Coke Studio 14: Six soulful songs that tug at our heart strings

One has to be living under the rock to not have been infected with Coke Studio 14 craze. The latest season is probably the best thing that has happened to Pakistan in a while. With the devastation of COVID-19 and a two-year hiatus to the franchise, fans indeed wanted a comeback from the much-loved studio production to finally feel alive.

Brought with the magic of Zulfiqar Khan, the season connected the youth and older generations through a common language of music. Every release brought in new energy, raising the bar higher than before, leaving music lovers in awe of the country’s artists and their unparalleled talents.

Be it pop, rock or Qawali, this season brought a song to celebrate every mood and every state of mind, and that was the true magic spell!

From Pasoori to Kana Yaari, here are our top six favourite tracks from CS this seaon.

Pasoori

Featuring reggaeton-inspired tune, Pasoori effortlessly took the music scene by storm, making it rank at the top of this list. Fans were elated to anticipate Ali Sethi’s magical voice becoming a part of season 14. However, not even the biggest music fanatic thought that it would be Shae Gill’s perfect melodious vocals to do the honour of leaving listeners jaw-dropped. The bohemian track not only left fans amazed with its quirky beats but the release also stood out for its mesmerizing video that’s served up to the latest seasons’ high standards with a huge round of applause to Sheema Kermani – an old woman seen dancing in the video. Although the hit-makers hoped that the song would transcend boundaries, the tracks’ massive success even across the borders came as a surprise to many.

Tu Jhoom

One of the most beloved seasons of Coke Studio kicked off with soulful vocals of legendary singers – Abida Parveen and Naseebo Lal, setting up the bar too high with mega-hit song Tu Jhoom. Since its release in January, the song has been ruling over music lovers’ hearts thanks to a melodious daze and perfectly blended galvanic vocals of the Sufi singer and Punjabi music icon as they took the charge to lead listeners to the deep yet calm balance. The much-loved track continues to celebrate life as its lyrics serenades the triumph in selflessness while acknowledging self-respect and self-love amidst the well-maintained ethereal mood of dancers,

Phir Milenge

The final song for this season naturally invited high expectations in light of the record breaking chartbusters that came before - and Coke Studio did not disappoint. The CS bosses lived up to their reputation to bring a fusion never seen before. With a collaboration between legendary Faisal Kapadia and new age sensations Young Stunners, the track elevated the listeners to another realm, before leaving them to want more. Ahead of the season first episode, Zulfi ensured big surprises for the youth and this song is a living proof of the promise. While Faisal brought back the golden days of Strings with his supreme vocals, Young Stunners added to the hype with their intense rap, overall exuding a goose-bump worthy performance. The addition of orchestra only took the song to a whole new level.

Go

We didn’t know what resonance feels like until we heard Go. The Abdullah Siddiqui and Atif Aslam collaboration left fans in a trance with its raw lyrics and contrasting vocals, leaving them hooked for hours. This wonky hyperpop track, as Abdullah likes to describe it, elevated when Atif Aslam’s energy was brought in bringing a while new energy to the ballad. The track promises to fuel up emotions, especially during high notes while taking you to another world of vulnerability and empowerment, both at the same time.

Yeh Dunya

Whatever fans expected, Yeh Dunya proved them wrong with a radiant collaboration of one of the most well-known Urdu rappers Talha Anjum and Faris Shafi as they introduced hip-hop to rock music by the finest – Karakoram.

‘Obsessed’ would be an understatement to describe the impact of the release on Coke Studio fans who couldn’t hold back themselves from gushing over the track as the trio resonated the same energy as Linkin Park.

While for a very few of the listeners, who shied away from banging their heads to nu-metal beats of the song, failed to not get impressed with the insanely relevant yet thought-intriguing lyrics.

Kana Yaari

Despite being a song in a language not familiar to many, Kana Yaari won hearts with its music and unique collaborations. From hijabi rapper Eva B to Kaifi Khalil from Lyari, the Balochi ballad gave emerging talent a bigger platform to shine. This track came with surprising revelations. While fans were already mesmerized by a powerful episode one, featuring Abida Parveen and Naseebo Lal , Kana Yaari brought an unexpected contrast- setting the tone for a blockbuster upcoming season.