Coke Studio Season 9 Grand Finale

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Coke Studio Season 9 will culminate with the Finale, releasing the last episode on digital on September 23, followed by television airing on Saturday, September 24. Episode 7 will the longest episode of the Season, featuring a traditional cover duet of the kalaam, Aaj Rung Hai, by Amjad Sabri and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. This is the last recorded qawaali by Amjad Sabri before his tragic and untimely death, and as such it is being looked forward to with huge anticipation by the entire nation.

As opposed to the previous 6 episodes featuring 4 songs each, there will be a total of 6 songs in the grand finale seventh episode. Besides Rung, the other songs are Nima Nima by Shani, Tu Kuja Man Kuja, cover by Shiraz Uppal and Rafaqat Ali Khan, Sab Jag Soye, by Shuja and Quratulain Baloch, Dil Kamla by Faakhir and Natasha Khan and O Re by Noori.

Season 9 of Coke Studio was remarkable in terms of the many innovations it introduced and the new records it established. Just before the Season started, the first innovation introduced was a special set-up, Coke Studio for the Deaf, which used latest technology to enable hearing impaired people experience the music of Coke Studio in a unique way. A second innovation was the production of the songs for the season by 6 different music directors, under the overall lead of the executive producers, Strings. Season 9 also featured the most artists of any season, with 40 singers performing solo or in a duet with another artist, and 35 musicians in the house band, adding great depth to the season.

The popularity of Coke Studio also reached new heights with Season 9, which even before the last episode still to come had crossed 100 million views and plays on digital media. The Season was made available in one format or the other on no less than 13 digital platforms

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Return Of Saeein Zahoor And Sanam Marvi In Coke Studio

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Coke Studio Season 9 has reached its final stages and the second last episode is set to go on air on Saturday, September 17.  Episode 6 of this Season reveals an amazing line-up of performers including Saieen Zahoor and Sanam Marvi, Damia Farooq and Basit Ali, Momina Mustehsan and Asim Azhar, and Rizwan Butt and Sara Haider.  Sanam Marvi and SaieenZahoor, were last seen performing together on the Coke Studio platform in 2013 in Season 6. Their powerful vocals create an intoxicating sense of euphoria that lifts their tracks to new sonic heights.

The Episode will be featuring 4 songs, including ‘Lagi Bina’ by Sanam Marvi and Saieen Zahoor, ‘Anokha Laadla’ by Damia Farooq and Basit Ali, ‘Tera Who Pyaar’ by Asim Azhar and Momina Mustehsan, and ‘Meri Meri’ by Rizwan Butt and Sara Haider.

The first song of the episode establishes the bars of nostalgia with a sense of familiarity with in the first few seconds with the classic tune, ‘Anokha Laadla’ –– fueled by Damia Farooq’s subtle and effortless vocals. That is, until in a split second the track pauses  before a psychedelic riff transforms the original arrangement of the track, and the vocals of Basit Ali cut through distinctive and strong. Written by Raees Farough and originally composed by Ashiq Ali, the transformed duet has a renewed edge comprising an upbeat drumbeat, fuzzy guitar twangs, a brilliant sitar solo – adeptly delivering a tune with a powerful soul comprising a timeless, moving melody.

The second song can be best described as sublime, beautiful, and soul stirring;‘Tera Who Pyaar’ and ‘Nawazishein’ performed by Momina Mustehsan with Asim Azhar. The romantic ballads, both originally sung by Shuja Haider, features him as the music director, calling the shots in a track that truly delivers from the heart. The soft piano and the subtle sound of the sitar create a fitting atmosphere for Momina’s soft vocals, sung with utmost grace, as Asim croons over cinematic violins about the love story, packed full of emotions. Midway through the duration, as the track gathers momentum, it brings together elements of the Pakistani pop scene of the bygone era, and takes you to a dreamy place whilst celebrating romance and leaving one smitten.

The third song is a rendition of a kalaam by Bulleh Shah. ‘Meri Meri’ instantly becomes a track that is more than just moody  atmospheric sounds of a Sufi melody featuring the irresistible voices of Rizwan Butt with Sara Haider. Introduced by a steady guitar that pulls you in, Rizwan’s vocals demand attention and translate the emotion quiet firmly. The pulse of the track throbs and maneuvers through country western and Sufi style, imbedded with an interval that explores the Irish music arrangement. Amidst the incredible blues guitar playing, Sara’s voice perfectly fits the template of the sound adding a distinctly surreal edge to a track carrying abundance of energy and personality.

