Competition for title of 'National Champion of South Asian A Cappella' comes to the Rialto

Over the last decade, contemporary a cappella, unaccompanied singing, has become increasingly popular thanks to the TV show Glee, the motion picture franchise Pitch Perfect and Grammy award-winning a cappella group, Pentatonix. Out of that rise in popularity, the subgenre South Asian A Cappella was born. The style combines various types of South Asian and Western music to create a distinctly unique sound. 

All-American Awaaz (also known as ‘A3’) is the national acapella championship where groups publicly compete for a grand prize and the title of National Champion of South Asian A Cappella. The final competition comes to the Rialto Center for the Arts in Atlanta on April 8.

In this interview, Divyesh Balamurali and Krishna Upadhyayula, A3 co-directors, spoke with “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes about the genre and competition.