The most popular show in 2022, which debuted in 2008 in a South Asian country, is pushing artistic and musical boundaries. Season 14 of Coke Studio has been praised for its diversity, as it features artists from a wide range of religions, backgrounds, regions, genres, and languages. It includes studio-recorded music performances by leading artists as well as unseen amateur talent.
Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, also known as Xulfi, has made significant contributions to music. He introduced many bands to Pakistan, and he was instrumental in the formation of The All Girl Band (TAG), Pakistan’s first all-girl band, on the set of Nescafe Basement Season 4.
The season’s powerful themes crossed borders and bridged gaps, even making waves in India, where Pakistani artists are extremely popular but are currently prohibited from performing due to political divisions.
Xulfi’s effort to “open people’s hearts to Pakistan” has shown themes of inclusivity, spirituality, and love echoed throughout the entire season, which ran on its YouTube channel from January 14 to March 22. It introduces the world to Pakistan’s alternative, hip-hop, R&B, grunge, and electronic music scenes, as well as millennia of classical music.
The most recent season of Coke Studio featured the biggest names in music, including Abida Parveen and Atif Aslam, collaborating with new and young talent ranging from veiled female rappers to viral music talents blowing up on social media, as well as Arooj Aftab, Pakistan’s first Grammy-winning artist.
It released 13 original songs with exclusive music videos featuring the work of over 58 artists, appealing to both the older and younger generations:
- The first song, performed by acclaimed singer Parveen, is a soulful devotional Sufi track that inspires hope and healing.
- Eva B, the platform’s first burqa-clad female rapper from Pakistan’s Baloch community, shone brightly. In addition to her, the new season introduced Pakistani rappers Faris Shafi and Young Stunners, as well as singers Hassan Raheem and Kaifi Khalil.
- While many of the songs went viral and trended on social media, Ali Sethi and Shae Gill’s Pasoori topped Spotify’s Global Viral 50 list and has over 300 million YouTube views. The song celebrates diversity by featuring Bharatnatyam, an Indian dance, performed by Pakistani dancer and activist Sheema Kermani.
The goal, according to Xulfi, was to empower the new wave of music that represents Pakistan’s “true sound” by embracing the evolving creative landscape through emerging artists and genres.
