The eleventh season of Pakistani

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

television series ''

Coke Studio Coke Studio may refer to: * ''Coke Studio'' (Pakistan), a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio'' (India), an Indian television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio Bangla'', a Banglade ...

'', titled as Coke Studio: The Sound of Nation, premiered in Pakistan on 10 August 2018. Musicians

Ali Hamza H, or h, is the eighth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''aitch'' (pronounced , plural ''aitches''), or region ...

and

Zohaib Kazi Zohaib Kazi ( ur, ) is a Pakistani musician, composer, lyricist, and record producer. Kazi started his media career at Hum Network Limited before serving as an associate producer at ''Coke Studio Pakistan'' from 2009 to 2017. In 2012, Kazi relea ...

were announced as a new producers and directors for the series, after

Strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

stepped down from the role to pursue their own music. The series was produced under Kazi and Hamza's production company Front Foot Media and was distributed by

The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, ...

Pakistan. As a part of new module, Kazi and Hamza created a spin-off series ''

Coke Studio Explorer ''Coke Studio Explorer'' is a Pakistani web television music series created by musicians Ali Hamza and Zohaib Kazi. As a part of new module, it is a spin-off to a ''Coke Studio'' and prequel to its eleventh season. Instead of studio recordi ...

'' which was released on 3 July 2018 and featured regional but largely unknown artists across the country where their performances were recorded live. The series opened to rave reviews and received critical acclaim. Despite the success of ''Explorer'' series, season eleven, received mixed reception from the critics. The ninth and last episode was released on 19 October 2018. The season consisted of 30 tracks plus one promo song.

Artists

Featured artists

The following is a list of thirty-nine artists (seventy individuals) including eight bands, five duos and twenty-six solo artists. *

Ali Sethi Ali Aziz Sethi (Urdu/; ; born July 2, 1984) is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, composer, and author. Sethi rose to prominence with his debut novel, '' The Wish Maker'' (2009). In 2012, Sethi began focusing on his musical career and made his film ...

Humaira Arshad Humaira Arshad or Humera Arshad ( Punjabi, ur, ) is a Pakistani pop singer from Lahore born in 1975. Career She started her career as an actress in PTV Home's television series Ainak Wala Jin (a PTV show for children in the 1990s) where she ...

Gul Panrra Minhaz, known professionally as Gul Panra ( ps, ; sometimes spelled Gulpanra), is a Pakistani Pashto folk singer and touring artist. Her live concerts include United Kingdom and Afghanistan. In 2015, she sang "Man Aamadeh Am" song's remix vers ...

Rachel Viccaji ''Coke Studio'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani television programme and international music franchise which features studio-recorded music performances by established and emerging artists. It is the longest-running annual television music show in Pakis ...

* Asim Azhar *

Asrar ''Asrar'' ( fa, اسرار, lit=The Mysteries) is a Persian-language reformist daily newspaper published in Tehran, Iran. Profile ''Asrar'' has a reformist political leaning.

* Abrar-ul-Haq * Aima Baig * Abida Parveen * Shuja Haider *

Sahir Ali Bagga Sahir Ali Bagga (born 10 April 1980) is a Pakistani singer, music director and composer from Lahore, who composes music for Lollywood and other independent singers.Momina Mustehsan * Ali Azmat * Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi *

Sanwal Esakhelvi Sanwal "Atta" Esakhelvi is a British-Pakistani visual effects supervisor, sound designer, singer, musician and songwriter. Before establishing himself as a singer, Esakhelvi was a professional cricketer until 2006 and has worked in British film ...

Hassan Jahangir Hassan Jahangir ( ur, ; born 1 July 1962) is a Pakistani pop singer. He gained fame in the 1980s with hit singles such as "Hawa Hawa", "Hato Bacho", and "Shadi Na Karna Yaron". He released his first single "Imran Khan is a Superman" in 1982 and ...

* Young Desi (Mufassir) * Lucky & Naghma *

Haniya Aslam Haniya Aslam is a Pakistani musician. She began her career as member of music group Zeb and Haniya along with her cousin Zebunnisa Bangash Zebunisa Bangash (born 7 March 1982), better known as Zeb Bangash, is a Pakistani singer-songwriter fr ...

* Ahad Raza Mir * Natasha Baig * Zarsanga * Sounds of Kolachi * Chand Tara Orchestra * Mughal-E-Funk *

The Sketches The Sketches () is a Sufi folk rock band from Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan, created by young musician Saif Samejo. "Sindhi melody is very charming; there is enormous flexibility of words" says Saif Samejo. Their motherland has always been a major in ...

