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Coca‑Cola launches global music platform 'Coke Studio' with vibrant new film

Platform connects emerging musical talent from around the world debuts with global film that pays homage to queen’s iconic ‘a kind of magic’ track.

ATLANTA (May 19, 2022) – Coca‑Cola is expanding Coke Studio™, a music platform that builds on the program originally launched in Pakistan in 2008, to a global stage. The global Coke Studio program is digital-first, always-on and provides an opportunity for emerging talent to partner, create and deliver moments of musical magic to new audiences. Its first moment will come to life through a global film titled ‘The Conductor’ that features seven artists collaborating to reimagine the iconic Queen track ‘A Kind of Magic’.

Coke Studio and ‘The Conductor’ are the newest expressions of Real Magic™ – the new global brand philosophy that Coca‑Cola introduced late last year. The core of the platform is the belief that our differences make the world a richer place in which to live – and that “Real Magic” happens when we come together through shared experiences, both digitally and in real life. 

“Coke Studio is a direct extension of Coca‑Cola's Real Magic philosophy,” said Pratik Thakar, Head of Global Creative Strategy and Content, Coca‑Cola. “It celebrates the unique ability of music to unite and uplift and provides a connection point for fans around the world to come together and enjoy a new experience.”

'The Conductor' pays homage to the legendary rock band Queen through a unique collaboration that encapsulates the multicultural magic at the core of the Coke Studio platform. The 90-second film centers on a re-recording of Queen’s iconic 'A Kind of Magic' melody, produced in an extraordinary collaboration with global breakthrough artists who each bring their own unique style to the music, reimagining the track for a new generation.

The artists include Grammy nominated American R&B sensation Ari Lennox; British singer songwriter Griff; Turkish electro-pop producer Ekin Beril; Latin urban pop powerhouse Mariah Angeliq; Nigerian singer songwriter and producer Tems; Canadian-Indian rapper and producer Tesher; and colourful, multi-lingual K-Pop girl band TRI.BE.

In addition to the film, each of the seven artists have also recorded their own versions of ‘A Kind of Magic’ which, together with additional exclusive tracks and behind-the-scenes footage, will be accessible on the Coke Studio YouTube Hub beginning today. Content can also be unlocked through the on-pack activation ‘Drink. Scan. Enjoy’ – which sees packs of Coca‑Cola turn into digital portals: a gateway for people to connect with the new global Coke Studio content.

“The Coke Studio platform was born in Pakistan and has gone on to have great success there as well as in Africa and the Philippines, including 11 million YouTube subscribers,” Thakar said. “We believe it has the potential for exponential growth, and today we’re excited to introduce it to a wider global audience, using the reach of our iconic brand to help bring new audiences to some extraordinary artists.”

“We set out to do something different with Coke Studio,” said Joshua Burke, Head of Global Music & Culture Marketing, The Coca‑Cola Company. “Coca‑Cola has always had a strong connection with music, working with stand-out emerging talent in different communities in all corners of the world, as well as a strong heritage in connecting people across borders and cultures. Coke Studio brings these two things together in a way that’s powerful and future-facing, supporting the development of talent in the music industry, while also connecting new audiences to new music – and to each other.” 

Burke also said: “We see ‘The Conductor’ as both a homage to the legendary Queen and an opportunity to refresh and reinterpret one of their greatest tracks in different ways across cultures and musical genres, for a new generation. There’s magic in that too.”

The launch of Coke Studio and ‘The Conductor’ has been curated in partnership with Universal Music Group, the world leader in music-based entertainment, with five of the participating breakthrough artists signed to the company’s iconic record labels, and a sixth with its Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) division. ‘The Conductor’ was created with creative agency, BETC London and produced with Iconoclast’s director Pierre Dupaquier (WAFLA).

“Collaborating with these incredible artists and the Coca‑Cola team on both the music and creative vision for this launch was magic,” said Richard Yaffa, EVP, Global Brands, Universal Music Group. “Our companies are aligned in our deep commitment to showcasing phenomenal talent, to partnering with artists from all over the globe and to supporting them in sharing their music while creating opportunities to expand their fanbase.”

‘The Conductor’ and Coke Studio™ global platform is live now.

INAUGURAL ARTISTS:

The seven Coke Studio launch artists at launch are:

• ARI LENNOX: Grammy nominated American R&B sensation, singer songwriter - https://arilennox.com/
• GRIFF: British singer songwriter and one of the youngest ever winners of the Brit Awards' Rising Star category (2021) - https://www.officialgriff.com/
• EKIN BERIL: Turkish electro-pop producer, recognisable for her electro indie inspired sound - https://www.ekinberilmusic.com/
• MARIAH ANGELIQ: Latin Breakthrough star and urban pop powerhouse - https://www.mariahangeliqmusic.com/
• TEMS: Nigerian singer songwriter and record producer who is leading the way for Afrobeats' global takeover - https://www.leadingvibe.com/
• TESHER: Canadian Indian rapper and producer who fuses genres to create global anthems - https://www.instagram.com/tesherrrr/?hl=en
• TRI.BE: colourful multi-lingual K-Pop girl band who create energetic music by combining K-Pop with various musical genres such as Afro and Latin - https://tr-ent.co.kr/en/tri-be/

About The Coca‑Cola Company

The Coca‑Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca‑Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our hydration, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak, Honest and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter , Instagram , Facebook and LinkedIn .

ABOUT UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

At Universal Music Group, we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audio-visual content. Featuring the most comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. For more information on Universal Music Group visit www.universalmusic.com

Coca-Cola is turning consumers to fans through Coke Studio, a global music marketing platform that spotlights emerging musicians. By merging its cultural clout and uniting people via sound, Coke is catering to the growing interest in experiences over things, and desires to discover artistic talent.

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Case Study: Coca Cola – Open Happiness through Music

Coke Studio episodes are unique and captivating – bringing in musicians from all across India and International artists and creating studio sessions with musicians jamming to compositions exclusively made for the series. When Coca Cola began with this initiative, they were really up against Pepsi, which had built itself an identity that tied in considerably with the world of cricket. The Indian ethos has often been studied with the barometer of interest in cricket, Bollywood and music – and combinations of each in intriguing ways. Coca Cola found a smart way to make Bollywood and Music come together to create a huge brand strategy for itself.

What worked in the Coke Studio marketing campaign?

