Pakistan’s music series loved and recognized internationally for its iconic music Coke Studio season 14 was premiered on Friday, 14th January and garnered over 15 Million views in two weeks.
This season has a lot to offer since this season is a passionate mash-up of Generation Z solo artists and the veterans that makes it look very optimistic and visionary. This edition will be based on thirteen songs and each of the thirteen songs comes with a unique video and a reboot that embraces a beautiful combination of aesthetics and music, created by Pakistan’s renowned progressive directors including Kamal Khan, Murtaza Niaz, Jamal Rahman and Coke Studio veteran Zeeshan Parwez. This edition’s line-up is power-packed with the maestros like Abida Parveen, Naseebo Lal and Faisal Kapadia. There are luminaries like Atif Aslam, Ali Sethi and the talented Meesha Shafi, Momina Mustehsan, Arooj Aftab and Quratulain Balouch. Socials-big artists like Hasan Raheem, Kaifi Khalil and Shae Gill are also in the line-up.
There is a dynamic blend of performers like Farish Shafi, Soch, Asfar Hussain, Young Stunners, Lahore Jazz Ensemble, Zain-Zohaib, Karakoram, Eva B, Abdul Wahab Bugti and Ameer Buksh, Butt Brothers and Justin Bibis round out the roster. It’s all held together by visionary collaborators like Abdullah Siddiqui, ActionZain, Talal Qureshi, Adnan Dhool, Arsalan Hasan and Rovalio.
Pakistan’s finest live sound expert Ishaq Nazir and sound tech squad that included Sherry Khattak and Turaab Khan in vital roles, this season surely radiates a lot of hope and big dreams for the audience. As the line-up itself suggests Xulfi has big plans to mesh different genres together and stir some magic.
The season kicked off with the powerful, soulful experience featuring the legendary Sufi singer Abida Parveen and the veteran folk singer Naseebo Lal. The first music video release “Tu Jhoom” is written by Adnan Dhool, composed and co-produced by Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan (Xulfi).
Tu Jhoom is a soulful number that takes everyone on a spiritual experience in the best of ways.
Xulfi, the genius behind this, says, “I always like to bring an element of surprise, expecting things to have short lives” .
Adding on Xulfi says, “Coke Studio is Pakistan’s biggest cultural export and connector of hearts and souls; it has consistently brought people together for art, progression and positivity. And that power is very dear to me and one that I’ve absorbed heavily this season. I don’t take the fabric of Coke Studio lightly but rather wear it as a cloak of responsibility and pride.”
Tu Jhoom also taps into the genius of Abdullah Siddiqui who calls it “quintessentially desi but in an updated, almost postmodern way.”
After the release of the powerful “Tu Jhoom” another clip went viral on Twitter where Naseebo Lal and Abida Parveen are seen greeting and embracing each other on set, showing immense respect to each other for their respective crafts.
“Tu Jhoom speaks about humility and selflessness — and I’m in awe at how this interaction of Naseebo Laal and Abida Ji embodies the words of Tu Jhoom,”
Coke Studio season 14 episode two “Kana Yaari”, dropped with new promising singers, including the lead vocalist Kaifi Khalil, the up-and-coming hijabi rapper Eva B and Abdul Wahab Bhatti playing the Tambura. The Balochi pop song Kana Yaari was a quick hit and managed to get love amongst the audience, thereby becoming one of the promising hits from the season.
Abdullah Siddiqui said that the team was on a mission to design “a new sonic vocabulary by using local sounds in ways that they’ve never been used in before.”
Siddiqui also said that Xulfi’s vision behind this was that there is no way a Balochi pop song cannot have the same global appeal as a K-Pop so he called it B-Pop. A genre that could be played in cars.
Coke Studio’s latest offering Sajan Das Na is a decent composition that features the living legend Atif Aslam and Momina Mustehsan. The previous two tracks set the bar too high and the audience was expecting a lot from the favourite duo however, they got a mixed response, breaking the flow that the first two episodes gained by bringing a touch of experimentation and freshness which made the audience play the tracks on loop. While many applauded this slow-jam romance ballad some people were disappointed and called it a failed experiment as it failed to resonate with them.
In a nutshell, Coke Studio season 14 is all set to explore the full potential and revolutionize the scene of Pakistan’s music and continue to steal the hearts of audiences across the borders. As Xulfi, the mastermind behind this masterstroke says, “Artistic, talented, progressive – if we get our powers together, we are amazing,” He added, “For me, Coke Studio can open peoples’ hearts to Pakistan.”
Ramsha Saghir is a Clinical Psychologist by profession. She is an Intersectional Feminist and writes on gender equality, societal issues and mental health.
