Coke Studio season 12: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Zoe Viccaji to perform in first episode

Web Desk

October 18, 2019

The first episode of the highly anticipated 12th season of Coke Studio drops tonight.

There had been a great deal of debate over the quality and the singers Coke Studio has been offering after Rohail Hyatt left five years ago.

During Hyatt’s absence Strings, as producers brought to us great artists such as Amjad Sabri and Aamir Zaki. A recording with Farida Khanum and several others.

However, not every artist was given due with some selections heavily criticised for not living to the standard or for “butchering songs”.

Then came the experimental season 11 with Zohaib Kazi and Ali Hamza that gave us a unique prequel Coke Studio Explorer, taking us outside the studio across the provinces to give us a taste of other artists.

Nevertheless, Hyatt is back in the producer chair and he already gave us a hint of what we can expect this season.

Atif Aslam officially introduced season 12 when a rendition of ‘Wohi Khuda Hai’.

According to details, tonight’s episode will feature three separate groups of artists.

These include Zoe Viccaji and Shahab Hussain with a joint collaboration called ‘Ram Pam’ with Shahab Hussain who will be making his Coke Studio featured artist debut, having been a part of the house-band for the last several years.

The bilingual track is, believe it or not, written by Sahir Ali Bagga, in Urdu and Punjabi and is said to be a “light-hearted take on love”.

“Music gives you goosebumps. Music is something extraordinary; it plays next level games with our mind. We are attracted to it and we are also driven away by it. It has power,” Hussain said while speaking to Instep.

The second song, another bilingual effort is by Qawwali king Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (going solo) called ‘Dam Mastam’.

The song will showcase the celebration of love for Maula Ali by Shahbaz Qalandar, with lyrics by Javed in Punjabi and Persian.

“As long as a spiritual artist respects their craft, peace prevails. It is wonderful when a singer has a noble cause, when they are spreading a message of love, peace, and brotherhood as presented by our saints, without the greed of money or the world. This is the real purpose of qawwali,” Khan said.

The third and most exciting artist from the three, however, is a group called Barkat Jamal Fakir Troupe, who will be singing a track called ‘Maahi Diyaan Jhokaan’.

The song in Seraiki is supposed to be a cry for the Beloved for which the speaker is willing to embrace earthly dislike because of it for it is “no ordinary love”.

In a statement, noted Jamal said, “Music is nutrition for the soul. Before we even sing the song, we listen to it. We understand it, then we sing it. Since my childhood, this has been my soul’s nutrition. When I sing, my soul finds peace.”

Coke Studio’s first episode airs tonight.