Content Marketing: Coke Studio could have well remained a one-way exchange by staying isolated on television. Instead, it built its audiences by sharing content that appealed to the audience through Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter – such as backstories about musicians, teasers, snippets of the episodes and the episodes itself, it built a high level of engagement. But beyond just sharing, Coke Studio also brought out a series of “FB Blogs”, where the ‘Notes’ application was put to use for a verbose exposition of each show and what it had in store for listeners.

Brand Philosophy: Coke Studio leveraged its brand philosophy right. The youth in this day and age are enterprising, adventurous and unafraid of experimenting with new and unchartered avenues. Capitalising on this, CokeStudio encouraged new bands, finding them space to showcase their skills – be it at institution-level, competitions or nation-wide talent hunts. And in the process, welcomed their audiences to interface and experiment with other bands and earned the goodwill for being a catalyst, which further strengthened their brand community.

Written by Kirthi Jayakumar

Research team Ramya Rajaraman | Keerthi Ramesh

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Coke Studio Pakistan serves as a framework for and an example of Pakistan’s dynamic culture that expands beyond music and entertainment to Pakistan’s role in global crises and its perception abroad.

The Sound of a Growing Nation

These are the Tales of Yore, Where Love is Triumphant, and Oppression is Defeated. There are some who are oblivious, and others who have power.

  This folk-centered song, “Tinak Dhin,” features some of Pakistan’s most iconic artists: Ali Hamza, Ali Sethi, and Waqar Ehsin. Sung in Punjabi and Urdu, the song features folk, rock, and indie musical styles combining each of the artist’s disciplines and creating a fun, upbeat song that reverberates with the “rhythm of life.” Part of Coke Studio Season 10, this song has been a fan favorite because of its message of resilience, much like the history of Pakistan which gained its independence in 1947. Coke Studio began as a television program featuring the most popular classical singers. Today, Coke Studio is an international music franchise which brings in new, emerging artists and classical singers to produce recorded music. From 2008 to 2022, Coke Studio has transformed the Pakistani music industry for listeners in Pakistan and abroad. From fear and flooding to fame, Pakistan’s cultural identity has shifted in the last seventy-five years since the partition of India and Pakistan to address the unique challenges the nation faces, which require it to combat Islamophobia, institutionalized bias, and cultural homogeneity. I begin by analyzing Coke Studio as a framework for and an example of Pakistan’s dynamic culture; then describe the influence that Islam, celebrities, climate, and Gen Z have in Pakistan’s culture and specifically, music; and lastly, connect entertainment to Pakistan’s role in global crises and its perception globally. 

Coke Studio: Sound of the Nation

“Dil Dil Pakistan,” known by most Pakistanis as the “anthem of Pakistan,” was sung by renowned artist Rohail Hyatt of Vital Signs, who would later become the talent that drove Coke Studio to become a cultural institution for Pakistani identity. In “A Case Study on Corporate Peace: The Coca-Cola Company: Coke Studio Pakistan , ” Karen Collier describes how the Coca-Cola company saw Pakistan as the ground of a strategic social investment that would provide a platform for Pakistani talent and pride to “inspire economic activity” and help “project a softer image of Pakistan.” 1 Hyatt, the local producer of Coke Studio Pakistan spent the next thirteen years releasing new seasons of diverse Pakistani talent on television in a way that would promote cultural unity among Pakistanis. From 2008 to 2022, Coke Studio remains the most successful music television series to ever air in Pakistan. 2 Thousands of viewers from Pakistan and neighboring South Asian countries continue to tune in and enjoy the musical talent of Pakistan. Coca-Cola is not the only company to take interest in investing in Pakistan; Spotify launched in Pakistan in 2021 and has since partnered with Coke Studio Pakistan to “bring generations of Pakistani music to an even larger audience around the world.” 3 Through this partnership, Spotify and Coke Studio Pakistan aimed to raise global awareness of the music and make it more accessible to the South Asian diaspora and fans from all around the world. Based on the release of season 14 on Spotify, the music has drawn in millions of listeners from the U.S., U.K., Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. For both Coca-Cola and Spotify , the aim was clear, to invest in Pakistani culture and promote it in the world. Collier writes that Pakistan needed a better image in the world to do better economically and negate the consequences of Islamophobia.

The Narrative of Islam in Pakistani Entertainment 

What is meant to be yours will find you through any excuse. My heart, understand that there is nothing in your control, Tu Jhoom. 

This Sufi-inspired song, “Tu Jhoom , ” was the season premiere for Coke Studio Season 14, and represented a new sound for the classic music television production that was under new ownership. The opening track features two of the most iconic female singers of Pakistan, Naseebo Lal and Abida Parveen. Known for their raspy, raw, and powerful voices, the duo was brought together in an iconic celebration of Pakistani-Sufi identity in a song that uses different languages, religions, and traditions to beautifully showcase Pakistani cultural identity. With a focus on praising Allah and leaving behind worldly matters, “Tu Jhoom” is an iconic opener that bridges classic Sufi styles, poetic lyrics, and iconic singers with a new sound that appeals to Generation Z. This comes as a contrast to the portrayal of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the 2000s and 2010s. Since the violent extremist attacks on the World Trade Center in the United States of America on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent finding of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, Pakistan’s global representation was seen negatively by western countries and surrounding nations. By 2011, Coke Studio was already becoming a major success and Coca-Cola continued its investment with hopes that it would negate this image of hate. When Hyatt stepped down as producer in 2021, the new producer for Coke Studio, Zulfiqar (Xulfi) Jabbar Khan took an inspiring new lead as one of Pakistan’s well-known artistic geniuses. In an interview with Gulf News , Xulfi stated that the “Sound of the Nation” was going to have a new vision in season 14, one that exemplified the “search for self in the twenty-first century.” Sufi songs like “Tu Jhoom” offered a sense of healing while still appealing to multiple audiences. 4 The focus wasn’t just on combating Islamophobia but on creating an entirely new image of Pakistan that included the youth and diaspora. None of this could be done without paying homage to the cultural roots of Pakistani music, Sufism, and Qawwali. 

