On January 14, Coke Studio 14 premiered with a huge showcase that included Naseebo Lal and Abida Parveen in one song. The song not only went viral within hours of its release. But it also inspired Coke Studio fans to proclaim that the Coke Studio they had lost had returned.

Adnan Dhool wrote Tu Jhoom, which was composed and mixed by Xulfi and arranged and produced by Xulfi and Abdullah Siddiqui.

Read more: Xulfi confirmed to take over ‘Coke Studio’, After Rohail Hyatt steps out

Nirmala Maghani, a promising singer from Umarkot, has some reservations about the credits list. She claims that the tune of Tu Jhoom was borrowed from a sample she gave to Xulfi in June 2021. When she auditioned for a spot as a featured artist on Coke Studio 14. Xulfi didn’t respond to any of her messages. Which she assumed was to be expected from such a senior musician being contacted over WhatsApp by a vocalist he didn’t know. But when she heard Tu Jhoom, she realized that one of the tunes she had supplied had been utilized without her permission in the song.

Read more: Tu Jhoom, the first release of Coke studio season 14 is a massive hit

A lot of musicians head over to social media in support of Maghani and express their displeasure. Amongst which Yousaf Salahuddin (Mian Salli) expressed that the same sample was shared with him before being shared with Xulfi. Another musician described it as a “note for note rip off” with the exact same takeoff and landing.

A 20-second sample of a song with altered lyrics shared sounds remarkably similar to the opening half of Tu Jhoom, so much so that if you change the melody to fit Nirmala’s pitch instead of Naseebo’s, it almost sounds the same.

While the aim is nearly impossible to discern in such examples of creative integrity, the timing is at the heart of the matter. The screen recording of Nirmala’s chat with Xulfi reveals that she delivered the melody in June. While the song in question was released seven months later, making Nirmala’s claim plausible if not convincing.

Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan (Xulfi), when asked to comment on the situation, denied any such allegations.