Ahead of their gig at Siri Fort on the 26th of May, we revisit our conversation with PM as they talk to us about their music and their tour.
A South Asian A capella Group the stereotypical ivy league university picture comprises academic brilliance, wild parties, cutthroat competition, monogrammed sweatshirts, colonial architecture and a bunch of the sharpest kids on the block. But our story is not about the typical. It begins in the late 90s – multi-culturalism is here to stay, the university roll calls have begun resembling the UN in all its diversity, and pluralism has begun making itself felt, quite by default. Each of the varied skin-tones comes with its own contemporary, individualism and need to identify. Keeping with the zeitgeist, a bunch of South Asian students from the University of Pennsylvania began hunting for a way to express themselves, and what effused was a halfway house between popular hindi and english music. And in 1996, Penn Masala the first ever South Asian A Capella group was formed.
The group began merging their vocal prowess, and their music began a strange dialogue between Bollywood and Western Pop. Over the years they have gradually experimented with other Asian and Western music as well, creating newer fusions, and original compositions. A University tradition now, it is restricted to men alone and year after year, they audition, recruit and recharge Penn Masala! Over the many years, this college music-group has travelled and performed in front of appreciative audiences world over; they have shared stage with Rahman, composed for a film, and have also performed for Obama in the White House! With a now-long list of alumni, the current bunch might be part of an old tradition but are budding young talent in themselves. The current repertoire of Penn Masala includes Akshat Vaidya, Ankit Dhir, Bharat Moudgil, Bhuwan Vashisht, Dhruv Batura, Harshil Shukla, Mahesh Murali, Manoj Racherla, Nikhil Marathe, Sachin Amrute, Sagar Bhatt, Sam Levenson, and Vinay Rao.
“There are no permanent members in the group. We take great pride in passing on our legacy so we have a great way of transferring knowledge, music, and talent from year to year as people leave the group.”
How has PM managed to build and maintain itself so far?
We hold auditions every year and we always get a lot of people who audition for PM. Our success and recognition has made it so PM is the most sought after group to be a part of at our school. It’s something we’re very humbled by and excited about every year. The requirements to be a part of the group are that you must be a currently enrolled male student at the University of Pennsylvania, either undergraduate or graduate, so there are no permanent members in the group. We take great pride in passing on our legacy so we have a great way of transferring knowledge, music, and talent from year to year as people leave the group. This is what allows us to always stay fresh and current with new trends in music and how we’re able to remain successful. We are a group of musicians who really love what we do.
What according to you makes you South Asian?
Our sound has always involved popular music from the South Asian music industries. We have sung Indian classics from the 60s right up to the contemporary rock scene in both Pakistan and Bollywood. We have classically trained singers and even incorporate South Asian elements into our percussion to truly define and represent what it means to be the world’s premiere South Asian a capella group.
There is a very distinctive Indian sound blended seamlessly into Western Pop. Do these two genres become symbolic of your identity?
PM was originally created to blend these two genres, so yes, we have come to represent the fusion of Western and Eastern music. Over the years, we have incorporated Middle Eastern influences into our sound as well because our mission has always been to bridge and identify with cultures through music. Our original songs are the best indication of what we symbolize, both melodically and lyrically.
“Our original songs are the best indication of what we symbolize, both melodically and lyrically.”
Do you want to build a stronger presence in South Asia as well now?
We want to work harder and keep performing since we know that fans all over the world are listening to us and following our music and what we’re doing. We definitely plan to build a stronger presence in South Asia. We are after all, a South Asian a capella group, and we would love nothing more than to have more frequent trips back to India. We love our fans in India and loved to meet so many of them this tour. We were especially welcomed warmly at Hard Rock Café and would love to perform there again as well.
What is your usual performance schedule like?
Since we got started 13 years ago, PM has been staying current with the most popular music both in Asia and here in the US. Being the first ever South Asian a capella group, we’ve developed a significant fan base around the world from New York to London to New Delhi. We perform across college campuses nationwide and for many charities too. A few years back we performed for then President Barack Obama at the White House.
What else do you crave to accomplish as PM?
Over the past 14 years, PM has been fortunate enough to accomplish some really amazing things. But as artists, we still have a lot more we want to accomplish. Most importantly, we’re looking forward to getting the chance to showcase our music to new people everywhere.
You can check their website here.
Buy your tickets here.
Our conversation with Penn Masala was first published in our Fashion Issue of 2010. This article is a part of Throwback Thursday series where we take you back in time with our substantial article archive.
Text Platform Desk