Penn Masala is a 15-member, all-male a cappella group.
AB Wire
The 15-member, all-male a cappella group Penn Masala from the University of Pennsylvania, has scored a worldwide hit with their 9th album ‘Resonance,’ which reached No.1 on iTunes World charts, on Dec. 11.
The group’s eighth studio album, “Kaavish,” which was released in 2013, also hit No. 1 on iTunes World charts.
However, Wharton junior and Penn Masala Business Manager Pranay Sharma said that ‘Resonance’ stands out among the rest, reported The Daily Pennsylvanian.
“I think [‘Resonance’] is the reflection of how the group has matured as a whole,” he said.
Engineering senior Prashant Ramesh, a singer in Penn Masala, said “Resonance” is the fruit of his entire college career. He added the group tried to produce an album that appeals to an audience ranging from children to adults, the Pennsylvanian reported.
Penn Masala was formed in 1996 in a Penn dorm room by four Indian American undergraduates who longed to make music that represented their cultural background. The group recruits newcomers each year — staying true to its founders’ musical roots while also embracing the distinctive styles of their new singers.
The artists sing in English, but they also promote Indian culture through their music by incorporating Hindi, a widely spoken language in India, and other South-East Asian languages in their songs. In some of their performances, they wear kurtas.
The group has performed in many cities around the world, including London and Montreal and has also showcased its talent before world leaders such President Barack Obama and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the report said.
Today, the majority of the group members are Indian Americans raised in Indian households. However, Penn Masala is welcoming to members of different cultural backgrounds — like Brendan McManus, a white Wharton junior who doesn’t speak Hindi but liked the chemistry of the group and joined.
This semester the singers are scheduled to perform in about seven shows around the United States.
Penn Masala performed in the 2015 International Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony, and their music was the soundtrack of the movie “Pitch Perfect 2,” where the group also had a cameo appearance. The movie grossed nearly 70 million dollars in its opening week last May.