The acoUstiKats ‘Amaze’ and advance on ‘Sing-Off’

Member proposes to his girlfriend during show

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 16, 2013) – University of Kentucky’s all male a cappella group, the acoUstiKats, have advanced to the next round of NBC’s “The Sing-Off.” The TV competition featuring the country’s top a cappella groups will next air 10 p.m. tonight, but the acoUstiKats won’t compete again until 8 p.m. Wednesday.

VIDEO: Watch them sing.

UK's all male a cappella group, the acoUstiKats, have advanced to the next round of NBC's "The Sing-Off" and will compete again on Dec. 18. Their last performance saw the group sing "Amazed" and member and UK graduate Mike Owens propose to his girlfriend, Maggie Blair, a doctoral student at UK. (Photo by NBC.) — UK’s all male a cappella group, the acoUstiKats, have advanced to the next round of NBC’s “The Sing-Off” and will compete again on Dec. 18. Their last performance saw the group sing “Amazed” and member and UK graduate Mike Owens propose to his girlfriend, Maggie Blair, a doctoral student at UK. (Photo by NBC.)

On “The Sing-Off,” a cappella groups perform show-stopping numbers with no lip-synching, backup bands or safety net. They sing music from today’s top pop chart, to R&B, rock, country and more. This season’s performers are critiqued by celebrity judges and vocalists Ben Folds, of Ben Folds Five; Jewel; and Shawn Stockman, of Boyz II Men.

The third round saw the acoUstiKats sing Lonestar’s No. 1 hit, “Amazed.” As the group finished with the judges’ comments, member Mike Owens, a 2012 UK graduate and teacher at Madison Central High School from Lexington, asked his girlfriend Maggie Blair to join him on stage where he got down on one knee and proposed in front of a national audience. Blair, a UK doctoral student, UK Women’s Choir member and assistant conductor from Bowling Green, Ky., said yes. Acoustiwedding, anyone?

One group is eliminated each episode. Episode three saw Street Corner Renaissance, from Los Angeles, eliminated from the competition. The last group standing will be awarded a cash prize and an Epic Records/Sony Music recording contract.

Hosted by Nick Lachey, TV host of “The Winner Is,” solo artist and member of 98 Degrees, the holiday series will run for seven episodes culminating with the last show set to air 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 23.

The acoUstiKats were founded in 1993 during Director of UK Choral Activities Jefferson Johnson’s first semester at UK School of Music in the UK College of Fine Arts. As a subsection of the nationally renowned UK Men’s Chorus, this 12-member group serves to promote and encourage male singing of all ages.

For more information on the Kats, music lovers can find the group online on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.