CURTAIN RAISER: ENTER THE MILLENNIALS
The Coke Studio omnibus completes a decade this year. As is the case with all great journeys, the show has gone through its share of ups and downs, musical peaks and jarring lows. Critics may have qualms about the project having corporatised the artistic process of music-making, awash with the MNC giant Coke’s red-and-black hues, yet, one can’t deny that Coke Studio (CS) has played a pivotal role in providing a platform to the country’s perpetually struggling music industry. And to complete 10 years of an experimental project where other contenders have made forays into the music scene only to fade out is certainly an achievement to be lauded.
CS has churned out music that has persistently won rave reviews and incisive critiques, becoming a topic of heated debates. In all cases it has proved itself to be one of Pakistan’s own musical brand, creating memories and magic. There’s also no denying that the nation awaits every CS season, enthusiastically applauding the patriotic element it brings in every year on Independence Day with a national song sung by a mix of the year’s selected artists. This year CS will be starting off with a dramatic rendition of the national anthem with the historic Minar-i-Pakistan as its backdrop.
This season’s artists include many of the usual suspects such as Ali Zafar, Ali Sethi, Umair Jaswal, Ali Hamza, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Humaira Channa, Amanat Ali, Strings, Momina Mustehsan, Ataullah Eesakhelvi, Ahmed Jehanzeb, Quratulain Baloch and Nabeel Shaukat. The show will also feature Aamir Zaki in what was the late guitarist’s last recorded performance. Ironically, last year, the show had Amjad Sabri in its entourage. The singer died shortly before the season began airing.
Coke Studio Season 10 will feature a new breed of artists — those who have grown under the wings of established musicians
The music on the show will be the usual mix of original songs and revamped hits but additionally, every episode will pay homage to one music or literary legend: Shafqat Amanat Ali paying tribute to Faiz, Umair Jaswal joining a band of qawwals to remember Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Ali Hamza, Ali Zafar and Strings singing Us Rah Par in memory of Junaid Jamshed, among others. Like Season Nine, different producers will be coming on board including Shaani, Salman Ahmed, Ali Hamza, Strings and Mekaal Hasan.