mark Hoying On Celebrating Christmas Through Love, Music, And Family

With the holiday season often seen as a time for grand celebrations, Pentatonix co-founder and Grammy Award-winning artist Scott Hoying and husband, Filipino-American Mark Hoying, are known for celebrating the holidays in their own unique way.

The couple recently released their new picture book, Fa La La Family! — a heartwarming celebration of Christmas in all its diverse forms and families. With illustrations by Steph Lew, the book follows their debut, How Lucky Am I?, a lyrical picture book about making the most of your one precious life.

Alongside the book, the Hoyings also released M.Y. F.A.M.I.L.Y. in August, a companion album featuring original holiday songs and festive covers performed by the couple, with special guests Béla Fleck and Meghan Trainor.

In an interview with Billboard Philippines, Scott and Mark Hoying opened up about their exciting creative ventures, finding joy in the holidays through music, literature, and family. Additionally, as Pentatonix has geared up for their ‘Christmas in the City Tour,’ Scott also reflected on exploring a new art form through his time on Dancing with the Stars, while Mark shared some of his favorite Filipino Christmas traditions he taught Scott.

Billboard Philippines: Congratulations on Fa La La Family! How are you both feeling now that your second children’s book is out in the world, following the success of your first picture book, How Lucky Am I?, last year?

Scott: It feels amazing. I mean, whenever you have an idea and then you can see it come to life in such a big way, and it just turned out so beautifully, and all the illustrations, and we see our family in it, and it’s just like one of those moments you have where you’re just like, “How special.”

Mark: It was such a dream come true because we wrote our first children’s book, How Lucky Am I?, a few years ago. And we were so excited to have a picture book out in the world. We were so ready to write a second one, and we just knew Fa La La Family! was the perfect follow-up because we love the holidays for so many reasons. And then writing this book was all about families, especially as we started a new family together. It just felt like the perfect story to write together.

Scott: It came to such an authentic place. We were just so excited and brainstorming and had all these ideas, and we had planned on just self-publishing it. And you know when you have an idea and you’re inspired and you’re going for it? And that’s what I love about our relationship is we just kept going with it. And it was so cool to see it snowball into what it became, and we’re just really proud of it. 

I guess it’s much more fun when you love doing it. I’m curious to know how has the creative process been for you both this time around, compared to working on your first book?

Mark: It was so much easier I feel like this time. Because this book is also similar to our first book, the whole book is a song too. So, Scott and I are lucky enough to have gotten to write songs together in the past. So this was so seamless for us. 

Scott: The first process we were editing, we had like a million characters and all these subplots and all this stuff. It was a novel. And our publisher was like, “Well, if it’s four kids, it can be simplified a little bit.” So, we were going back and forth. And then we realized it’s pretty much identical to writing a pop song. It’s like the lines are the same, the syllables, the rhyme schemes. And so once we made that realization, because we’ve written songs for Pentatonix and stuff, the second time around, we were like, “Oh, we got this, we’re writing a song.”

With this book, what message do you hope children and families can take away?

Mark: You know, what we both really, really wanted to display and incorporate into this book was inclusivity in all types of families. And on top of that, we also wanted to include our cultures. We wanted to make sure that our Filipino culture was in the book. It’s teaching kids how to say, “I love you” in Tagalog or in many other languages, too.

Scott: When you see a family in a Christmas movie from the past, and people talk about classic Christmas movies, it’s usually the same type of family with the same family members in the same format. And just like being in the queer community, we know a lot of people who don’t go home to their families on Christmas, and they’re just like chosen family. 

Representation matters, especially in children’s media. How important was it for you to create stories and songs that celebrate diverse families?

Mark: It was so important to us, especially because Scott and I are going to be dads very, very soon next year. So we wanted to make sure that this book was something that we could read to our kids and show them all different types of families.

Scott: I’ve always known representation really matters, but I think it really hit me especially hard in the past few years. I think it’s everything. So many people consume so much media. And if you’re not seen, and your story is not being told at all in media, on TikTok, anywhere, it’s not being celebrated, then it’s going to be seen as other.

Mark: It was so important as future gay dads to have that in our book. And especially, you know, like also like my Filipino culture, I definitely didn’t see that a lot growing up as well. And it’s just so cool because I feel like over these past few years, like there’s been so many more Filipino voices, like in music and books. You have Olivia Rodrigo, you have [Sofia Laforteza of] KATSEYE, you have all of these emerging artists that I feel like 20 years ago, when I was a kid, I didn’t see. It’s so important to see that in literature and music. And that’s something Scott and I both feel super, super passionate about. Asians are taking over. (laughs)

How does creating music for children differ from your usual songwriting process with Pentatonix?

Scott: It feels like less pressure because it’s just wholesome. I feel like there’s always pressure when you’re making adult music or pop music to be cool and to get really gritty and like deep into the emotions that relate to people and the traumas that people feel and the heartbreak, and like the emotions are heavy. But with kids, it’s just kind of like, “Love each other. Spread love.” Like, the messaging is so profound and poignant because it’s simpler. And I also just like kids’ music. I like satisfying melodies and major keys with really, really nice rhyme schemes that are satisfying.

I think there’s also this added innocence, just having fun with children’s music without thinking too much about it. 

Scott: That, honestly, is the theme of all art making. If you can get down to the guttural instinct when you’re making art, that’s where the magic is. But it’s so hard not to overthink because you don’t even realize when you’re in your head about something. And so I think that is a really good point.

Scott, you also previously joined Dancing with the Stars. What has the experience been like working with Rylee Arnold and stepping into a different art form?