Khumariyaan Khumariyaan (, ) is a Pashto music band from Khyber Pakthunwka province of Pakistan that also plays other styles. The band has represented their Culture abroad in Ireland, United Kingdom, United States of America, Kenya and elsewhere. Members A ...

* Jimmy Khan * Lyari Underground (L.U.G) *

Fareed Ayaz Ghulam Fariduddin Ayaz Al-Hussaini Qawwal (born in Hyderabad, India) is a Pakistani Sufi devotional singer. He belongs to the ''Qawwal Bachchon Ka Gharana'' of Delhi. He and his relatives are the flag-bearers of that school of music (gharana ...

and co. * Krewella * Ariana & Amrina * Mishal Khawaja * Mangal, Darehan & Shayan * Shami Bai & Vishnu * Riaz Qadri & Ghulam Qadri * Bilal Khan *

Jawad Ahmad Jawad Ahmed is a Pakistani pop singer and musician. Jawad Ahmed is currently chairman of Barabri Party Pakistan. Early life and career Jawad Ahmad was born into a Kashmiri family who immigrated to Pakistan after independence. Both his parents ...

* Elizabeth Rai

Musicians

The following are the musicians for the season:

Production

Development

After producing four seasons,

Bilal Maqsood Bilal Maqsood (Urdu: بلال مقصود) is a Pakistani guitarist, composer, and a founding member of Strings. He has also directed a number of music videos. For Bilal and his band Strings, success came in 1992 after the launch of the song ''S ...

and

Faisal Kapadia Strings () was a Pakistani pop/rock band composed of two members, plus four live band members from Karachi, Pakistan. The band was initially formed by four college students—Bilal Maqsood (vocals and guitars), Faisal Kapadia (vocals), Rafiq ...

left the show to continue their own music, and ''Coke Studio Season 10'' was the last season prodeced by them. After Strings departure, it was earlier reported that

Noori Noori ( ) is a Pakistani rock band from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, formed in 1996. The group was formed by songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist, Ali Noor, along with his younger brother Ali Hamza, who were soon joined by bassist Muhammad A ...

will take charge as a new producers, however their publicist denied such reports. In March 2018,

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

Pakistan announced

and

would helm the production and direction of eleventh season. Coca-Cola officially released a statement saying that "both ''Coke Studio'' veterans" have played "an instrumental role in its success over the years. We cannot wait to share their brilliance with all of you" in the "new chapter of the ''Coke Studio''" journey. Fahad Qadir who is a director of public Affairs and communications of Coca-Cola, revealed on approaching Kazi and Hamza saying, "I think it was a natural evolution.

Rohail Hyatt Rohail Hyatt (Urdu: روحیل حیات) is a Pakistani record producer, Synthesizer, keyboardist, and Music composer, composer. As record producer, Hyatt is largely credited with pioneering Pakistani pop rock music by incorporating western Ro ...

came to a point where he thought change was good" and "he brought ''Coke Studio'' where it is today. Strings had a different sound and brought in a different bag of producers. ��These are the producers we feel have the right blend, the experience, the history with ''Coke Studio'' the understanding of ''Coke Studio'' to take it to the next level." In July 2018, ''

Arab News ''Arab News'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. It is published from Riyadh. The target audiences of the paper, which is published in broadsheet format, are businessmen, executives and diplomats. At least as of ...

'' revealed that Hamza and Kazi had first met in August 2017 in Lahore, two months before they were approached for the show. Kazi recounts, "that was the first time we connected on a personal level", while Hamza told, "We sat down to talk very specifically about this opportunity", and within minutes "I truly felt I had known Zohaib for a long time." They told '' Dawn Images'' in an interview that before they "started speaking to Coca-Cola", they "talked generally, about life and people and Pakistan". They had long discussions about the responsibility that ''Coke Studio'' had to be spread across the country to attract both; urban and rural areas; as "the regions and its people collectively make Pakistan." The series went into

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

in April 2018 and finished filming the following month at Karachi.

Post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. The ...

took place in June and July at Front Food Media in Lahore.

''Coke Studio Explorer''

As a part of a new module, a spin-off series ''Coke Studio Explorer'' was created before the launch of season, on a concept similar to Kazi's previous work on his album ''Fanoos'' that featured relatively unknown artists across the country where recordings were done live and edited later. In an interview to ''

Daily Times ''Daily Times'' may refer to the following national newspapers: * ''Daily Times'' (Nigeria), newspaper published in Nigeria * ''Daily Times'' (Pakistan), newspaper published in Pakistan ''The Daily Times'' may refer to the following newspapers: * ...

