Coke Studio (Pakistani season 8)

The eighth season of the Pakistani music television series Coke Studio premiered on 16 August 2015[2][3] and aired its finale on 4 October 2015. It aired a weekly episode every Sunday on various channels across Pakistan. The season was revived under the tagline of The Sound of Nation.

Coke Studio
Season 8
Season 8 logo
StarringFeatured artists
Country of originPakistan
No. of episodes7
Release
Original networkWebcast
Original release16 August (2015-08-16)[1] –
4 October 2015 (2015-10-04)
Season chronology

The debut producers of season 7, Strings duo and series regular producer Coca-Cola, continued their journey as producers in this season. Earlier, rumours were made that Rohail Hyatt would be back as a producer this season but he denied rumors saying "Just for the record, I'm not producing the next season of Coke Studio Pakistan (2015)....... I would like to produce my 7th season of Coke Studio one day. I hope this clears any confusion".[4]

The lead bassist, Khalid Khan, was ruled out of season 8 due to cervical pain; he was replaced by Kamran 'Mannu' Zafar.[5] The season featured seven episodes comprising thirty-one artists, thirteen musicians and twenty-eight songs.[6]

Artists

Following is the list of thirty-one featured artists line-up, including six bands, that will perform as individuals, duos and with chorus:[7]

Note: Anwar Maqsood is the only featured artist who served as a narrator of his own poem specially written for the song "Chirya Da Chamba".

Musicians

Almost all the Musician House Band returns to season 8 except Khalid Khan who left the show due to health problem and was replaced by Kamran Mannu Zafar, while pianist Jaffar Zaidi of Kavish also served as a lead vocalist for the first time. Only Sajid Ali returned as a guest musician for this season. For season 8, following is the list of backing vocalist that serves vocal harmony with the lead vocalist. Sara Haider and Rachel return to season 8 as a backing singer, with Sara also appeared as a featured artist. Following are the lists of featured line-up musicians:[8]

House Band
Guest Musicians
String Section
  • Islamuddin Meer
  • Javed Iqbal
  • Manzoor Ahmed
  • Saeed Ahmed
Backing Vocals
Note: Haider Ali is a singer-songwriter, and an art director, also recognized as haidertonight, and known for appearing on the (Season 8, Episode 1) of the Coke Studio on 16 August 2015.

Production

The series was produced under Strings's production company MainStage Productions and was distributed by Coca-Cola Pakistan.[9] Speaking at the launch of Coke Studio Season 8, Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia of Strings said:

Last Season was an incredible experience for us and we are extremely excited to be producing yet another season of Coke Studio, this season we take it to the next level with one of the most diverse artist line up in the history of the show. With a total of 31 featured artists, 13 musicians and 28 songs, Coke Studio is indeed The Sound of the Nation.

— Strings, producer Coke Studio

General Manager of Coca-Cola Pakistan, Rizwan U. Khan said,[9]

“In last 7 years, Coke Studio has made an undeniably positive mark on Pakistani music landscape. At Coca-Cola we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of new and dynamic innovations, and we can say with confidence that Coke Studio is precisely that. With this season, our aim is to reinvent the way music can capture the spirit of Pakistan.”

Episodes
Main article: List of Coke Studio (Pakistan) episodes

On 4 August 2015, a special tribute to Sohail Rana and Masroor Anwar was presented by reproducing their patriotic song "Sohni Dharti"[10] as a part of Pakistan's 68th Independence celebration.[11] Season also released the promo with the tribute under the tagline of 'Celebrating the spirit of Independence'.[12] "Sohni Dharti" featured all the artists that were scheduled to lined-up for this season.[13] The promo and tribute release were met with extravagant reception from all over the world.[14] "Sohni Dharti" went viral with in 24-hours of it release, earning wide spread acclaim.[15] The song was declared as "the best of what Coke Studio has ever offered".[16][17]

