Atif Aslam slayed his opening performance of ‘Wohi Khuda Hai’ in Coke Studio and now we’re excited for more.
Season 12 is finally releasing its first episode tomorrow on Friday and we have the line up. And boy, is it a line up.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will perform ‘Dam Mastam’, a track that celebrates Shahbaz Qalandar’s love for Maula Ali.
“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 greed of money or the world. This is the real purpose of qawwali.” said Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
Another Coke Studio favourite returning for the first episode is Zoe Viccaji, who will perform Sahir Ali Bagga’s written ‘Ram Pam’ which tells the tale of a lovestruck girl confiding to a wise Baba about the state of her enraptured heart.
The track will be a lighthearted one, showing the fun side of love rather than the forlorn tragedy we’re used to listening.
“I think people are trying to come back to Eastern music. There’s this thirst to know our roots again, what we originated [from] in this part of the world. That’s what I’m trying to do with new music. I will write something in a Western way because that is what I was brought up with, but my instrumentation [is inspired by] theory of raags and notes. I’ve grown up with Western styles; the idea is to see how I can make that fuse with Eastern. At the end of the day what is music? It is something which is emotionally transporting you. How do you do it? I don’t know if there are any rules, but my mission is to try and find a new way of doing it.” said Zoe Viccaji.
For ‘Ram Pam’ Zoe will be joined by Shahab Hussain, who is usually Coke Studio’s backing vocalist but now is getting a feature as he duets with Viccaji, being the voice of the Baba Bhatti in the track.
For their last performance, coke Studio is bringing the tale of Heer Ranjha a new twist as the Barkat Jamal Fakir Troupe perform ‘Maahi Diyaan Jhokaan’, described as ‘a piece of Sufi transcendence.’
“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.” said Barkat Jamal.