Sufism is a mystical sect of Islam focused on the relinquishment of worldly objects and desires and focused more on spirituality. Qawwali is a form of Muslim devotional music that was most commonly practiced amongst Sufis but over time, has become a popular cultural art form in all of Pakistan. Prior to season 14, a lot of Coke Studio content featured Qawwali and Sufi songs that alluded to the Islamic heritage of Pakistan. In many ways, this was a major contrast to the stereotypical content in Bollywood which focused on portraying Muslims as terrorists rather than peaceful mystics. “Tu Jhoom” is one song from season 14 which bridges the classical Sufi heritage of Pakistan by presenting Islam in a peaceful way that surpasses the time of Bin Laden. However, some argue that this is a highly orientalist view of Islam because European writers preferred Sufism as a more pacifist interpretation of Islam compared to other practices of the religion with more strict rules. Newer seasons of Coke Studio serve to dismantle this perception of only Sufism as the more peaceful sect of Islam by including songs like “Tajdar E Haram” which focuses on the peaceful Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah or in “Tu Kuja Man Kuja” which describes one’s relationship with Allah and promotes love within Islam. 5 Additionally, the use of Sufi inspiration contrasts Coke Studio Pakistan’s content with popular Indian musical content such as Bollywood songs which often seemed to overlap with or resemble it but had less religious and specifically Islamic connotations. Therefore, through the representations of faith as a peaceful and spiritual practice, Coke Studio Pakistan combats Islamophobia amongst its listeners, though it is not the only industry attempting to reduce Islamophobia and draw attention to Pakistan.

Celebrity Attention to Pakistan

They befriend you and then betray you, there is no sign of love there. Love is of stoics, saints, and their disciples. 6

A viral Tweet from 2022 shows on one side of the image, a father holding his child in his arms amidst a scene of utter devastation. Broken homes, crumbled roofs, scattered belongings, and flooded streets all add to the expression of grief on the father’s face. The other side of the image shows a smiling celebrity, a man wearing traditional Balochi garb, holding a dambora (traditional stringed Baloch musical instrument), and singing in Coke Studio. 7 The man in both images is Wahab Ali Bugti, a singer for Coke Studio and famous for his authentic Balochi sound in “Kana Yaari . ” Balochistan was severely impacted by the floods in 2022 as record amounts of flooding destroyed infrastructure. Bugti lost everything to the floods, including his home. A father of eight, Bugti and his family were left without a home or place to go. Journalists who saw Bugti in these conditions posted images of him online. 8 The Tweet by @Zeeabro comparing the two images of Wahab Bugti encourages Coke Studio, part of the Coca-Cola corporation to help him in his time of need because of the work he did for Coke Studio. Bugti’s entire family was saved due to his fame and the role he played in releasing “Balochi Pop.” 

With a promise to “transcend boundaries,” Coke Studio Season 14 released “Kana Yaari,” a Balochi pop song as the second release of the season, introducing a brand new genre to the show, Balochi-Pop, a Pakistani twist on the popular genre “K-Pop or Korean Pop.” 9 The province of Balochistan is located in the southwest part of Pakistan and has the smallest population. An ethnic minority in many parts of the country, this genre is groundbreaking for Balochi artists and signifies a dynamic shift in Pakistan’s cultural landscape. Bugti’s contributions to Coke Studio were felt worldwide and fans from many ethnic backgrounds raised awareness of the floods on his behalf. Therefore, Bugti’s role as a celebrity, having been given the platform through Coke Studio, provides a local and global advantage for providing awareness of important topics and brought recognition to Coke Studio, even if was is due to unfortunate circumstances. Bugti’s contributions to Balochi pop and the viral images of his family encouraged fans to report the danger of the floods. Seeing the floods all over social media, some celebrities even flew to Pakistan to view the floods themselves.

Angelina Jolie, an American actress, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees visited Pakistan in 2022 to view the impact that climate catastrophe had on Pakistan. Pakistan has one of the fastest-growing populations however, water has become increasingly scarce due to climate change. In some instances, “water thieves” have to “steal” water to survive. 10 Most people do not have running water in their homes and it is often unsafe to drink. Water is prioritized for the rich, who pay more money for it, or for industries that need it for profit. In response to the water crisis, local civilians began to “steal” water for industrial use to bring to their own homes which lacked any water. By stopping these civilian “water thieves,” corruption in the police force increased, and violence—particularly ethnic conflict—continues to grow as climate refugees and climate-based forced migration causes people to go to neighboring provinces with already struggling economies. Angelina Jolie, an American actress who is praised and admired globally, was formerly a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and visited Pakistan to speak with flood victims and see the severity of the crisis.

With one-third of Pakistan under water, Jolie is “visiting” aid sites to understand the scope of the issue and how to prevent future issues. While Jolie’s humanitarian work is admirable, Pakistan has had a difficult relationship with humanitarian and NGO work. Save the Children, a prominent humanitarian group, was thought to have been involved in a CIA-sponsored fake vaccination campaign that was used to take DNA samples from people and track down Bin Laden. This led to a subsequent ban on NGOs and a continuous crackdown out of fear that they will promote “anti-state agendas. 11 When the floods devastated Pakistan in 2022, the lack of humanitarian aid organizations made it harder to send any aid to those who needed it and could have avoided many more deaths. The response has been to urge the government to lift the crackdown on foreign NGOs and ensure humanitarian aid. Therefore, while Jolie’s work is important, it shows that by using her status as a celebrity, she helps build trust and compassion both for and from the people of Pakistan which is not just done through humanitarian work.

Culture Industries and the Framework of Coke Studio Abroad 

Set fire to your worries, to waiting and to hurries, If your love is poison, I’ll drink it in a flurry. 12

Ms. Marvel made history as the first female, Pakistani-Muslim superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe, and the Disney+ show has progressively worked on accurately representing Pakistani heritage, contrary to the presumed homogeneity of culture in South Asia. The partition of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh has led to some similar cultural characteristics and identifiers between the nations, but each nation still has its own unique traditions and customs. The culture most well-known to the “West” and most commonly referred to is Indian culture. This creates a very harmful stereotype and tropes that all South Asian culture is the same. Not only has this show depicted accurately how dire the situations were for many who left India and Pakistan during the 1947 partition, but it also shows the unique aspects of Pakistani culture such as the role of Jinns and Islam. The show also features Pakistani tracks from Coke Studio Season 14 like “Pasoori” and “Peechay Hutt.” Both of these songs are more modern and pop-focused but with a focus on certain aspects of cultural sounds such as the instruments or the lyrics. However, the one critique against the show is the decision in casting. 