Scott: Okay, I have so much to say because Dancing with the Stars was like the best experience of our lives. Mark was with me the whole time, and we had the best time. The entire crew cast, everyone was so nice. It’s just summer camp vibes. And stepping into a different art form, I thought, was going to be easier than it was. Because dance is like, I love to dance.

And it’s all about musicianship and performing, which I do every day. I’ve toured for 13 years. But it shook me to my core because the combination of the setup of the ballroom, not having a microphone in my hand, not having time to really perfect the dance and having to be vulnerable, mixed with live television and seven million people, and this style of dance, it was just like all of it added up where my nervous system would not let me relax and perform.

But it really made me grow and made this side of me, like this shy, kind of insecure, younger self version of me, it made him come out and show himself. And I think that’s what’s so beautiful about it. I feel like the rawest, most vulnerable side of me was seeing it, and I was okay, that I feel like I’m stronger than ever, and I’ve fallen in love with the sides of myself that I’ve hidden. And Rylee was the best partner ever. We became best friends. And I just saw her recently, since being eliminated, and didn’t even think this would happen, just burst into tears. I feel like we’re connected and bonded for life. It was the most fun experience.

On the Pentatonix side of things, the band is gearing up for the ‘Christmas in the City Tour.’ What makes this tour special for you, and what can fans look forward to from the shows?

Scott: Oh, this tour is our biggest, best tour ever. This album is our best Christmas album ever. It was really cool because I feel like we’ve all grown up. We’re all having kids. A lot of us have had kids. And we got in the studio together, and it was just really magical. I think, how we became successful in the first place had that magic of collaboration that we had when we were on The Sing-Off years ago. And you could feel it in the music. The music is bold and theatrical and big and over the top.

Is there a favorite Pentatonix holiday song that you love to perform or just love to sing?

Scott: My current favorite one to perform is either “Snowing in Paris,” which is from the new album. And then there’s a song called “Santa Be Good to My Baby,” and it just feels like a classic old Bing Crosby song or something.

Mark: And it’s so cool because “Snowing in Paris” features JoJo. One of the best singers in the whole world. And if there’s something that Filipinos love, it’s an amazing singer. Having Jojo on “Snowing in Paris” was my Filipino dream come true. And hearing [Scott and their] voices together, that literally makes my heart just burst with joy.

Speaking of classics, what are your top three all-time favorite Christmas songs you love to sing to, love to listen to? 

Mark: [Scott and I] actually did talk about this recently. My top three are “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande, “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson, and “Snowing in Paris” by Pentatonix and JoJo, but tied with “Fa La La Family” from our book. Also tied with “All I Need,” our song with Meghan Trainor. Top five. There we go. (laughs)

Scott: I love “The Christmas Song,” “Santa Tell Me,” and then I would say maybe “That’s Christmas to Me” or something. That album and that song were just the start of everything really exploding. Also, “Thank You.”

Mark: Oh, our song, “Thank You.” It’s so beautiful. It was one of the first songs that Scott and I wrote together. We were lucky enough that Pentatonix had it on one of their albums over the past few years.

Speaking of Christmas, it’s such a huge celebration here in the Philippines. Mark would know. With gatherings, parties, and festivities that last for months. Which Filipino Christmas traditions have you taught, Scott?

Mark: One of my favorites is just like every Filipino has this, when you have a big family gathering and you just have the potluck of all the different Filipino foods. That was one thing. When we first started dating almost 10 years ago, I was like, Scott, I’m going to have to introduce you to all Filipino foods. It is my favorite cuisine in the world. And on day one, Scott tried all the different foods. My mom made him all these types of Filipino foods. And he loved it. Adobo, kare-kare, pancit. Everything. Bibingka? That’s his favorite dessert — bibingka.

Scott: Another big thing you taught me was this song in the Philippines that’s huge, “Christmas in Our Hearts.” We were doing a holiday around the world with the album for Pentatonix. And Mark came up with the idea. He was like, “There’s this song called ‘Christmas in Our Hearts’ and you should do it with Lea Salonga.” And I was like, “Okay.” We did it, and we’re in the studio. This is you and your manifestation power. But we were in the studio with Lea singing it.

Mark: My gosh, it was so surreal seeing my husband and Lea Salonga in a booth together singing. I will have that memory ingrained in my heart. She is the loveliest, most kind, and genuine person in the world. And she’s so, so sweet. She literally is one of our biggest inspirations and one of our biggest idols. And just to be friends with her is the greatest honor in the world because she has been someone we’ve both looked up to our whole lives. We love her so much.

When celebrating Christmas, do you ever blend your Filipino and American traditions together when celebrating? 

Scott: Well, our tradition is to go to Texas because we usually end our tour there. So we’ll do Christmas with my family for a few days, which is like opening presents and seeing extended family, and visiting. And it’s very nice. And in my immediate family, we make a TikTok, and it’s super fun. And then it’s just so funny because then we go to Seattle and do our Christmas there and New Year’s.

Mark: We need to have all of my family members and all of his family members do one big karaoke party.

Scott: We did at our wedding.

Mark: Scott played the piano, and our families were singing. Everyone signed the piano and would sing along on the piano as Scott played. And it was such a beautiful experience. And that’s why I feel like one of these years, for the holidays, we need to have all of our families together and have a big karaoke Christmas party. That’s so fun.

Scott: We’re starting a choir.

Mark: Fingers crossed our baby loves singing. I’m sure they will.

Scott: That’ll be her coming out to us if she says she doesn’t like singing. She will be surrounded by music.

Listen to Scott and Mark Hoying’s M.Y. F.A.M.I.L.Y. below:

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.