Making music with no instruments

What started as an a cappella group releasing their version of the evolution of Bollywood music over the years on YouTube, is now a phenomenon to be reckoned with. One of the most prominent South Asian a cappella groups in history, Penn Masala has set the benchmark in their genre.

Formed in 1996 by students at the University of Pennsylvania in the US, the team has so far released ten studio albums, performed for President Obama at the White House, and was featured in the Hollywood movie Pitch Perfect 2, and at countless award shows. The team consists of Hari Ravi, Praveen, Brendan, Pranay, Kashish, Yamir, Vishnu, Nikhil, Sanjit, Atman, and Wrik.

After their successful Resonance Tour last year, the group is returning to India for their Yuva tour! This time, they will be performing in seven cities over the span of two weeks.

Yuva is the tenth studio album Penn Masala has released, and the team will be performing on May 21 in namma ooru. In a conversation with us, the team talks about the new album, Indian collaborations, and more.

Q Tell us about your new album?
‘Yuva’ is our tenth studio album and focuses on the theme of youth. We have covered a variety of songs, from classics like Baar Baar Dekho, Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka, and Humma Humma, to current hits like Nashe Si Chadh Gayi and Sau Asmaan. Each mashup highlights a different aspect of youth that we hope our fans can relate to in their own way and enjoy!

Q Do you enjoy original music more than covers?
We think both are fun and pose their own creative challenges! We love writing our own melodies and lyrics with originals, and try to write one for every album. Our original on ‘Yuva’ is called Ishaara — be sure to check it out! We also enjoy the challenge of putting our own musical twist on each of the songs that we cover.

Q What do you think of the a cappella scene in India?
The a cappella scene is bustling in India! We have heard of many bands in India, such as Voctronica, that are doing an amazing job and inspire us with their takes on a cappella!

Q What do you like about performing here in india?
Our last tour in India was a blast. In two weeks, the group toured five different cities, had amazing food, and got to meet some of our biggest idols, such as Shaan, Tulsi Kumar, and Roop Kumar Rathod. The best thing about performing in India is definitely the energy of the crowd in every city. Despite having a busy schedule last year, the energy and love from the crowds carried us through. There is nothing like performing for crowds that sing, dance, and make as much noise as every city in India does.

Q What can audiences expect from the Yuva Tour?
We look forward to sharing new music and projects from our latest album with everyone, along with many of our classics! All we have is one request for audiences, and that is for people to come out and make as much noise as humanly possible. The more noise they make, the more fun we have, and the more fun they have!

Q What are you looking forward to doing while in India, and especially Chennai?
While in India, we will always be on the lookout for great, authentic Indian food of all varieties. Many of the group members also either live in India or have extended family in the country — so we really look forward to spending time with family and friends in each city. This will actually be the group’s first visit to Chennai, so we are very excited for that. First stop, will definitely be the Vrindavan Restaurant in RK Salai.

Q What future projects are you working on? Any Indian collabs?
We have already started working on a few other mashup projects that we are excited to release sometime soon. Currently, we do not have any collabs in the works, but we have collaborated with Indian musicians in the past, such as Jonita Gandhi, and would love to work on more in the future. Be sure to check out our collab with Jonita for the song Manwa Laage on YouTube!

Q What do you think about the Chennai music scene?
The Chennai music scene is very active and creative! From classical music to film music, the crowds are very receptive and attend many shows. Chennai is also home to many creative musicians, who are constantly pushing the boundaries of music and sound in the new songs that they release. We simply cannot wait to perform for the first time in Chennai for such an amazing crowd and in such a creative hub of music.