Penn Masala is currently touring across India as part of its anniversary celebrations. The group is set to perform in Delhi today, and here’s everything to know about the popular a cappella band

Penn Masala is an American Indian origin a capella group formed by the students of the University of Pennsylvania in 1996 who wanted to represent South Asian culture through music and vocal harmony.

It is one of the world’s most popular South Asian a cappella groups, known for blending Bollywood music with Western pop, all without instruments.

The band released their first-ever album in 1999, which was labelled Awaaz; they then released multiple albums, including Pehchaan, Kaavish and Yuva, which gained them a massive online following.  

Following the widespread praise, the band performed at the White House after receiving invitations from former US presidents Barack Obama in 2009 and Joe Biden in 2023. 

The musical group performed Chhaiya Chhaiya during Narendra Modi's US visit in 2023. The performance received praise from guests, including Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, and Satya Nadella

In 2024, Penn Masala was invited to perform at the Summer Olympics during the first-ever Team India Olympic House event in Paris.

The group competed against the fictional Barden Bellas in a global a capella competition where they appeared in the Hollywood film Pitch Perfect 2. 

Penn Masala continues to transform South asian a capella music for audiences across the globe. What started in the Pennsylvania academic halls has grown to international stages and sold-out concerts.