The framework that Coke Studio established is that Pakistani heritage comes from its ethnic, tribal, and religious backgrounds. If Coke Studio is used as a framework for comparison to exemplify how Pakistani representation and cultural identity are formed, then the entirely Pakistani cast and singers should be an integral part of the representation. Both of the main characters, Kamala Khan’s parents are played by Indian actors, Zenobia Shroff and Mohan Kapur. 13 Because Indian actors are predominantly represented in Bollywood as well as in South Asian content already, many felt this was an avoidable mistake. The show, which is intended to represent Pakistanis, should have done a better job of casting an all-Pakistani cast as it did with the incredible selection of Kamala Khan’s actress, Iman Vellani. Similar to the framework for Coke Studio’s success, giving Pakistanis the chance to act in these roles would have given them a platform for success overall. Therefore, Ms. Marvel represents a well-rounded perception of Pakistani culture for the diaspora, however, if a similar framework to Coke Studio’s was followed, it would more holistically represent Pakistan and not perpetuate the assumption that South Asian culture is homogenous, as it is often globally assumed to be. 

A Global Gen Z and the Framework of Coke Studio

We have no one to call our own, we are stricken with grief. We come and cry for justice at your door. 14

In a viral TikTok with over a million views, the video pans over a group of men on the dancefloor of a wedding, the song “Kala Chasma” plays as one of the men proceeds to fake a fall to the floor only to jump back up perfectly in tune to the song. They proceed to dance to popular Pakistani songs like “Kana Yaari” and the video becomes a global success, creating a popular trend. All over TikTok, people watch Quick Style , a Norwegian dance group founded by two Pakistani brothers, their Thai-Norwegian friend, and their diverse group of friends, who become international stars. After being noticed by Coke Studio, Quick Style was invited to perform at Coke Studio Live, a concert in Dubai featuring the hit artists of Coke Studio and promoting Pakistani culture. 15 Based on their TikTok fame, Quick Style brings a new, Gen Z-approved perspective to Coke Studio and was invited back to Pakistan to collaborate with Coke Studio. Together, they created a version of “Kana Yaari” with their dances and brought even more popularity to the song. In one sentimental moment on Instagram, Quick Style is seen sitting around Wahab Bugti as he sings “Kana Yaari” and plays the dambora. This sentimental video which was posted to their social media accounts and reposted by many Pakistani accounts represents Coke Studio’s goal to connect nostalgic classical music with a new generation of content and entertainment. Moreover, Quick Style’s rise to fame and collaboration with Coke Studio exemplifies how Coke Studio is adapting to modern popular culture and expanding its framework to adapt to the changing scope of entertainment by appealing to both Generation Z and nostalgia.

Pakistan’s Global Presence from Culture to Climate

Mine is a lowly station, and yours exalted beyond imagination. You are reality, I merely perception. 16

Coke Studio’s global success does not just impact the possibilities for local artists to gain global recognition, it also creates an image of Pakistan’s cultural identity. When the Coca-Cola company chose to invest in Pakistan, it was to ensure there was some economic opportunity and a chance to build a better image of the nation. Through the media publicity and awareness brought upon by the floods, social media, and celebrities, Pakistan has taken a very active role at COP27, the United Nations Climate Change conference which occurred in Egypt this year for the 27th meeting. Pakistan’s climate minister, Sherry Rahman pointed out the tragedies and need for reparations from countries with larger economies to help the nation. 17 Pakistan contributes less than 1 percent towards carbon emissions yet has faced some of the most damaging repercussions of climate change. At COP27, Pakistani officials and representatives have insisted on a resolution that would encourage or require high carbon-emitting countries to provide funds for the countries facing the repercussions. The result of these requests was decided in COP27 with a deal to help developing countries rebuild infrastructure. However, China is still considered a developing country and emits a lot of the CO2 impacting Pakistan but is not included in these discussions. 18 Nonetheless, this unified front and global representation of Pakistan benefits the entire nation’s identity and demands for climate justice.

Like complete strangers, we’ll meet again. This hope has let the light remain. 19

Coke Studio Pakistan serves as a framework for and an example of Pakistan’s dynamic culture that expands beyond music and entertainment to Pakistan’s role in global crises and its perception abroad. By combating Islamophobia, institutionalized bias, and cultural homogeneity, the nation is building its own cultural identity and adapting to the changing preferences for entertainment. Coke Studio Pakistan unifies people across many borders, languages, and religions which cannot be overlooked. Additionally, it presents a unique example of Pakistani and Sufi heritage being promoted in a way that differs from Bollywood or Indian culture which is often assumed to be dominant and, in doing so, combats Islamophobia. Due to its popularity and fame, the response to the floods in Pakistan was seen all over social media and fueled by celebrities, which proved necessary for political action. Lastly, Coke Studio Pakistan’s influence can be used as a framework for shows like Ms. Marvel to adequately represent all Pakistanis even when there is only a little to improve. It is also important to acknowledge doubt and that, nonetheless, crime, corruption, and hostility remain a threat to the cultural success of the nation, but Pakistani people, both abroad and at home, are working to deter these setbacks, crafting a cultural identity that resembles what the nation fought for seventy-five years ago.