The last song of this episode, combing the vocal prowess of fabled Saieen Zahoor with Sanam Marvi’s raw, melodic voice in an ethereal kalaam by Waris Shah – ‘LagiBina’ grows on you from the onset driven by a melody that grips one and never loosens throughout the duration of the track. A fusion of Sindhi and Punjabi folk style, music director Jaffer Zaidi has created a sound where the contrasting vocals merge with striking instrumentation of the house-band while maintaining the emotion of the lyrics at the forefront.   

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Coke Studio Season 9 Episode Five

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The Sound of the Nation, Coke Studio, has kept fans truly amazed with a vast line-up of diverse talented performers in its ninth season. The upcoming Episode 5 offers an exceptional sound palette featuring rising stars like Momina  Mustehsan, Junaid Khan, Rachel Viccaji and Kashif Ali along with veteran performers such as RahatFateh Ali Khan, Javed Bashir, Shahzad Nawaz and Masooma  Anwar. The episode is set to be aired on all leading television channels on Saturday, September 10.

The Episode will be featuring 4 songs, including ‘Main Raasta’ by Junaid Khan and Momina Mustehsan, ‘Jhalliya’ by Javed Bashir, Masooma Anwar and Shahzad Nawaz, ‘Shamaan Pai Gaiyaan’ by Kashif Ali and Rachel Viccaji and ‘Saada’ by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

Rachel Viccaji, who will be seen performing a duet with Kashif Ali, is on the stage as the lead vocalist a second time but has been part of the back vocalists’ trio since last 6 seasons. Talking about her association with Coke Studio, she said, “It’s a great feeling to be a part of it. There is a lot of learning. You get to work with such lamented musicians; the house band, different artists and music directors. What I love the most is the family environment that is here and it’s important to create this environment to keep up the morale for everyone.”

Included in the fifth episode of Coke Studio is the second song in the Season of one of the most talked about singers of the season, Momina Mustehsan. Momina will be seen performing a guitar solo in her upcoming song. 

Talking about ‘Mai Raasta’, performed by Momina Mustehsan and Junaid Khan, the music directors Noori said, “The fun part of this song is that we all made it together. Junaid wrote the lyrics of his part, whereas Momina wrote the lyrics for her part. And it’s performed in the form of a jam where Momina will be seen playing a guitar solo as well. We are very excited because this will probably be the first pop rock anthem on Coke Studio.”

A true collaboration between Momina Mustehsan and Junaid Khan, ‘Main Raasta’ is a firecracker of a pop-rock anthem that brims with confidence. Powerful and emotive, the track screams music directors Noori’s signature style – awash with pounding drums and warped guitars, masterfully blending into one another. The teamwork went beyond lending the voices; the duo struck a balance by spending several days confined in a studio working on the melody and the lyrics. Junaid’s hushed chest voice and perfect falsetto puts the expressivity of Momina’s vocals at the forefront of the track featuring a guitar solo by her that helps bring the song’s explosive personality to life.

The song  ‘Jhalliya’ by the duo, Javed Bashir and Masooma Anwar stay familiarly close to their dual strengths. With a bracing blend of swift guitar, the track opens in an intimate atmosphere as Shahzad Nawaz makes a guest appearance narrating words by Bulleh Shah at intervals. In the original composition by Faakhir Mehmood, and additional lyrics by SabirZafar and Javed Bashir, this sufi-style rendition builds into something with much more energy, spirit and life. The high-pitched vocals of Javed and the deep tones of Masooma, strikingly fuse with an unstoppable groove, a bouncing chorus and a flickering drumbeat. 

‘Shamaan PaiGaiyaan / Kee Dam Da Bharosa’, the third song of the episode, is a duet featuring Kashif Ali and Rachel Viccaji – might trick you into believing that its simply going to be more of the same. Starting with Kashif’s low key vocals over tiptoeing piano, the first track originally sung by NaseeboLal is structured by music director Shiraz Uppal in a way that keeps the quiet, unplugged moments interesting. Half way through the track, Rachel enters with those rich soulful vocal tones set against the high-energy double tempo highlights in the instrumentation featuring a slick bass solo by Amir Azhar. Ironically, the same Amir Azhar played mandolin for the original track, sung by Madam Noor Jehan in 1996 – the last time she sang for a film.

