KARACHI: As Coke Studio Pakistan unveiled its 14th edition, singers and songwriters decoded the marriage of traditional music with modern instruments and recording technology. The new season of the renowned music web series produced one of its best comebacks, making waves not only in Pakistan but around the world! From the first release, fans couldn’t get enough of Abida Parveen and Naseebo Lal, making ‘Tu Jhoom’ a classic. And, with the promise of revolutionising the music industry, Coke Studio made its way this year through several Gen Z artists and music maestros, with more songs to come. It wouldn’t be shortsighted to say that this is by far one of the best seasons of Coke Studio Pakistan.

With its tagline, ‘celebrating the real magic’ of Pakistani music, the studio premised on the fact that music would find itself completely revolutionised in 2022. The revamp celebrates the connection between music, aesthetics, and attitude. What’s more fascinating is the wide spectrum of musical styles and genres served up this season. From Sufi to pop, contemporary to rap, heavy metal, and the much-needed Punjabi dance beats, not to mention our favourite Balochi track ‘Kana Yaari.’ Every hype song requires two things: flawless bass and over-the-top confidence, and Coke Studio has both.

If that wasn’t all to excite, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, Spotify, joined forces with the sound of the nation, Coke Studio – becoming its official music streaming partner this year. Spotify is now home to an immersive musical experience celebrating Season 14 of Coke Studio Pakistan coupled with all previous seasons.

This year, each song released came with a unique video, shattering the usual set-up and bringing aesthetic perfection to every video recorded. These perfect creations were the works of Pakistan’s most progressive directors including Kamal Khan, Murtaza Niaz, Jamal Rahman and Coke Studio veteran Zeeshan Parwez. With Pakistan’s premium live sound expert Ishaq Nazir and sound tech squad that included Sherry Khattak and Turaab Khan in pivotal roles, the result is a confessional season wrapped in delicious visuals and sound.

The cuts exude ambition and huge ideas. There are veterans like Abida Parveen, Naseebo Lal and Faisal Kapadia. There’s Atif Aslam, Ali Sethi, Meesha Shafi, Momina Mustehsan, and Quratulain Balouch, among others. But there is also a formerly-indie-now-Grammy-nominated Arooj Aftab in the mix and social media-big artists like Hasan Raheem, Kaifi Khalil and Shae Gill – incredibly talented artists on the verge of shooting up.

There are also risky cross-overs like Young Stunners in a ballad and metal overlaid by Faris Shafi. Dynamic performers such as Soch, Asfar Hussain, 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. Fusing them all together was the ultimate masterstroke of Xulfi and Coke Studio.

What caught our attention more this season is that each song is an original track, and Coke Studio has encouraged these new Gen Z artists to release their masterpieces from such a contemporary platform. CSP has not only allowed new emerging artists to be recognised but also inculcated the use of unique instruments that have been played this season round, from the traditional dholak and tabla, guitars and piano, to the addition of harp, sitar, and those savvy keyboards.

Season 14 of Coke Studio acquitted itself admirably by promoting Pakistan’s multiculturalism by inviting musicians from all regions and languages to collaborate musically. This year, the music series delivered over-the-top statement works that explicitly embraced the sound and iconography of the future. All we know is that the new season envisioned and put together by producer and curator Zulfiqar (Xulfi) Jabbar Khan couldn’t be more amazing to watch, hear, and groove to! This is the era of Pakistan’s self-actualisation, and Coke Studio knows it as the country’s largest cultural export. Xulfi put it quite aptly when he said; “We are magnificent if we combine our artistic, talented, and progressive abilities. For me, Coke Studio can open peoples’ hearts to Pakistan.”

Every season, musicians strive to elevate Pakistan’s soundscape. Season 14 is, without a doubt, a watershed moment in the rise of a new generation. It may appear to be a divergence from the rest of the Coke Studio collection, but that is what Revolution entails. Zulfiqar appreciates the vision of every previous Coke Studio curator and aims to harness Pakistan’s best of the greatest to unleash genre-bending creativity.

Coke Studio has played a pivotal role in the Pakistani music industry for 14 years – From finding aspiring artists, musicians, producers, directors, choirs from different parts of Pakistan to showcasing the nation’s hidden talents. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Coke Studio has become a pivotal face for the Pakistani music industry and a platform for artists of all genres. In a time when the uncertainty of the future is approaching like a bullet train, Coke Studio demonstrates that perhaps the medicine was always just music, providing compassion to one’s mind and soul.