• Karen A. Collier, “A Case Study on Corporate Peace: The Coca-Cola Company: Coke Studio Pakistan,” Business, Peace and Sustainable Development 2014, no. 2 (2014): 75–94.,  https://doi.org/10.9774/gleaf.8757.2014.ja.00006.
• Anir Banghosh, “Why Coke Studio Is so Popular?” International Journal of Research (IJR) , 6 July 2020,  https://internationaljournalofresearch.com/2020/07/06/why-coke-studio-is-so-popular/.
• “ Spotify Pakistan Partnered with ‘Coke Studio’ This Season to Amplify Artists in the Region and Beyond .” Spotify, 23 Mar. 2022.
• Mehr Tarar, “Pakistan’s Xulfi for Coke Studio Season 14: Curating Timeless Music,” Gulf News , June 13, 2022,  https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/pakistans-xulfi-for-coke-studio-season-14-curating-timeless-music-1.1655007560088.
• Aliza Amin, “Selling Sufism: Qawwali and Coke Studio in Pakistan,” Jamhoor, Jamhoor , July 4 2022,  https://www.jamhoor.org/read/2019/12/23/selling-sufism-qawwali-and-coke-studio-in-pakistan.
• “Kana Yaari,” Eva B, Kaifi Khalil, and Wahab Bugti, Season 14.
• ZaRa, “ The Famous Balochi Singer #WahabBugti Has Also Been Affected by Recent Flood in #Balochistan. Coke Studio Has Made Million of Rupees from His Song “#Kanayaari’ and Now It Has Been Crucial Responsibility of Coke Studio to Come up to Assist Him during His Worst Days. @Cokestudio. ” Twitter, 21 Aug. 2022.
• Abid Hussain, “ Coke Studio Pakistan Singer Left Homeless after Floods .” Climate News | Al Jazeera , August 30, 2022.
• Saffar Abbas Jaidi, “ Coke Studio Creates Its Own Genre of Balochi-Pop with Kana Yaari .” Bol News , Jan. 23, 2022.
• “How Climate Change Is Affecting Pakistan and Triggering Conflicts.” YouTube, Feb. 16, 2022,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY_voyuDOEE , Accessed Dec. 15, 2022.
• Haroon Janjua, “ Why Is the Pakistani Government Cracking down on Ngos? ” Dw.com, Deutsche Welle , Feb. 11, 2021.
• “Pasoori,” Ali Sethi and Shae Gill, Season 14.
• Zuha Siddiqui, “ Many Pakistanis Dig the Cultural Nods on ‘Ms. Marvel’ but Are Mixed on Casting .” NPR , June 29, 2022.
• “Tajdar E Haram,” Atif Aslam, Season 10.
• “ Quick Style Performs at Coke Studio Live Concert ,” Daily Times , Oct. 17, 2022.
• “Tu Kuja Man Kuja,” Shiraz Uppal and Rafaqat Ali Khan, Season 9.
• Lynne O’Donnell, “ Pakistan Leads Charge for Climate Justice at cop27 .” Foreign Policy , Nov. 9, 2022.
• Fadel, Leila, et al. “ Monday, November 21st, 2022 UpFirst .” UpFirst , Nov. 21, 2022.
• “Phir Milenge,” Coke Studio Season 14, Faisal Kapadia and Young Stunners.

Amber Alirahi (BA ’24) originally wrote “Coke Studio: The Sound of a Growing Nation” in Lisa Daily’s Fall 2022 Interdisciplinary Seminar “ Media and the Humanitarian Impulse: #thisclasswillsavetheworld .”

Thumbnail image of Coke Studio performer Atif Aslam by author.

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Alexa, open Coke Studio Bharat

Coke Studio Bharat

Coke Studio, a visionary in entertainment and digital engagement, aimed to revolutionize the music listening experience through the Alexa platform. The goal was to immerse users in the magic of Coke Studio songs while creating an interactive and rewarding experience.

Opportunity

The entertainment landscape was ripe for a unique music experience that blended technology with user engagement. The Alexa voice platform provided an opportunity to offer users an immersive musical journey through the Coke Studio Bharat skill.

To address this opportunity, Boltd developed the Coke Studio Bharat Alexa skill. The skill’s functionality was designed to provide users with an interactive and personalized music experience, accompanied by a chance to win exciting prizes.

• Users initiate the skill by saying “Alexa, open Coke Studio Bharat.”
• Alexa introduces the skill and explains its interactive components.
• Alexa spins the wheel with the  mood options such as happy, cheerful, upbeat, and celebratory.
• Alexa plays a recently launched Coke Studio song that aligns with the chosen mood.
• After the song, users are asked a question related to the song, such as its language or title.
• Users respond with their answer, and if correct, Alexa offers them a chance to win prizes and asks for their mobile number for contact purposes.
• The skill concludes with a farewell message, inviting users to return and experience more songs and prizes.

Enhancing User Experience

• The skill creates a personalized and engaging music experience by allowing users to choose a mood and listen to relevant songs.
• The interactive question-and-answer component adds a gamified element, keeping users engaged and eager to participate.

Go-To-Market Approach

Amazon created awareness for the skill in various ways. They promoted it on the Alexa skill store header billboard as a feature as well as their weekly “Skills Newsletter”. Not just that, they promoted it on their M-shop. Users could simply tap on the mic icon on the Amazon shopping app on Android phones and summon the skill by saying a limited time magic phrase, “Alexa, open Coke studio bharat”. The overall effort was further amplified through advertising on Amazon.

• The integration of gamified elements enhances user engagement, leading to increased brand loyalty.
• Alexa skill exemplifies how voice technology can create immersive music experiences

Coca-Cola Pakistan Case Study

Breaking records with eye-popping bottle display.

The Results

Throughout its 10-year run, Coke Studio has made history by becoming Pakistan’s premiere music production source and the biggest event on Pakistan’s annual entertainment calendar. To celebrate its anniversary , Coca-Cola wanted to keep up its winning streak and make a bigger splash than ever before.

The Solution

Guinness World Records organised a discovery session in which the title for the Largest packaged product display was decided and provided a project manager who worked with the client from the start to their victorious finish, a 1,470.81 cubic metres display made entirely of Coca-Cola bottles. 

As it wasn’t possible to send an adjudicator to the site, Guinness World Records offered its brand-new Remote Adjudication Services to help make it Officially Amazing. But the most important feature of this package is the exciting video element – the audience was shown a pre-attempt clip where the adjudicator explained the process and the guidelines. Once the record had been verified off-site, a video was shown announcing it to the audience – and the well-earned celebrations commenced. 

For more information, see below the pre-attempt clip for Coca-Cola Pakistan.

To create hype around the event, Coca-Cola made full use of the Guinness World Recordstm Official Attempt logo in the two-week run-up, and the Official Record Holder logo for six weeks after. As well as this, they also had four weeks with the official Record Holder video licensing, which allowed them to show their achievements to their YouTube followers. 

With support from Guinness World Records, Coca-Cola Pakistan experienced a staggering 561% growth in sales compared to last year.

Coke Studio has revolutionised the music landscape of Pakistan and we wanted to do something exciting to celebrate its 10th anniversary. We decided to collaborate with Metro C&C as this year also marks our 10-year partnership with them. It’s a proud moment to jointly break this Guinness World Records title. It highlights our passion and commitment to drive new and innovative thinking across all touchpoints that we jointly reach as the Coca-Cola System. — Mr John M. Galvin, General Manager at CCI Pakistan

Coke Studio Bangla Celebrates Bangladeshi Culture and History One Song at a Time

How a musical phenomenon originally meant as corporate advertisement is cultivating a cultural and linguistic renaissance.