The last song of the episode ‘Sadaa’ by the legend RahatFateh Ali Khan acts as a transport to a faraway land with Khan’s powerful vocals that bleed into this soul stirring ‘dhamaal’ to honor Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. The glorious rolling melody composed by Rahat himself float over the recognizable traditional rhythm of the dhol and dholak at the shrines – accompanied by a funk soundscape comprising restricted drums, immaculate bass lines, electric guitar et al – skillfully constructed by music director Shani Arshad.

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Bollywood star Shilpa Rao to feature in Coke Studio Episode 4

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Coke Studio chalks up another first for the music industry of Pakistan by featuring Bollywood sensation, Shilpa Rao, in the 4th episode of this Season, is set to be aired on all leading television channels on September 03, while the episode has been released digitally on September 02.

At the age of 21, Rao gave her first Bollywood hit ‘Tose Naina Lagay’ which was well received by audiences across the subcontinent. She has hits like Khuda Jaane, Subhanallah, Malang, and Meherbaan to her credit as well. Talking about her Coke Studio performance Rao said, “Par Chanaa De is a very beautiful song. It is literally a theatrical saga because the song has emotion, anxiousness, longing to meet your loved one and hope. It’s a folk song and the words are very hard hitting.”

Rao has also performed on Coke Studio India, and talking about her experience with the platform she said, “It’s one place where I think all the musicians are in an environment,and where they have their instruments, space and the freedom to choose anything and convey it to the people in their own style. And that is powerful! I think it’s a great place and we are fortunate enough to be here.”

The Episode will be featuring 4 songs, including ‘Ala Baali’ by Nirmal Roy and Jabbar Abbas, ‘Aaya Laariye’ by Meesha Shafi and Naeem Abbas Rufi, ‘Uddi Ja’ by Mohsin Abbas Haider and ‘Paar Chanaa De’ by Shilpa Rao and Noori.

‘Uddi Ja’, marks the debut of Mohsin Abbas Haider on Coke Studio, playing to the strength of the lyrics penned by himself, and easily settling into the euphoric atmosphere of the music directed by Jaffer Zaidi. In a mesmerizing song, originally composed by Mohsin, his vocals drift on the surface of the melody, whilst the undertones of the Qawwali part conjure layers of emotions that hold on to the listener. Maintaining the soul of the melody, the intimate setting of the music reflects the traditional feel of the instrumentation played at shrines.

‘Ala Baali’ – literally translated from Arabic means ‘you’re on my mind’ – and this track is exactly that: infectious, fun and addictive. A multilingual love anthem, penned by Shakeel Sohail, it captures the sentiments lyrically in Urdu, Arabic and Punjabi. The powerful drive throughout the song rests on an Arabic beat and a Persian rhythm to build a momentum; the track composed by Shiraz Uppal is underlined with energy, featuring plenty of grooves that come together to form the perfect platform for Nirmal and Jabar’s layered vocals, complementing one another naturally.

The third song, with its soulful indie-rock feel, ‘Paar Chanaa De’ is a grand duet of music directors Noori featuring Shilpa Rao. An oral tradition passed on to the brother duo by their grandparents, it’s a song that they have considered as a family treasure since long. In the beginning few chords, the track establishes the earthy soul vibes that transcend in waves laden with a distinct melody and instrumentation. Noori and Shilpa Rao’s vocals, independently encapsulate the listener earnestly, as the soundscape further develops with Noor Zehra’s impeccable groove on the ‘Sagar Veena’. In an exhilarating performance, the track commands your attention ever so gently.  

The final song of Episode 4, ‘Aaya Laariye’, is an epic collaboration in an upbeat track,which showcases the dynamic vocal prowess of Meesha Shafi and Naeem Abbas Rufi. A perfectly mixed fusion of funk and rock that begins as a seemingly subdued ballad, it swiftly dissolves into a catchy tune comprising a traditional feel of a wedding song, dotted with slight experiments in a signature Coke Studio style. The recognizable vocals of the duo merge with lush harmonies and kicking drumbeats, as the house band adds an added punch to a song that radiates oomph throughout the duration of the track.  

