Hi-5 (American virtual group)

Hi-5 is an American, formed in early 2020 in association with the television series of the same name. Created by Percy Stevenson and produced by, the series premiered on in late December 2019. TThe group is the successor of the Australian band, and is best known for their playful, upbeat style of music.

The members of the group are five animated characters — Karlie Palmer, Ann Sparks, Victoria "Vicky" Holland, Shane Colburn, and Darren Massey. Collectively, the group has appeared in a number of TV series, recorded albums, and has also toured worldwide. Like the original, the series features puppet characters Chatterbox and Jup Jup, who were included in two of its segments.

Hi-5 is the first virtual band to be formed during the decade. Their albums were certified by the as Multi-Platinum (Five in the Air, Ready or Not (Soundbreakerz Remix)), Platinum (Summertime Fun), and Gold (Let's Get Away, Boom Boom Beat (Feel That Heartbeat)).

Many critics describe the group as "a new edition of Hi-5" or a "new Hi-5 USA". In contrast to the more recent iterations of their predecessor group, they were also a critical success in their early months.

2019–2020: Formation, debut, and early success
Television producer Percy Stevenson formed a concept for a new television show meant to be a remake of the Hi-5 TV show which ran from 1999 to 2011 and was revived in 2017. Stevenson said that the Hi-5 remake is mainly a television series, but the music itself stands on its own. The show caters to an audience of all ages, and has multiple levels of work designed to appeal to them, while being targeted primarily at children. He also became interested in reviving the group as a virtual band.

The television pilot for the Hi-5 remake was driven in part by voice auditions held in July 2016. Leigh McKinney, Alexander Thornton, Tiffany Nash, Bridget Greene, and Maxwell Knight were picked to voice the members.

The series was announced later, in mid-April 2019. Its first trailer revealed the group's members. The members are five CG-animated characters: Karlie Palmer, Ann Sparks, Victoria "Vicky" Holland, Shane Colburn, and Darren Massey. The series eventually premiered on December 26, 2019 on.

Hi-5 debuted in mid-January 2020 and signed on to. During the same month, RCA Records released the corresponding debut album, Five in the Air, which reached number 17 on the Super Albums Chart.

Hi-5 won the RIAA Super Award for Best Debut Children’s Album of 2020 for Five in the Air. Their albums are consistently rated highly; Let's Get Away, Boom Boom Beat (Feel That Heartbeat), Summer Fun, Five in the Air, Ready Or Not (Soundbreakerz Remix) have all been awarded gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications, respectively. Five of the albums they released broke the top of the RIAA Super Albums Chart, with five of them breaking the top 20; Ready Or Not (Soundbreakerz Remix) (number five, May 2020), Summer Fun (number two, July 2020), In A Different Place (number six, August 2020), Techno World (number three, November 2020, and Boom Boom Beat (Feel That Heartbeat) (number seven, February 2021). There were reports in mid-June 2020 that a feature film featuring the group was in the early stages of development, as well as plans to release a single.

During their national tours up to three weeks a month, Hi-5 played to sold-out crowds in venues like Madison Square Garden. Their production of Hi-5 Alive Again won the Best Children's Presentation Tony Award at the 2020 Tony Awards; their Feel The Beat production was nominated in the same category in early August 2020. The group's first tour in Asia took them to New Zealand in late September, and in early December they performed in arenas across Singapore to ensure that the audience capacity was maximized. Along with their regular touring schedule, Hi-5 has been performing at Universal Orlando's Mardi Gras every year since April 2020.

2020–2021: Replacement of original music arranger, executive producer, and voice director
On September 4, 2020, executive producer Donna Young announced her pregnancy, saying she would be taking maternity leave starting in December. She was temporarily replaced by Jodi Panos; Young gave birth to two baby boys later that same month. The television series filming in early October 2020 had Panos as an executive producer fill-in. Young announced later that month that she was planning to return to the Hi-5 USA 2020 series as executive producer, but she stepped down as executive producer permanently in late November to focus on being a mom. Panos replaced her as an executive producer on a full-time basis.

After a motorcycle accident on January 13, 2021, Hi-5 composer and arranger Michael Evans was unable to keep up with the series' production. Darrell Cureau had been hired as Evans' understudy just a few days later, and immediately put to work as his temporary replacement. Less than a week later, the group toured the Hi-5: Outer Space Dreams show, which was a space-themed show teaching the audience about "space wonders" and the solar system. By the end of January, Evans stepped down as composer and arranger permanently and Cureau took over on a full-time basis.

The remaining crew members announced their intentions to depart by March 2021. During the latter half of October 2020, voice director Sandra Long announced she would step down at the end of the year to explore other opportunities, and a week later, producer Carol Alexander explained that she would depart and focus on older-audience shows. Another 3 weeks after that, Helen Jackson, who coached Hi-5's voice actors, announced she would be stepping down as well after her family was planning to relocate to Canada because her husband's company moved. An article on CNN alleged that Hi-5's production company had asked these three directors to leave, and that it was "deciding to hire younger, cheaper crew members". Jackson responded, but Alexander denied the rumors, saying that there had not been any pressure on them to resign. In a moving speech, the three retiring crew members discussed their retirement during Hi-5's stage performance in iSing for You! 2021, held at the.

2021–2022: A new generation of crew members
The remaining crew members were later joined by Oretha Dewitt, Rachell Schulze, and Eryn Richie in March 2021, completing the new Hi-5 production team. In his position as Hi-5's new voice director, Richie described the transition as a difficult one that left them uncertain in the future. May 14, 2021 was the series’ 100th episode; a week later, the group re-recorded several songs performed by the later line-ups of the original Hi-5. The new production team was given just as much praise as the original; a majority of critics praised Dewitt's ability to enhance performance, stating, “she helps Hi-5's voice actors become more proficient singers”. Later in May, Hi-5 became UNICEF ambassadors, undertaking a promotional tour in Singapore and volunteering in the Philippines at the end of the month.