Penn Masala is one of the biggest A-Cappella groups that has aptly represented the South Asian community on several prominent platforms. Bringing the eastern and western sensibilities together, Penn Masala has dished out several albums in the form of Kaavish, Resonances, Yuva, Panoramic and the most recent one Midnight Oil. On top of that, the group was also featured in the film Pitch Perfect 2, an American musical comedy which boasted of a stellar cast of Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and others.
Ahead of their six-city Homecoming Tour, Penn Masala exclusively interacted with News18 Showsha and shed light about their musical style, their connection with India, about the underappreciated genre of Acapella and more. The group is all set to perform in Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Goa and Mumbai.
Here are the excerpts of the interview:
You have a big India tour coming up! How stoked and excited are you guys?
Raghu Raman (President): So incredibly excited. I think this tour is really important for us for a number of reasons, but the biggest one is honestly just having the ability to perform for our home. For a bunch of guys in the group, it’s an incredible opportunity to perform for our fans, but also our family (grandparents, aunties, uncles etc.) which is really special. I think I’m speaking for the whole group when I say that this is the most excited, we’ve ever been for a tour.
And since Acapella concerts are not a regular thing here in India, what do you guys have store in for people attending the concert, what should they be looking forward to and how will it be a memorable one for them?
Prateek Adurty (Music Director): I think the one word I would use to describe a Penn Masala Show is energy. There’s something about having 13 guys all singing their hearts out on stage which translates to audiences more so than just instruments. You have the raw, personal energy of every person in their voice, and as you hear everything come together it makes something really special.
We usually have 3 sets which each have a specific mood. For example our second set, we like to focus on more emotional, and sentimental ballad-esque songs, while our last set is honestly just a party. We call everyone up from the audience to come to the front of stage on our last set and sing a bunch of masala classics like “Down/Desi Girl” and “Tonight/Dilliwaali Girlfriend”.
To sum it up, it’s some of the most fun you’ll have experiencing music ever.
Talking about India, while it’ll be a special tour for you guys, besides the cultural identity, what gravitated you to India this time around and what kind of connection do you share with your fans here?
Ajay Kilambi: India remains our most dedicated and loyal fan base. When we go on college tours in America, audiences really respond to the English half of our mixes, but sometimes the Indian side doesn’t resonate. Audiences in India on the other hand appreciate the western elements as much as the desi elements and that makes us so happy. It feels like you all understand us and our music to a deeper extent and we are so appreciative of that.
You guys recently released your album Midnight Oil and over the period of your career, how did you guys transform individually as well as a musical group?
Samarth Nayak: So we’ve actually released a bunch of albums in the last 10 years including Kaavish (2013), Resonance (2015), Yuva (2017), and Musafir (2020). But nonetheless, I think we’ve transformed a lot. One of our big focuses on some of our upcoming music is exploring more South Indian music. On Midnight Oil, we actually have our first ever Tamil song that we released “Kadhaipomma” which we are super proud of. Also expect way more original music as a group.
Taking about the new album, the selection of the cover songs were great, how was your experience recording it, how did you retain the innate elements of a Penn Masala song and what has been the reception like?
Raghu Raman: Recording Midnight Oil was a blast. I think this is an album where we genuinely feel like there aren’t filler songs. Every part of the album has an aspect that’s “Masala” in one way or another. Whether it’s Ragas of Malhar and exploring Carnatic fusion in a new way, or “Hazy” and exploring original RnB music we are so proud of this album and can’t wait to perform some of the songs off of it for all of you. The reception has been great overall. I think audiences really like both these two songs in particular. It’s awesome to be a part of a group with 13 guys because everyone has a different background and brings a different taste in music, so we really try to reflect this versatility in our albums and music.
Despite the popularity, Acapella still remains an underrated genre and has a niché audience. What’s the reason behind that? Has it evolved from the time you guys started? Or whether it’s popularity has declined?
Gaurish Gaur (Business Manager): You are right, it is still a very specific niche, but we honestly view it as an opportunity for us rather than a hindrance. At the end of the day, one of the reasons we joined Masala was because we really enjoy singing together. Singing in an arc with a bunch of guys and hearing your individual voices come together to something greater than just the individual is honestly pretty moving.
I think some audiences might not appreciate acapella because traditionally, it’s been associated with covers and right now it feels like the musical paradigm is moving away from that. This is why we are wanting to make more original music to showcase more of our talents. Acapella doesn’t have to be cover focused, and we’re trying to change that.
For us, acapella itself has evolved a lot too. In particular, we’re thinking about making more complex arrangements, moving away from simple block chords, and creating vocal percussion that really is powerful and literally resonates with the audience.
It’s not easy to keep a group intact and that too when there are so many members. So how has Penn Masala remained so united and even better after so many years?
Prateek Adurty: I think it comes back to our love for music and our incredible alumni. If you throw any one of us in a room together the conversation will always come back to music in some way in the span of 15 minutes. No matter what, we live and breathe music and that keeps us extremely close.
Our alumni are also so supportive of us. If we ever have issues that are internal to our group or external, they are always just a call away and provide such valuable feedback. And this isn’t just alumni from 2 or 3 years back, but alumni from 15 to 20 years back. This is why I think masala continues; everyone cares so much about the group even after they graduate.
It’s the season of collaborations, so do you guys have any plan to collaborate with any Indian or international artists? If yes, who would they be?
Gaurish: We are always on the lookout for people to collaborate with who love fusion music as much as we do. We’re in the works with a few artists whose work we really love and so be on the lookout for some collabs coming up this summer!
What are your thoughts on artists belonging from South Asian communities and their representation in the American music industry? Are they given due recognition and platform?
Samarth Nayak: I think we are starting to get more representation, but obviously there still isn’t enough. The example that everyone talks about is Nattu Nattu by Rahul Sipligunj winning best Original Song at the Oscars. This was such an important moment for us as South Asians, and I hope to see us more present in the overall media industry.
Hopefully, Masala can be a part of that too. I think one of our dreams is to be a part of a Bollywood, Tollywood, or Hollywood movie soundtrack at some point.
And you guys have also seen Bollywood music evolve. Therefore, do you believe Bollywood music of today is not as soulful as it used to be 10-12 years back? And what do you think about the independent music industry in India which is booming with every passing day?
Ajay Kilambi: I think that it is true that it feels like some of the songs that have been coming out recently won’t have the staying power that older Bollywood music had. I don’t know if we’ll ever get a movie like “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” again where practically every song on that soundtrack is chart topper.
As you sort of note in your question, although it feels like there isn’t that much innovation in mainstream Bollywood music, currently a lot of the exciting stuff is coming from the independent music industry. Artists like Prateek Kuhad are killing it right now and we know that this indie revolution will push Indian music to new heights.
What kind of projects do we see you guys making in the near future? What are your plans that’s going to take the legacy of Penn Masala even further up?
Raghu Raman: We really want to focus on collaborations and original music. We want to work with as many talented people as possible and make as much high-quality music as possible. So stay tuned for a bunch of exciting projects to come…
Produced by TribeVibe, a BookMyShow Enterprise, the tour will travel to six cities in India including Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Goa from May 19th-29th, 2023.
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