Spicy boys cook up musical treat

[1]

A musical by-product of the growing South Asian diaspora in the US, led by a bunch of Indian-American boys studying at the University of Pennsylvania, the band Penn Masala got itself the tag of the world’s first Hindi cappella group. Music director Akshat Vaidya says, “We were the first to bring South Asian fusion to a cappella.

Today our sound is characterised by mash-ups with innovative sounds and rich textures.”
The band got its big break when they did the soundtrack of American Desi. “Since then we’ve performed along stage with the likes of A.R. Rahman, Sunidhi Chauhan and have gotten the chance to perform for dignitaries such as Mukesh Ambani, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Lakshmi Narayan Mittal and others,” says Akshat. One artist that the band would like to collaborate with is music composer Amit Trivedi. Sharing about the experience of performing at White House, the band members mention, “We were all blown away when we had the opportunity to perform for President Obama in White House! Obama was hosting the White House’s first-ever Diwali celebrations. He was very warm and greeted us individually.”
Sixteen years since its formation, Penn Masala, currently a 12-member group, started its India tour across the Hard Rock Cafe outlets in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. They recently performed in the city. The band members also played their latest composition — one that blends Ishq Bina from Taal with Coldplay’s Fix You.The line-up changes every year as students graduate. “We make an effort to increase the scope of our music. We are also interested in new Pakistani Sufi-rock and Indian indie music,” share the Indian-American all-male ensemble.