'' by the duo, Kazi explained, "in ''Fanoos'', we limited ourselves to recording musicians on location. We do much more in ''Coke Studio Explorer'' by highlighting the culture, stories and ethos behind the music. After presenting the musicians in their home locations, we bring them to our studios" to record in traditional ''Coke Studio'' style too. Hamza said, "we established the criteria for selection before embarking on our search for musicians", they "had to be talented" and had "to represent a unique aspect of the culture, history and spirit of Pakistan." The duo developed a special mobile recording system for the on-location recordings and while additional tracks and engineering was completed in studio. The duo travelled in all four provinces and Kashmir to find artists that were known in their native regions but were unknown to mainstream media. The duo discovered a sixteen-year old pair of Amrina and Ariana from Kalash, Chitral, the brother-sister duo of Vishnu and Shamu Bai from

Deewan Lal Chand Diwan and divan are variant terms originally used in Persian, Arabic, and Turkish with derivates in other Asian and European languages such as diwaan, dewan, etc. (see etymology sections at Divan, Diwan (poetry) and Dewan). These terms may refer to ...

a village in interior

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

, while from

Sohbatpur District Sohbatpur District ( ur, ) is a district in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It was created in May 2013 from parts of Jafarabad District. The district has a population of over 200‚000. Administration Sohbatpur District consists of th ...

, Balochistan they found throat-singers Mangal, Darehan and Shayan (now known as Bloach Throat singers), a fusion band Qasamir lead by Altaf Mir with Ghulam Mohammad Daar, Manzoor Ahmed Khan, Saifuddin Shahfrom from Muzaffarabad,

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...

, and the fifth and final collaboration was with Mishal Khawaja a Pakistani born-Canadian singer, who was discovered through her Instagram covers. The ''Explorer'' series has received largely positive reviews from critics, with particular praise given to its new module, diversity, performances and ''Coke Studio'' efforts in showcasing and bringing the indigenous art form of Pakistan to the mainstream media.

Debutants and comebacks

Among thirty-nine artists, fifteen musicians debut with season eleven including seven bands, five duos, and three solo artists. Actor and singer

Ahad Raza Mir Ahad Raza Mir ( ur, ; born 29 September 1993) is a Pakistani actor who appears in Urdu television series. He has established a career in Pakistan and is the recipient of several awards including Lux Style Awards. Mir earned recognition with ...

, Lahore-based rapper Young Desi; singer Elizabeth Rai (who is particularly known for her song in the film ''

Teri Meri Love Story ''Teri Meri Love Story'' (or ''TMLS'' for short) is a 2016 Pakistani romantic-comedy, action film directed by Jawad Bashir. It is also written by Jawad Bashir and co-written by Ahmed Abdul Rehman. It was co-produced and distributed by Summit E ...

)'' and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

-based duo Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf of Krewella made their debuts. Four of five artists from ''Coke Studio Explorer'' series appeared in the season, while singers Riaz Qadri and Ghulam Qadri along with hip-hop band L.U.G (Lyari UnderGround), who previously worked with Kazi on his album ''Fanoos'', also made their debuts. For the first time in the history of ''Coke Studio'', two

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

singers, Naghma and Lucky were included as featured artists. Their appearance received overwhelming response from media critics and people. Several featured artists returned from previous seasons as well, including

Humera Arshad Humaira Arshad or Humera Arshad (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ur, ) is a Pakistani pop singer from Lahore born in 1975. Career She started her career as an actress in PTV Home's television series Ainak Wala Jin (a PTV Home, PTV show for childre ...

who was on hiatus before appearing in the tenth season. Arshad remarked, "this will be the beginning of a new phase for me in my singing career."

Release

First episode was screened in a special event at Pearl-Continental Hotel in Lahore, attended by ''Coke Studio'' team, artists and notable personalities including

Allama Iqbal Sir Muhammad Iqbal ( ur, ; 9 November 187721 April 1938), was a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...

's family. During the release the marketing director Abbas Arslan revealed the show features "12 languages, 35 instruments with 70 artists who've composed more than 40 songs." Stating further he said, "Ali and Zohaib travelled 5500 kilometers" to discover " Explorer artists" that were included in the season. Sharing on how they wanted to be season-eleven Kazi said, "music is a powerful tool to spread a message so this is ours to the world. From

Hunza Hunza may refer to: * Hunza, Iran * Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan ** Hunza (princely state), a former principality ** Hunza District, a recently established district ** Hunza River, a waterway ** Hunza Peak, a mou ...

to Karachi we have many gems and we must find pride in them all". After the Friday release of webisode, these were broadcast on Saturday on radio stations and television channels of Pakistan.

Promo song

Preceding the release of season, as a part of a traditional format, ''Coke Studio'' revealed this year featured artists performing a rendition of popular nazm, "

Hum Dekhenge Hum Dekhenge ( ur, - In english ''We shall see'') is a popular Urdu nazm, written by the Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Originally written as ''Va Yabqá Vajhu Rabbika (And the countenance of your Lord will outlast all)'', it was included ...

