BENGALURU: Mid-2017. A typical summer day in Bengaluru, with a high chance of rain. Musical sensation Penn Masala began the first leg of their India tour in the city. Just as the concert got underway at a sprawling outdoor venue, the rain came down hard. While the downpour didn’t surprise anyone, the dedication of the fans certainly surprised members of Penn Masala.
Ahead of the group’s return to the city after nearly six years, Saaketh Narayan, president of the a cappella shares the group’s excitement, “The last time we were here, the fans just stood in the pouring rain while we continued to perform. The appreciation and affection that they have for the group in Bengaluru is just mind-blowing. People know every single word of every single song we perform, whether it’s English, Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, or Tamil.”
A cultural phenomenon that has captured the hearts of music lovers around the world for nearly three decades, Penn Masala has created a genre that blends Indian and Western music. The upcoming show, produced by TribeVibe will feature Penn Masala’s typical genre of ‘Bollywood meets Hollywood’ but also dedicated covers of classic Indian songs.
“We decided that for some singles, like Chaiyya Chaiyya for example, we can only do justice through a form mix. The entire show, the audience can expect to be excited, get hyped, feel a little melodramatic, feel a little emotional through some of the slow ones,” Narayan shares.
Recipients of numerous accolades, and invitations to perform at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including the White House and the United Nations, Penn Masala’s success lies in their creative arrangements incorporating elements of Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi and Kannada music in their performances, seamlessly fusing it with English lyrics and melodies from western pop songs.
Albert Gu, the group’s music director shares the process behind their acclaimed mixes. “Meaning is very important for us. We try to find Hindi and English songs that have similar themes. It resonates with audiences when they have similar themes and emotional characteristics. We also consider some of the more technical musical aspects, like what keys are the songs in like, and what are the tempos.? That sort of stuff,” he says. Prateek Adurty, Penn Masala’s incoming music director, adds, “It’s also about making sure that if we have a Hindi and English song, the melody is able to be cohesive throughout both and you have a strong overlap where you’re able to sing both songs simultaneously.”
(Penn Masala will perform in Bengaluru on May 26. For more details, visit bookmyshow.com)