When the song “Nasek Nasek” (Dance, dance) was released last year, it craftily spotlighted a minority community in Bangladesh. It featured a ballad in the Hajong language, which is spoken by an Indigenous ethnic group of about 80,000 people who reside in northern parts of Bangladesh (in Mymensingh and Sylhet) as well as by people living across the border in India. A song of celebration written and sung by Animes Roy in his native tongue, it opened the first season of Coke Studio Bangla last year, marking the debut of the popular musical show format in Bangladesh.

“The language is spoken by a minority. But when we were East Pakistan, we gave [our] blood for our language. If we don’t understand the need of cultural preservation then what was the point of the language movement?” Gousul Alam Shaon, managing director of Grey Dhakha, the creative producers of Coke Studio Bangla, told New Lines . He was referring to the “Bhasha Andolan,” or Language Movement, which emerged in the 1950s when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan and advocated for the recognition of Bangla (also known as Bengali) as an official language. As tensions escalated over two decades, it eventually led to the Liberation War in 1971 and the creation of Bangladesh.

This need to preserve the culture was further highlighted in another song, titled “Hey Samalo,” a rousing invocation sung by 15 people in unison, featuring famous lyrics from 1953 by the 20th-century Bangladeshi musician Abdul Latif: “Ora amar mukher bhasha” (They want to snatch away my mother tongue). The words were written to counter orders in 1948 by Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah to make Urdu, the language of elite Muslims in northern India, the official language, even though Bangladesh (then called East Pakistan) is predominantly Bangla-speaking. Latif’s song documented the act of stealing one’s mother tongue; his stirring words upheld the resistance exhibited by people in the face of brutality. In the show, Latif’s song is paired with “Hey Samalo,” another protest song, penned by the Indian musician Salil Chowdhury during the Tebhaga peasant movement in an undivided Bengal in the last year of British colonial rule, 1946-47. Farmers were resisting their landlords for keeping two thirds of the grain they produced, advocating that the landlords take just one third instead.

Similarly, “Ekla Cholo Re” (Then walk alone), orchestrated as a musical triad, is borrowed from the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s famous song composed in 1905, during the Swadeshi (Self-sufficiency) movement, part of India’s struggle for independence. For the show’s use, it has been arranged in a medley with “Ami Kothay Pabo Tare” (Where shall I meet him), a song from the Baul tradition written by Gagan Harkara, a 19th-century Bangladeshi poet. The third song in the triad, the chorus, is taken from a love ballad called “Hashimukh” (Smiling face), composed by Shironamhin, a leading Bangladeshi rock band formed in 1996, which emerged from the underground music scene. The three songs are rooted in disparate milieus. One is Baul music, a type of folk song that unfolds as an admixture of Sufism and mysticism, popularized by minstrels from marginalized communities in Bengal. The second is a politically imbued anthem written for a specific event, while the third is a contemporary tune calibrated to modern emotions.

These collaborative renderings formed a thematic symmetry and set the foundation for Coke Studio Bangla’s creative first season, released on YouTube last year. The musical program returned with a second season this February. The first song of this season is an ode to a dilapidated public bus that was commonly found abandoned on the roads in Bangladesh in the 1980s. The rundown condition of the bus lent it a distinct place in the public consciousness and so it was given the sobriquet of “murir tin” (literally meaning an aluminum box filled with puffed rice) due to the potholes and rough patches on roads, which made it shake and rattle. The song was likewise named “Murir Tin,” which not only replicated the onomatopoetic imagery of the clanking sound of a worn-out vehicle but also evoked the chaos of riding a public bus. Sung by the Bangladeshi pop rock singer Riad Hasan, the song is interspersed with rap beats by artists from the cities of Khulna and Sylhet.

Backed by the global beverage brand, Coke Studio has been spotlighting diverse cultures and artists for over a decade. It originated in Brazil in 2008 as a one-off promotional project, but it was in Pakistan where it took flight. It was conceived first as a marketing strategy by Nadeem Zaman, then head of marketing at Coca-Cola in Pakistan, and aided by Rohail Hyatt, a trailblazer for rock music in the country. The project later emerged as a credible cultural platform and became a melting pot of musical genres, forms and styles indigenous to the country.

The idea was to impart a sense of identity through music for the youth of Pakistan during a crisis in 2006-7 due to terrorism and ethnic friction. This social project transformed Coke Studio Pakistan from an advertising gig to a watershed cultural moment. It has been an ongoing digital routine in Pakistan for 14 years, with each season featuring live-recorded performances of both established and emerging artists, making it the country’s longest-running musical show and creating a blueprint for the franchise. Over the years, Coke Studio has expanded into an international template with a similar ethos enveloping its subsequent iterations in Africa and the Philippines. In 2011, Coke Studio India was launched, though it ended four seasons later. It has now returned as Coke Studio Bharat, which will feature over 50 artists from across the country.

The premise of the franchise, which is to revitalize a musical heritage while acknowledging the strides of modernity, made for a unique cultural platform in South Asia, where countries are separated geographically but united by their common culture, customs and traditions.

“There is no doubt that, years ago, Coke Studio did begin as a marketing exercise for Coke. But the musical results from the show have been spectacular. It has put some brilliant musicians and a lot of the subcontinent’s significant yet ignored folk heritage under the spotlight,” Suanshu Khurana, a journalist and culture critic with The Indian Express, a daily newspaper based in India, told New Lines . Over the last 15 years, Coke Studio in South Asia has become a leading cultural platform where folk and traditional music combined with contemporary tunes and musical forms have thrived and been documented, and have retained several musical forms in pop culture, in turn becoming a case study for how corporate funding can help with cultural preservation.

India and Pakistan’s shared history and mutually hostile politics have lent a distinct legacy to Coke Studio. The fact that both nations were once a single entity not only tied in well with the program’s goal of inclusivity but also outlined myriad possibilities for collaboration. The Indian singer Shilpa Rao collaborated in the ninth season of Coke Studio Pakistan. Similarly, the Pakistani qawwali (a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing) band Sabri Brothers united with the Indian singer KK in the first season of Coke Studio India.

Yet the absence of Bangladesh from the franchise was conspicuous, given that the country shares a history with both India and Pakistan. During the 1947 Partition, the Muslim-majority states of Punjab and Bengal in British India were divided to form Pakistan. Later, in 1971, the fragment of Bengal which had become East Pakistan attained independence as Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi lyricist and scriptwriter Gousul Alam Shaon had been pushing for the Coke studio “asset” for some time. “But the brand needed to be convinced,” he said. In the latter half of 2020, the brand approached Grey Dhaka, an advertising agency, to launch the country’s version of the musical set. Shaon, who serves as the agency’s creative chief, said, “It is not an easy thing to commit [to]. We knew how huge this was because it had to be done in a certain way.” However, by early 2021, plans were formalized. Shaon wanted Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, an acclaimed Bangladeshi singer whose fame has spread across the Indian border, to head the enterprise.

