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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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