# Release Date [N 1] Song(s) performed Artist(s) Language(s) Ref.
Title In Nastaʿlīq [N 2]
Promo song
1 4 August 2015 Sohni Dharti سوہنی دھرتی Season's Featured artists Urdu [18]
Episode 1
2 16 August 2015 Aankharli Pharookai آنکھڑلی پھڑوکے Karam Abbas & Mai Dhai Braj, Marwari & Punjabi [19]
3 Bewajah بے وجہ Nabeel Shaukat Ali Urdu
4 Sayon سیّوں Mekaal Hasan Band Punjabi
5 Tajdar-e-Haram تاجدارِ حرم Atif Aslam Arabic, Braj, Persian & Urdu
Episode 2
6 22 August 2015 Sakal Ban سکل بن Rizwan & Muazzam Ali Khan Braj [20]
7 Sammi Meri Waar سمّی میری وار Qurat-ul-Ain Balouch & Umair Jaswal Punjabi & Urdu
8 Chiryan da Chamba چڑیاں دا چمبا Suraiya Khanum & Anwar Maqsood Punjabi & Urdu
9 Rockstar روکسٹار Ali Zafar English, Punjabi & Urdu
Episode 3
10 29 August 2015 Man Aamadeh Am من آمدہ ام Atif Aslam & Gul Panra Persian & Urdu [21]
11 Umran Langiyaan عمراں لنگیاں Ali Sethi & Nabeel Shaukat Ali Siraiki & Punjabi
12 Neun La Leya نیوں لا لیا Kaavish Punjabi
13 Rung Jindri رنگ جندڑی Arif Lohar Punjabi
Episode 4
14 5 September 2015 Rabba Ho ربّا ہو Mulazim Hussain Punjabi & Urdu [22]
15 Khari Neem کھڑی نیم Siege Marwari & Urdu
16 Piya Dehkan Ko پیا دیکھن کو Nafees Ahmed Khan & Ustad Hamid Ali Khan Braj
17 Ae Dil اے دل Sara Haider & Ali Zafar English & Urdu
Episode 5
18 13 September 2015 Hina Ki Khushbu حنا کی خوشبو Asim Azhar & Samra Khan Punjabi & Urdu [23]
19 Khalis Makhan خالص مکّھن Bakhshi Brothers Punjabi
20 Kinaray کنارے Mekaal Hasan Band Urdu
21 Rangeela رنگیلا Ali Azmat Urdu
Episode 6
22 19 September 2015 Ve Baneya وے بنیا Fizza Javed & Mulazim Punjabi & Urdu [24]
23 Hare Hare Baans ہرے ہرے بانس Rizwan, Muazzam & Shazia Manzoor Awadhi
24 Jiya Karay جیا کرے Sara Raza & Ali Haider Urdu
25 Kadi Aao Ni کدی آو نی Atif Aslam & Mai Dhai Punjabi & Urdu
Episode 7
26 3 October 2015 Armaan ارماں Siege & Alycia Dias Urdu [25]
27 Ajj Din Vehre Vich اجّ دن وہڑے وچ Ali Zafar Punjabi & Urdu
28 Dil Jale دل جلے Malang Party Urdu
29 Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo آج جانے کی ضد نہ کرو Farida Khanum Urdu
  1. This column only contains digitally broadcast dates of song/episode.
  2. Nastaʿlīq is a writing-style specially for Urdu language, since Urdu is the lingua franca of Pakistan, this column contains names of songs written in Nastaʿlīq script.

Reception

Season 8 became the one of the most successful seasons of all time,[26] earning the title of "Best of Coke Studio has ever Offered".[16][27] Many songs became the headlines of newspapers and media outlets including Atif Aslam's rendition of the popular qawwali "Tajdar-e-Haram" as a tribute to its original performers, the Sabri Brothers. The rendition received an overwhelmingly positive response and the track gained over 241 million views on YouTube.[28] Despite achieving critical success many media outlets and viewers praised the original version by Sabri's and criticized Atif diction to the song, Amjad Sabri the son of Ghulam Farid Sabri says, "I really like how the music was arranged. Atif didn't do badly. I wish he could have worked on his diction a little more, as long as the essence remains untouched, there is no harm." He further said, "it was an honest accolade to his father and uncle".[29] Imane Babar Wahedi of Express Tribune declared Nabeel Shaukat Ali's song "Bewajah" the Coke Studio's best production so far. She said "Nabeel Ali's composition and voice quality are the backbone of the song; his extraordinary vocals literally gave goose bumps. Haider Ali's guitar riff on the keyboard complements the composition extremely well."[30]

Episode two was the most successful episode . Ali Zafar marked his appearance with "Rockstar" (the only original song in episode 2), after six years of a gap from the show. The song received highly critical acclaims for its variation in vocals, jazzy tune and freedom of lyrics[31] and was praised by Many media celebrities and personalities including Hritik Roshan, Mahira Khan, Fahad Mustafa, Imran Khan and Adnan Sami.[32] On the success of "Rockstar" Ali stated that, "I partly lead the rockstar life I've made fun of." He explains that, "The lyrics of the song remind me of how I used to perceive rockstars when I was a kid. There's an aspect of vanity and arrogance 'Rockstar' which required me to get more animated."[33] The folk-song "Sammi Meri Waar" by Umair Jaswal and QB was heavily criticized for the poor coordination and presence. The duo were called "ridiculously photogenic" and media outlets lambasted Coke Studio's first negotiation with a folk song.[17] Tufail Niazi's hit wedding song "Chirya Da Chamba" by Surriya Khanam and Anwar Maqsood was praised for its music, composition and the beautiful narration of a letter by Maqsood. It was stated that the song "created a memorable experience for audiences."[34]

