Student Experience

The Music Beat: A Cappella Group Blends Cultural Heritage With Pop Culture

When cultures come together, the result is often extraordinary – and that’s the beauty behind Ektaal, the University of Virginia’s only South Asian fusion a cappella group.

Since its founding in 1999, the group has been harmonizing traditional South Asian melodies with Western lyrics. The combination creates a captivating sound, honors South Asian culture and serves as a bridge for sharing the traditions with the UVA community.

One of UVA’s 13 a cappella groups, Ektaal stands out for its cultural fusion.

“Our mission is to continue to nurture South Asian musical history and culture while sharing it with the world,” Nikita Madumjar, the group’s public relations manager, said. She oversees the group’s social media accounts, keeps its website updated and organizes concerts, including advertising and selling tickets.

Nikita Madumjar is Ektaal’s public relations manager. (Contributed photo)

For Majumdar, a second-year student, Ektaal has become integral to her life in just three semesters. It’s where she found her best friends, discovered the thrill of performing and engaged with her South Asian culture.

“The second I walked into my audition, I knew that Ektaal would be a healthy environment for me,” said Majumdar, who is majoring in psychology and American studies.

Majumdar often found herself singing while growing up in Ashburn, whether by herself or in traditional Hindu musical prayer sessions called bhajans. Her grandfather enjoyed singing Hindustani classical melodies and encouraged the entire family to join in. These moments left a lasting impact on Majumdar.

“Music has always been a uniting force for my family,” she said,

South Asia is the backdrop of thousands of distinct cultures, each with its own traditions. That makes it a challenge to represent them all in Ektaal’s musical arrangements. The group tries to incorporate elements from various styles, including Carnatic music from South India, Hindustani classical music from Northern India and Bollywood music from the center of India’s Hindi-language film industry in Mumbai.

Many of Ektaal’s arrangements feature South Asian songs in languages like Urdu, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. These languages have distinct sounds, syllables and vocal techniques that do not exist in English.

Majumdar believes that having a South Asian fusion a cappella group at UVA is a step forward in sharing these traditions across Grounds and the broader community.

“It was especially refreshing to come across Ektaal because I had never really seen South Asian people represented in the arts,” she said.

Back in April, Ektaal recorded its single, a cover of “Lovely” by Billie Eilish. Some of the group’s graduated members arranged the song.

“I’m so biased because I’m obsessed with this song,” Majumdar said. “I think the soloists did a really good job of displaying their skill with classical South Asian music.”

With the spring semester in full swing, Ektaal is gearing up for its spring concert in April. For updates and more details, follow Ektaal on Instagram.

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A post shared by Ektaal at UVA (@ektaalacappella)

Ektaal plans to record new music this semester with James Gammon, a 2004 UVA graduate who has a recording studio in Charlottesville.

Members regularly gather or have study sessions in UVA libraries and come together to celebrate holidays like Holi – a Hindu festival that celebrates the arrival of spring – and Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, held in October.

“We share a lot of our identities and how we see ourselves in a lot of the music that we sing. Our mission is to keep talking about South Asian music and people in the arts and to provide a platform for that representation,” Majumdar said. “At the end of the day, we’re all doing this because we enjoy it, and it’s so much fun.”