On Friday, February 15, the famous South Asian-English fusion a cappella group Penn Masala came to Boston. After a five year break from Boston, the group from the University of Pennsylvania returned to Beantown to perform to a sold-out concert hosted by the Boston University India Club.

The audience was composed of students from various Boston-area schools as well as friends/family/fans that traveled from up and down the East Coast to attend. The night started with renditions of both the American and Indian national anthems (sung by talented Christina Abraham and Rasika Murali, respectively). BU Suno, the Boston University fusion group took the stage with two of their songs: a Bin Tere fusion and a mix of Wild Ones/Subha Hone Na De. Penn Masala then took the stage for their first act of three to a huge ovation. They started the set with classics like their popular Viva La Vida/Jashn-e-Bahaara mix and their old classic Distant Places. Immediately their impressive range of vocal percussion, sheer talent, and energy/passion became clear. After the debut of a new song from their upcoming album, they left the stage to BU Katharnak: BU’s all-male Bhangra/Bollywood/Hiphop fusion dance team. Katharnak brought a lot of energy to the floor and - judging by sheer decibel level of the audience - impressed the crowd.

After a brief interlude of impromptu singing by talented audience members, Penn Masala came back for Act II. This set was characterized by slower songs like It Will Rain by Bruno Mars. In the middle of the set they talked about their recent India Tour and their partnership with Teach for India (more information to come at the end). They closed out the set with the extremely popular Aicha (sung in Farsi), a Hindi/Tamil mix song, and an old classic for which they brought up a Penn Masala Alum.

The last interlude was given to BU Bhangra, who performed impeccably with precise choreography and infectious energy. Penn Masala came back for the last part of their act, one they characterized as “high energy.” They opened with an alumni singing Tu Aashiqui Hai, a song popularized by the Indian playback singer KK. They performed their wildly popular original song, Is Pal Mein, that has also received critical acclaim in the a cappella world (was selected for the Best of College A Cappella in 2012). The last two songs: Down/Desi Girl and Saade Dil Te/Turn me On had the audience on their feet singing and dancing. With that, Penn Masala finished the concert and exited the stage to calls for an encore and a standing ovation.

I had the pleasure of speaking to them all for a few minutes after their—no doubt tiring - performance. They graciously allowed me to ask a few questions about which I’ve always been curious about their passion, inspirations, and their plans for the future. They’re in the process of recording their new album, set to debut in the Spring. The album is directed by Penn senior Akshat Vaidya, and is slated to be a more diverse language with more languages than ever. They were impressed and thrilled to be performing in Boston to a much larger/more energized crowd than they expected. When asked why we had to wait 5 years to hear them in Boston, we got insight into their incredibly busy tour schedule. All are full time students at UPenn and still perform at about 4 full shows per semester (this Boston show was a very busy 24 hour trip). They’ve gone on 3 full tours, of which the India tour over January was the largest. As they mentioned, they had the chance to work with the non-profit Teach for America in India and continue to collaborate with them and support their mission. They are currently recording a recruiting song for TFI and hope to keep that partnership alive for many years to come.

After speaking to Penn Masala, we had a chance to grab the President of the BUIC, Isha Patel, to speak to her about the planning behind the event. The plan was to bring Penn Masala last year, but scheduling didn’t permit that to happen. The event has been planned since October, and they were thrilled with the collaboration on campus and the ability of BU groups and Penn Masala to perform together. Stay tuned for their Spring Cultural Show on March 30!

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