The third episodes mark the debut of Pakhtun singer Gul Panra in Lollywood,[35][36] who sang a Persian duet "Man Aamadeh Am" with Atif Aslam.[37] The song went viral and was viewed more than 37, 000 times in five hours.[38] Panra received highly positive acclaim and recognition in her debut in season eight.[39] Arif Lohar's "Rung Jindri" was also met with positive response. The News Tribe wrote "his [Arif Lohar] song lift up the Coke Studio to another peak of fame."[40]

The fourth episode was also reviewed positively, Ali Raj of The Express Tribune gave three and half stars out of five by saying, "The episode reflects the good, the bad and the largely ugly of an approach that is seemingly here to stay."[41]

Episode five also garnered positive reviews. The release of Ali Azmat's song "Rangeela"[42] was widely praised[43] The second song from episode "Hina Ki kushboo" by Samra Khan and Asim Azhar, with a fusion of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's qawali "Kina Sona Tenu" aimed as a tribute to Noor Jahan received mixed to positive reception from media outlets.[44]

Episode six saw the third appearance of Atif Aslam who sang Marwari duet "Kadi Ao Ni" with folk singer Mai Dhai.[45] Singer Shazia Manzoor appeared in CS for the first time singing a qawali with duo Rizwan & Muazzam.[46] Fiza Javed who briefly appeared in season one of Pakistan Idol[47] appeared first time on national television with singer Mulazim Hussain, performing a duet of Reshma's song "Meri Hamjoliyaan". The episode ended with "Jiya Karay" by Ali Haider and Sara Raza Khan.[48] Haider also appeared on both CS and television after a long gap.[49]

Episode seven marked the season finale and its reception was highly positive.[50] Specially the appearance of Farida Khanum was the highlight of episode. Khanum appeared on national television screens after a significant gap.[51] In the finale episode she sang her most popular ghazal "Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo".[52] Strings even went on to thank her in the opening monologue of song saying, "We would like to thank Farida Khanum Sahiba for accepting our request and gracing Coke Studio with her presence." ARY News praised the rendition saying, "Finally a reason to watch Coke Studio: Farida Khanum singing 'Aaj Jane Ki Zidd Na Karo'."[53] Besides Khanum, Ali Zafar's third appearance to sing "Aj Din Vehre Vich" originally written by Shahnawaz Zaidi received positive reviews The Nation wrote, "With this season of Coke Studio, Ali has proved that he is an all-rounder. Just like he has essayed different types of characters in his films across the border, in his music also Ali has reaffirmed his versatility like no other artist of his generation, which is on ample display in Coke Studio."[54] The other songs by Alycia Dias, Malang Party and Siege were also praised.[55]

