5 home-grown and South Asian A Cappella groups that are reinventing classics and more

Imagine listening to Chhaiya Chhaiya or Ghanan Ghanan without the beats of the drums or the instruments that are so integral to the piece. Feels incomplete, doesn’t it? But A Cappella groups have found a way to make a song sound just as magical—sometimes even more goosebump-invoking than the original songs—without instrumental accompaniment. Derived from the Italian word meaning ‘in the style of the chapel’, A Cappella is defined as a performance by a singer or singing group without instruments—the harmonising vocals are enhanced with beat-boxing and other incredible skills. 

Now imagine Bollywood tracks mixed with pop songs of the West—ever thought Lauv’s I Like Me Better would go perfectly with Arijit Singh’s Kesariya? Trust us, it’s the mix you didn’t know you needed. 
While this is not a new concept, here’s a list of home-grown and South Asian A Cappella groups that have strived to improvise and reinvent classics in their style and create original compositions. Read on. 

Voctronica 

Touted to be one of India’s first-ever all-vocal orchestras, Voctronica was formed in 2011. The six-member band has since paved the way for the vocal music community in India. In an interview with InUth, they said, “We don’t want to sound human; we want to sound as far away from human as possible.” Their collaboration with the comedy company, AIB (All India Bakchod) is definite proof of that. The five-minute-long track takes you back to yesteryear and is an ode to the classic Indian television ads of the ‘90s. They have also collaborated with music director Amit Trivedi on various projects. And now, the band will be performing their first-ever ticketed show at the newly opened Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC). We’d recommend listening to their mixes if you’re a fan of old-school Bollywood and more. 

Penn Masala 

Formed by the students of the University of Pennsylvania in 1997, Penn Masala is one of the first South Asian A Cappella groups on the world stage. Their work includes Bollywood, Tamil and western fusions, and they often incorporate Hindustani and Carnatic classical music in their renditions. Over the years, they have grown and evolved in unimaginable ways. They have performed for the former President of the United States, Barack Obama and also featured in the film Pitch Perfect 2, for which they received an American Music Award for Top Soundtrack. Our favourites? Their version of Ghanan Ghanan and Jiya Jale are beyond incredible. After six years, the group will also be embarking on their India tour in May 2023. 

Raaga Trippin’

This Mumbai-based A Cappella group was formed in 2012, and offers a magical all-vocal experience. Their music primarily consists of Bollywood and western tracks, which are sometimes sung as medleys. We absolutely love their live versions of Lat Lag Gayi by Shalmal Kholgade and London Thumakda with Neha Kakkar. We recommend listening to their music. 

No Treble

This Bengaluru-based A Cappella group loves to spice things up by creating only vocal renditions of pop music. The group can sing in six different Indian languages, and has performed in colleges, Ted Talk platforms such as TedxCMRIT, and others. Their tribute to the Oscar-nominated movie Lagaan is incredible as is their rendition of the Ritviz mix. A few years ago, the group was invited by the music arranger of Pitch Perfect to perform at the Lincoln Centre in New York City. Need we convince you further? 

Dhamakapella 

From the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, Dhamakapella is the first-ever co-ed South Asian A Cappella group and also includes students from ethnicities beyond the South Asian community. Their music draws inspiration from both western and eastern tracks, and the group has competed across various national platforms. While they have many outstanding renditions that are worth listening to, our favourite cover is Radioactive/Dil Se.