Following on the momentum built up by the first 3 episodes, Episode 4 takes Season 9 of Coke Studio to an even higher level of excitement, creating great anticipation for the further episodes to come.


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Coke Studio Season 9 First Episode

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The first episode of Coke Studio Season 9 is going on air on Saturday, August 13, 2016. It is featuring four songs including ‘Aaqa’ by Abida Parveen and Ali Sethi, ‘Sasu Mangey’ by Naseebo Lal and Umair Jaswal, “Aaja Re Moray Saiyaan” by Zeb Bangash, and ‘Jane Na Tu’ by Ali Khan. These songs are produced by Shuja Haider, Jaffer Zaidi, Shiraz Uppal andNoori respectively, following the multiple producer format introduced into Coke Studio for the first time this Season.

The Season was launched last week with the classic song, ‘Aye Rah-e-Haq Kay Shaheedo'. It was sung by all the artists who are featuring in this season. Originally sung by Naseem Begum, this song pays tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their today for our tomorrow. The song received huge response with over 8.5 million views and over 370,000 shares on Facebook, over 1.2 views on Youtube.

Ali Akbar, Director Marketing, Coca-Cola Pakistan, stated:
“We have promised that Season 9 will be the biggest and the boldest yet, and Coke Studio fans have already seen this from the launch song. Now the tempo will increase further with Episode 1 to be revealed both on digital and television the same day, and from then on its going to be increasing high excitement throughout the season, featuring as it does over 30 artists and 6 music directors for the first time, working under Strings as executive producers.”

The artists include Abida Parveen, Ahmed Jehanzeb, Ali Azmat, Ali Khan, Ali Sethi, Amjad Sabri, Asim Azhar, Basit Ali, Bina Raza, Damia Farooq, Faakhir Mehmood, Haroon Shahid, Jabbar Abbas, Javed Bashir, Junaid Khan, Kashif Ali, Masooma Anwar.

Meesha Shafi, Mehwish Hayat, Mohsin Abbas Haider, Momina Mustehsen, NaeemAbbas, Naseebo Lal, Natasha Khan, Nirmal, Noori, Quratullain Baloch, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Rizwan Butt, Saieen Zahoor, Sanam Marvi, Sara Haider, Shahzad Nawaz, Shani, Shilpa Rao, Shiraz Uppal, Shuja Haider , Umair Jaswal and , Zeb Bangash, will also perform in Coke Studio Season 9.



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Coke Studio For Deaf Will Change Your Perception About Music

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Coke Studio has reputation of introducing innovative ideas, unique music and presenting exclusive talent of the country. Advanced technology fused with the program’s philosophy of inclusivity, Coke Studio for the Deaf empowers people with little or no hearing ability to get the basic experience of music.

 

At the heart of the unique studio-like set-up enabling hearing impaired persons to feel and experience the music of Coke Studio, is a special sofa or couch embedded with hundreds of vibration engines and LED lights that are synced with the sound of the song being played. A grand LED installation around the couch provides synchronized mood lighting to elevate the experience visually. Finally an LED screen in front of the sofa displays the video playback, while the studio is propped with guitars on stands, a drum kit and a keyboard on a stand adding to the overall ambience.

The setup invented in China, was first tested out by the Coca-Cola brand team earlier this year when it was installed in Bangkok. A group of 8 students and faculty of the Deaf Reach School were taken to Bangkok to try out the system first hand. Their experience was nothing short of remarkable, with the group members actually experiencing Coke Studio for the very first time in their lives!  Based on this great success, Coca-Cola Pakistan decided to acquire the system for long-term use in Pakistan, with a vision to enable more people from the Deaf Community to also experience the music of Coke Studio. The system is expected to reach Pakistan in the near future.

General Manager of Coca-Cola Pakistan, Rizwan U. Khan stated, “Coca-Cola, because of its all inclusive brand trait, revolves around bringing people together. It shrinks social barriers and encourages people to share their emotions and experiences. However, despite reaching the masses, an estimated 9 million of our population have some form of hearing impairment, and have not experienced the magic of Coke Studio. We are really happy that we are now able to make them a part of this unique experience and keep them connected with other people who have been enjoying Coke Studio for the past 8 years.”