Instead of the standard model of naming a Coke Studio production after the country, Shaon wanted theirs to be named after their national language, Bangla, which is spoken on both sides of the Indian-Bangladeshi border. True to this goal, the songs of the first season were firmly rooted in the vagaries of the Bangla language, the fifth-most-spoken language in the world. In Bangladesh, the dialects of the language shift with every region. For example, residents of Chattogram, the second-largest city in the country, speak in a different tone to those in Sylhet, in the northeast.

In keeping with the Coke Studio format of fusing the traditional with the contemporary, the song “Bhober Pagol” (an affirmation of the frenzy that resides in all of us, because the word “pagol” means a “mad person” in Bangla) blends two distinct genres. Nigar Sultana Sumi, an established singer in Bangladesh, lends her voice to a popular folk song “Pagol Chara Duniya Chole Na” (The world does not run without crazy people), which is combined with an original hip-hop piece furnished by Jalali Set, a group of four Bangla rappers. The differing beats of the songs make way for each other through the unique sound of the ektara (a one-stringed musical instrument used in the traditional music of South Asia), which is featured alongside the electric guitar and alto saxophone.

This playful inventiveness aligns with the format set by the Pakistani counterpart. But Bangladesh’s insistence on designing an entire season resulted in a rare creative feat. “That was our call,” said Arnob. He himself was involved in the landscape of independent music, having formed a fusion band called “Bangla” in 1999. Although it’s been inactive since the late 2000s, the “Bangla” band was preoccupied with revamping folk songs for the youth. Now, years later, the 45-year-old singer is heading up something similar. At first, the Coke Studio team and the singer spent two months just brainstorming ideas. “We had drawn up an exhaustive list of nearly 200 songs. From there we selected songs on the basis of musical potential,” said Arnob.

For Shaon, this is an effort to reclaim different aspects of their culture. “We are not just going to do a Tagore [the Bengali polymath] cover and send a message that we don’t associate with rock bands. Instead, we are saying, everything is ours. Baul is ours, Tagore is ours and so is the band culture,” he explains. The experiment is also the living, breathing result of a nation utilizing the potential of such a platform and stacking it to the limit with everything they have to offer. The sheer diversity on display in the first season is worth the price of admission alone.

With its use of 11 songs, Coke Studio Bangla mines the contributions of culture-shapers in the nation. There are songs written by Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of the country, and Tagore, who penned Bangladesh’s national anthem, “Amar Shonar Bangla” (My golden Bengal). There is a melody by Sachin Dev Burman, a famous music director in India, who was born in Comilla, in present-day Bangladesh. He made the musical styles of Bangladesh mainstream in Hindi films. Apart from being part of “Ekla Cholo Re,” “Hey Samalo” and “Bhinnotar Utshob” (Festival of diversity), for his duet performance, Arnob reprised his “Chiltey Roud” (Sliver of sunshine) — a contemporary rendition of yearning — from his 2005 debut album “Chaina Bhabish,” which can be loosely translated as “Don’t want you to think about me.”

Yet a culture is not just its people: It is also traditions that have withstood the test of time. Shaon and Arnob’s reckoning is reflected in the thoughtful incorporation of folk songs, rooted in the sociopolitical history of Bangladesh and passed down orally through the generations. The first season includes various folk traditions from different parts of the country, such as Bhawaiya, a form of folk music popularized in northern Bengal that evokes a sense of melancholy. Another example is Maizbhandari, a spiritual genre of folk songs with origins in the Chattogram region; and even Bhatiyali, contemplative music of the riverine subcontinent, which evokes the pathos of fishermen. Along with those examples, there are dynamic tunes by contemporary bands such as Shironamhin and Jalali Set.

Coke Studio Bangla is a compelling production by musicians prioritizing the need to showcase their language. Pradyut Chatterjea, a musician from the state of West Bengal, India, and a longtime collaborator with Arnob, finds it fascinating. “Bangladesh’s fight for language is like no other. They launched their season with a song in [the] Hajong language. We don’t have the courage to do it, we are scared,” he told New Lines . Chatterjea played the piano and synthesizer in the first season.

Such commitment is not just emotionally driven but also politically charged. Language, after all, was the raison d’etre of Bangladesh’s freedom movement. “Our freedom fight was more of a cultural movement than just a war,” Shaon says, harking back to the singularity of their struggle.

Unlike India, Bangladesh sought liberation from an autocratic government, not a foreign invader. It moved out of Pakistan to assert cultural autonomy and challenge religious hegemony. In the late 19th century, when India was still colonized, Bengal registered a marginally higher Muslim population, most of whom resided on the eastern and northern sides. When the All-India Muslim League — the political party devoted to safeguarding the interests of the Muslims on the Indian subcontinent — proposed a separate nation of Muslims, many living in East Bengal supported it. “Pakistan in East Bengal was a way for Muslims (many in the East being subordinate to, and discriminated against by Hindus) to gain dignity; aspire to education, jobs and prosperity in a new system after the end of colonial rule,” Dr. Neilesh Bose, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Victoria told New Lines .

The reality, however, turned out to be different. East Bengal, including Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and other communities, became East Pakistan, ethnically homogeneous and speaking one language — Bangla. West Pakistan (now known simply as Pakistan) was a disunified cluster comprising West Punjab, North West Frontier, Sindh and Balochistan. Soon after 1947, West Pakistan started discriminating against East Pakistan, using language as the means. “Bengali members of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan were not allowed to address the forum in their mother tongue,” writes Abu Saeed Zahurul Haque in “The Use of Folklore in Nationalist Movements and Liberation Struggles: A Case Study of Bangladesh.”

Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, only further exacerbated the divide by proclaiming on March 21, 1948, that Urdu would be the national language. This planted the seed for resistance among the Bengalis, resulting in the 1952 Language Movement, during which police opened fire on students at Dhaka University on Feb. 21, 1952, who were demonstrating to demand recognition of Bangla as one of the official languages of Pakistan. The day has been lodged in the social lexicon as Ekushey (“21” in Bangla), remembering the struggle and sacrifice of the people. In 1999, UNESCO announced that Feb. 21 would be observed as International Mother Language Day worldwide. (Poignantly, both seasons of Coke Studio Bangla were launched in the month of February as a tribute to that moment.)