See also

Footnotes

    References
    1. "'Coke Studio' Season 8 first episode to be launched on August 16". Faizan Ali Warraich. The Daily Times. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
    2. "Coke Studio Season 8 kicking off from 16 August". The News Teller. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
    3. "#CokeStudio8 comeback season". Mariam Nihal. Saudi Gazette. 6 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
    4. "Rohail Hyatt wants to produce another season of Coke Studio". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
    5. "Khalid Khan steps out of 'Coke Studio 8'". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
    6. "Coke Studio Season 8 starting from 16th". The Nation. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
    7. "Coke Studio Season 8 Artists' List Released". The Daily Times. 20 June 2015. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
    8. "Coke Studio Season 8 Songs & Artists Revealed!". Pakistan Advertisers Society. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
    9. "Coke Studio Season 8 starting from 16th". The Nation. 6 August 2015.
    10. "Coke studio season 8 comes with an independence vibe with it". Aaj TV. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
    11. "'Sohni Dharti' Coke Studio celebrates independence month in unique way". The News. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
    12. "Coke Studio 8 promo celebrates the spirit of independence". Rafay Mahmood. The Express Tribune. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
    13. "CokeStudio8: Top Pakistani musicians singing 'Sohni Dharti' for Aug 14". Raza Haidery. ARY News. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
    14. "Coke Studio's 'Sohni Dharti' rendition is music to the ears". Shahjahan Khurram. ARY News. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
    15. "'Coke Studio', Zindabad!". The Daily Times. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
    16. "Sohni Dharti: The best of what Coke Studio has ever offered". Madiha Shamim. The Nation. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
    17. "Best Independence Day gift ever: Sohni Dharti by Coke Studio". Rida Baqai. The Express Tribune. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
    18. "Coke Studio Season 11 set to open with Hum Dekhenge". The Nation. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
    19. "Coke Studio Season 8-Episode 1: From boys to men". Ali Raj. The Express Tribune. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
    20. "Coke Studio: Will songs from Episode 2 make it to your wedding soundtrack?". Dawn News. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
    21. "Coke Studio Season 8 third episode released". Daily Times. 1 September 2015. Archived from the original on 3 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
    22. "Coke Studio 8 all set to release Ali Zafar, Sara's 'Ae Dil Kissi Ki Yaad Mein'". The News Tribe. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
    23. "Coke Studio Episode 5: Ali Azmat back in the spotlight". Dawn News. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
    24. "Coke Studio's episode 6 to release on September 20 – Ali Haider to make his debut on the platform". ARY News. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
    25. "'Coke Studio' Season 8's last episode to air tomorrow". The Daily Times. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
    26. "Coke Studio Season 8 Taking Pakistan by Storm". Asifa Afzal. Business Recorder. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
    27. "Coke Studio Season 8 taking the internet by storm". Pakistan Today. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
    28. "In harmony: Amjad Sabri throws weight behind Atif Aslam". Express Tribune. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
    29. "Amjad Sabri's Take on Atif Aslam 'Tajdar-E-Haram'". Madiha Shakeel. Business Recorder. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
    30. "Why Nabeel Ali's 'Bewajah' is Coke Studio's best production so far". The Express Tribune. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
    31. "Appreciation pours in from all sides for Ali Zafar's 'Rock Star'". Geo News. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
    32. "One rockstar to another: Hrithik Roshan tells Ali Zafar 'mazaa aa gaya'". The Express Tribune. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
    33. "I partly lead the rockstar life I've made fun of: Ali Zafar". The Express Tribune. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
    34. "Pakistani singing talent at its best". The Daily Times. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
    35. "The New Gul in the Garden". Rafay Mehmood. The Express Tribune. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
    36. "The Story of Gul Panrra from Coke Studio Season 8". Dispatch Desk. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
    37. "'Folk Studio' yearns for rebranding". Ali Raj. The Express Tribune. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
    38. "Coke Studio releases Atif Aslam, Gul Panrra flick 'Man Aamadeh Am'". The News Tribe. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
    39. "Gul Panrra's voice, style stolen the hearts of people". The News Tribe. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
    40. "Arif Lohar's 'Rung Jindri' lifts up Coke Studio 8". The News Tribe. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
    41. "Coke Studio: The juggernaut screeches to a grinding halt". Ali Raj. The Express Tribune. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
    42. "Ali Azmat to rock Coke Studio again". The News Tribe. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
    43. "Coke Studio 8: Ali Azmat's Rangeela song jolts music charts". TNT. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
    44. "Coke Studio's 'Hina Ki Khushbu' reminds of Noor Jahan, Nusrat Fateh Ali". TNT. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
    45. "Coke Studio 8: Atif Aslam, Mai Dhai's 'Kadi Aao Ni' shake music charts". TNT. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
    46. "Coke Studio 8: Shazia Manzoor, Rizwan & Muazzam give new touch to Qawali". TNT. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
    47. "Pakistan Idol banished Fizza Javed shines in Coke Studio Season 8". Mujahid Ali. The News teller. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
    48. "Coke Studio Episode 6: Will this be a comeback for Ali Haider and Shazia Manzoor?". Dawn News. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
    49. "Coke Studio's episode 6 to release on 20th September– Ali Haider to make his debut on the platform". Mujahid Ali. The News teller. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
    50. "Saving best for the last? Coke Studio Season 8 to sign off with Farida Khanum". Dawn News. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
    51. "Coke studio 8 episode 7: Queen of Ghazal Farida Khanam doubles the jubilation with 'Aaj Jaane Ki Zidd Na Karo'". The News Tribe. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
    52. "Farida Khanum to sing 'Aaj Jane Ki Zidd' in Coke Studio 8". ARY News. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
    53. "The final episode of the critically-acclaimed series today released on its YouTube, Daily Motion and Facebook pages Farida Khanum's exquisite rendition of the hugely popular ghazal Aaj Jane Ki Zidd Na Karo. Poet and songwriter Fayyaz Hashmi, born in Kolkata in 1920 and who died in 2011 wrote the ghazal, and the music was…". ARY News. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
    54. "Ali Zafar Coke Studio 8's strongest suit". The Nation. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
    55. "Saving the best for last: Ali Zafar and Farida Khanum to feature in final episode of Coke Studio 8". ARY News. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
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