" by poet

Faiz Ahmed Faiz Faiz Ahmad ''Faiz'' (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984; Urdu, Punjabi: فیض احمد فیض) was a Pakistani poet, and author of Urdu and Punjabi literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated Pakistani Urdu writers of his time. Out ...

, originally recorded by

Iqbal Bano Iqbal Bano ( ur, ; born 1928 in Delhi – died 21 April 2009 in Lahore) was a ghazal singer from Pakistan. She was known for her semi-classical Urdu ghazal songs and classical thumris, but also sang easy-listening numbers in the 1950s films. Iq ...

. The promo song also manifests the nation's political situation in the midst of general elections. On continuing the tradition of title song, Kazi and Hamza said that this season's journey of began with ''Coke Studio Explorer'', "we couldn't be more confident about the power of human stories coming together to form a bigger picture", so "there couldn't be a better choice for a track than: "Hum Dekhenge" – A song by sung the people of Pakistan, for the people of Pakistan!" The song was well received by critics and public.

Episodes

Critical reviews

Television critic Shaheer Anwar of ''

The Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the ''Interna ...

'' said, "the duo promised to bring a new flavour to the traditional ''Coke Studio'' and seem to have accomplished their goal so far by introducing ''Coke Studio Explorer''. This is what many are calling a bonus to the upcoming season that aims to discover musical talent from all across Pakistan." Actor turned musician Arshad Mehmud said, "the new season of ''Coke Studio'' comes with a message of love, unity, passion and pride that is exceedingly relevant to the current times. It should be heard, savoured and celebrated." ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' contributor journalist, Sonya Rehman from Lahore remarked, "''Coke Studios previous seasons have dealt with its fair share of criticism and mixed reactions over certain song selections and collaborations, gauging by ''Coke Studio Explorer'', it may just hit all the right notes this year." The season has been praised for its diversity and inclusion of new artists, Ali Samoo wrote, "this season seems to have made a very strong effort to cast an all-inclusive and representative musical spirit, painting a vibrant picture of Pakistan for the world to see. It is perhaps to show us how togetherness is what makes us beautiful, to prevent a divide and to convey solidarity amongst the nationals. The culturally pluralist amalgamation was perhaps made also to make the election time a bit more peaceful." However, season eleven received mixed reception from critics and public, criticizing the quality of music as compared to previous seasons. Imane Babar Wahedi of ''The Express Tribune'' was more critical of the show saying, "the producers focus on delivering decent performances, rather than trying too hard to be innovative," she further said, "their efforts have been praiseworthy in terms of bringing diversity to Coke Studio, but on a separate note, they shouldn't be neglecting the quality of their music." The first episode received mixed reception from critics and publications; it was praised for its diversity both in music and casting, but it was critically reviewed for its quality of music. Writing for ''The Express Tribune'', Ramsha Vistro remarked, "the episode managed to display an array of formations and stood for change featuring transgenders and an all-female band. I think it's safe to say, ''Coke Studio's'' latest offering did not fail to make a mark." The songs "Main Irada" and "Shika/Jawab-e-Shikwa" received critical acclaim. Second episode contained a mix of traditional and modern rendition of songs receiving mixed reception from the critics. Rahul Aijaz of ''The Express Tribune'' quipped, "Hamza and Kazi are surely bringing a change to ''Coke Studio''. They get full points for innovation. But overall, the sound isn't mature enough yet. I can't decide whether it's because the producers are trying too hard or because they are more concerned about implementing their ideology, even if that compromises on the music." Episode three garnered positive reception, with particular praise was given to Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad performance of "Piya Ghar Aya", while ''Express Tribune'' concluded the episode with moderate reception saying, "after what was a generally disappointing start to the season, ''Coke Studio'' is somewhat back on track with episode three. The Esakhelvi duo brought something fresh, Fareed Ayaz, Abu Muhammad Qawwal and Brothers gave us a taste of what we originally loved about the show, and Bagga topped it all off with a melody nostalgic of an era long gone. The song "Roye Roye" achieved mixed reception among the third episode, some praising the song as "nostalgic revival of old school melodies", and some complained it for its "clichéd lyrics", Maheen Sabeeh of ''

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London that cater ...

'' bemoaned "a song that's a bit too long and in the end sounds like a pop ditty gone awry with equally tedious lyrics and every instrument thrown on the board, for example, a weeping flute. It's a bit like suffering to listen to this suffering ballad of a song." Episode four also drew mixed reception, however, Chand Tara Orchestra's performance received critical acclaim, while the other two songs "Aatish" and "Mahi Aaja" received moderate reception.