The most obvious but most important aspect that makes Suno so different from the others on campus is its incorporation of culture into its music. Suno, itself, means listen in Hindi and it is a Hindi fusion a cappella group. The group takes popular Indian songs, mostly in Hindi, and combines them with English songs. The members of the group all trace their heritage to Indian roots, so this group gives its members the chance to embrace all parts of their heritage.
The members of Suno come from a variety of backgrounds, musically, and not all are familiar with Hindi or any other languages. But as freshman Raji Pyda says, “That’s actually one of the things I like about this group. You don’t necessarily have to be familiar with popular music in Hindi or even like English popular music to be a part of this group. There’s opportunities for people who don’t know the songs, to learn them.”
The group credits the music director Rakesh Subramanian for arranging songs together in a way that manages to capture the purpose of the combination while being musically interesting. His ability to visualize the group as a whole singing the piece and then to break the piece down to learn is a source of admiration for much of the group.
“For [a] solo, our music director will teach it to all of us …[or] the person who knows will like say [the part] word by word” explains VP, Rasika Murali. And this is just the kind of thing that lets an observer see just how close knit the group is. The group takes the music seriously, but it would not be unusual to find the members laughing and joking around with each other before, after, and during rehearsal. The bond between the singers is an integral part of what makes Suno work and its strength is evident within the first five minutes of meeting the group.
Although there is a mix of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors there are none of the negative traditional hierarchies that can pervade a group. All the older members interact with and really serve as mentors for the younger members. As president Aanchal Chopra explains this is because the group will not survive without everyone being able to participate fully; “I want to have all the people to know … and have an experience of being part of it [Suno].”
The uneven balance of male and female voices also doesn’t really bother the group musically. The girls adapt their voices to the needs of the song, and sometimes they even sing alongside the boys on the lower parts. When it comes to the groups itself, the guys manage to hold their own even in the Suno group culture as well, with each filling his unique role in the group.
So BU, suno and check out Suno on campus!