Until 1971, when East Pakistan mobilized to fight its war of liberation, power remained concentrated in the hands of West Pakistan, manifested by one military oligarchy after another. In fact, the nine-month-long Liberation War was fuelled by the West Pakistani troops’ attacks on the people of East Pakistan, including the rape of women and the killing of thousands. In the midst of all this, East Pakistan revealed its intent by offering support for the politician Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — known as the founding father of Bangladesh — who spearheaded the secular political party All Pakistan Awami Muslim League. On Dec. 16, 1971, East Pakistan finally emerged victorious over the West Pakistan army, aided by India.

During the liberation fight, music played a crucial role in spreading the fervor of fighting for one’s language. A radio broadcasting center called Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra was established by the government of Bangladesh, playing patriotic songs and lending rousing support to the spirit of the people. Coke Studio Bangla is an ode to this struggle. Everything from the choice of songs to the artists they choose to showcase is intended to highlight their pride in their language and the blood they shed to be able to speak their mother tongue. The inclusion of Tagore, Islam and Chowdhury is not incidental.

The subtext for Bangladesh’s fight for language was an assertion of secularism. It was a declaration that any country that houses people with different beliefs cannot be stifled by the garb of one religion. This became crucial because, over the years, Bangladesh has struggled with religious extremism. The 1972 constitution referred to the country as a secular nation-state, but Islam was made the state religion in 1988 under Hussain Muhammad Ershad, a former president of the country and a military dictator. An amendment in 2011, however, restored secularism as a fundamental constitutional principle.

Against this backdrop, the song “Prarthona” (“Prayer”) not only reiterates the secular politics of the nation but reveals the redundancy of conflating religion with faith. Arranged as an appeal to a higher force and sung by the Bangladeshi artists Momotaz Begum and Mizan Rehman, it is a confluence of two pieces. Begum croons “Allah Megh De” (“O god, give us cloud”), a folk song embedded in the Indian subcontinent’s history of famines, written by the Bangladeshi composer Girin Chakraborty. Rehman joins her midway with his invocation to “Baba Maulana,” a famous composition by Kobial Ramesh Shil, a Chattogram-born poet who challenged social oppression all his life. Interestingly, while both songs have been credited to Hindu artists, they are steeped in Islamic imagery (the genesis of “All Megh De” can be traced back to the legend of the Battle of Karbala, in which the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein ibn Ali, was killed; the supplication for rain evokes the thirst faced by Hussein’s followers during the battle).

This religious introspection transitions to caste contemplation in “Shob Lokey Koy.” The song brims with the idea of fairness, summoning us to view the world beyond restrictive barriers. Designed as a medley, the companion pieces — one by the 19th-century, Bangladesh-born poet Lalon Fakir, one of the most influential advocates of Baul philosophy of equality, and the other by the 15th-century Indian poet Kabir Das, born in Varanasi, India — are sung by the Bangladeshi singer Kaniz Khandaker Mitu and the Indian singer Soumyadeep Sikdar, who goes by the moniker Murshidabadi. This convergence of artists from two different Bengals mirrors the unified belief of the original creators of the songs, despite the temporal gap between them.

The songs do not simply egg us on to reimagine a world where music is a solution to divisiveness. Instead, they entreat us to confront an increasingly divisive world, while upholding the cost of freedom and the price of fanaticism. “The first season noiselessly journeys through issues of caste and identity politics, making it a spectacular space in a polarized world. What makes it significant is that in a post-liberalized Bangladesh, now a space where multiple cultures continue to merge, it is presenting ideas that otherwise seem at odds with each other, especially in nations like India and Pakistan. Lalon meets Kabir and the message — rejection of social inequalities — is relevant for everyone,” says Khurana.

Harmony and acceptance have been the overarching intent since inception. “These songs emphasize who you are because in this age of globalization, we are living in a seemingly borderless world which has barbs all around. We had to find a way to underline the need for inclusivity when the institutions around the globe are thinking otherwise,” said Shaon.

This is the brief Arnob worked on as he dressed each classic with a modern twist, creating a mixtape for the youth. In “Lilabali,” a wedding song by the Bangladeshi poet Radharaman Dutta, the archaic bridal musical instrument called the shehnai is effortlessly accompanied by a saxophone. In “Bulbuli,” a Nazrul song is presented with Latin beats. Electric guitar, drums and percussion are flamboyantly used in folk songs, transforming them into modern entities without robbing them of their basic core.

It is chaotic but it fits. “Coke Studio Bangla has recorded the highest number of incremental users in the overall Coke Studio franchise,” Arnab Roy, vice president of marketing at Coca-Cola India and SouthWest Asia, told New Lines . This success has resulted in the initiation of another language-based edition of the franchise: Coke Studio Tamil was launched earlier in January.

To the musicians back home, it has given hope. “The musical industry in Bangladesh is struggling. There is no royalty, little streaming and few ways to monetize it,” Arnob laments. The popularity of the first season has come at an interesting time. It may be no overreach to assume that Bangladesh, at this moment, is going through a cultural resurgence of sorts. In 2021, the Bangladeshi filmmaker Abdullah Mohammad Saad’s film “Rehana Maryam Noor” was selected in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. Last year, Nuhash Humayun’s short “Moshari,” a horror film on climate change, won the prestigious Grand Jury Award at SXSW 2022 and became the first Bangladeshi film to qualify for the Oscars. The success culminated in Oscar winners Jordan Peele and Riz Ahmed coming on board to back the film as executive producers.

In his interviews regarding Coke Studio Bangla, Arnob uses an abiding example. “Look at the K-pop industry. They have built an empire from scratch,” he says. He repeats this analogy, adding that it was time to cater to young people. If the breathless comments underlining each video are any proof, he is on his way to doing something similar. Place is no barrier. This season has two singers from India, Madhubanti Bagchi and Soumyadeep Murshidabadi. Arnob himself has spent 17 years studying in Visva Bharati University, a unique educational institution in West Bengal’s Shantiniketan, founded and developed by the Tagore family. Alluding to that part of his life, the singer says he considers both parts of Bengal his own. Language, after all, has the distinct capacity to evoke a sense of home.

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