Founder and director of the Deaf Reach Program in Pakistan for the past 30 years, Richard Geary, endorsed the partnership with Coke Studio, “Our collaboration with Coke Studio reflects our approach towards opening new experiences for the Deaf Community and creating enabling opportunities for their inclusion and success.  Coke Studio’s new initiative will not only draw a circle to include those who are often marginalized, but serve to create more awareness and acceptance from the mainstream audience, helping them to better understand the challenges faced by those with a hearing impairment.” 

Season 9 of Coke Studio, the biggest and the boldest yet, is expected to be launched in early August. It will feature both established artists and many talented newcomers, for whom Coke Studio promises to be a launch pad for their careers, as it has been for others before them in the past 8 seasons.

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Coke Studio Season 9 Set For Launch: Will Feature Amjad Sabri

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AMJAD SABRI 

Season 9 of the signature fusion music platform Coke Studio will be remembered by fans for all time to come, as Amjad Sabri, who passed away tragically just a few days ago, will be seen performing in this Season. In what is probably the last studio recording, Amjad Sabri together with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan read the qawwali, Aj Rang Hai.

With the duo of music band Strings, Bilal Maqsood & Faisal Kapadia, as Executive Producers, the Season 9 will bring together multiple music directors, delivering music of different genres will bring forth the talent of some of the most accomplished and major names of the industry including Noori, Shani Arshad, Jaffer Zaidi, Shiraz Uppal, Faakhir Mehmood and Shuja Haider.

Although Amjad Sabri did not feature in previous seasons of Coke Studio, Tajdar e Haram was performed in Season 8 last year by Atif Aslam, as a tribute to the original performers, Ghulam Farid Sabri and Maqbool Ahmed Sabri. Amjad Sabri had also helped Coke Studio on this rendition. The rendition gained worldwide fame with over 33 million views on digital media. 

Speaking about his kalaam during the recording in May, the late Amjad Sabri had stated, 

“About 40 years ago, my father and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan read this kalaam at a dargah in Karachi and 40 years later, Rahat and I are reading it again (on Coke Studio Season 9).”

“Coke Studio is the ultimate manifestation of Coca-Cola’s music strategy and Season 9 will further strengthen Coca-Cola’s cultural leadership, celebrating diversity while bridging barriers relevant to the youth of today,” stated Rizwan U. Khan, General Manager of Coca-Cola Pakistan, and added, “It is very distressing that Amjad Sabri himself will not be with all of us to see Season 9 go on air in August. His death is a huge national loss.”

The vast talent on the music direction and production side will be matched in Season 9 by a dazzling array of artists, many of whom have performed in previous Coke Studio seasons, as well as several upcoming and talented singers performing for the first time in Coke Studio. While national icons who have performed previously include Abida Parveen, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Sanam Marvi, Umair Jaswal, QB, Saieen Zahoor, Ali Azmat, Noori, Zeb Bangash, Faakhir and Meesha Shafi to name a few, the new artists include Shilpa Rao, Mehwish Hayat, Momina Mustehsan, Natasha Khan, Ali Khan, Rizwan Butt, Basit, Rachel Viccaji, Nirmal Roy and of course the maestro of qawwali, Amjad Sabri.

“We’ve always believed in collaborations because this is how the industry grows. After the monumental response of season 8, we decided to bring onboard 6 of Pakistan's leading music directors to be a part of Coke Studio. Our vision since season 7 has been to involve more and more people from our music industry and make this platform a collective dream. When we presented the idea to Coca-Cola, they loved it and were fully supportive. It was a challenging task and our guidance was required throughout the process, but today we are extremely satisfied that we took this initiative.” Strings commented.

The unrivaled success of Coke Studio over the years in connecting deeply and emotionally with the people and especially the youth, is evident from its immense digital footprint with 6.3 million fans on Facebook, more than 170 million YouTube views and 7.5 million plus audio streams. It is viewed by fans in some 150 countries and has been exported to 20 countries. In Pakistan it has proved to be a unique platform for high profile projection of everyone associated with the music industry, including singers, back up vocalists, composers, producers, musicians and technical persons of every possible specialty, without whose invaluable contribution no Season could have been produced.

A few Words About The Coca-Cola Company:

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company's portfolio features 20 billion-dollar brands including, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, Vitaminwater, POWERADE, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia, Dasani, FUZE TEA and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day.

With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, the Company is focused on initiatives that reduce environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for the associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where company operates. Together with their bottling partners, they rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates.

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