Coke Studio all set to release Episode Four of Season 12 on 15th November 2019

Coke Studio will be releasing the fourth episode of Season 12 on 15^th November 2019, featuring Gulon Main Rang by Ali Sethi with Shahzad Ali and Fazal Abbas, Dhola by Sahir Ali Bagga and Aima Baig, and Hairaan Hua by Sanam Marvi.

Gulon Main Rang:

Written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz and first sung in the voice of Mehdi Hassan Khan, Gulon Main Rang is a ghazal that shows the magic that is created when poetry joins music. Written in 1954 during his imprisonment in Montgomery Prison, Gulon Main Rang showcases Faiz’s ability to interweave classical idioms of romance and Divine Love with those of revolution and social justice. The poetry implores one’s beloved to return so that colors would return to flowers and springtime would descend on the world. The writer is sad and lovelorn one moment, yearning to hear of their beloved, and optimistic the next, celebrating their own sacrifices in the name of love.

Composed for Mehdi Hassan Khan in Raag Jhinjhoti, the ghazal was first aired on Radio Pakistan and then used in the soundtrack for the film Farangee in 1964. Gulon Main Rang remained an oft-requested part of Khan Sahab’s repertoire till the end of his career and is now being revived on Coke Studio in Ali Sethi’s voice. Coke Studio’s rendition of Gulon Mein Rang stays true to the traditional essence of the ghazal, featuring the harmonium and tabla, while refreshing it with contemporary instruments and accents. For Ali, doing a rendition of this ghazal is a chance for him to evolve as an artist by attempting to learn from the masters of bygone eras. As a student, he hopes that just in the process of attempting this ghazal, in the effort of doing it justice, he will learn and grow as an artist.

“When you express your feelings through your voice and poetry, you are inviting people to recognize their own emotions. Music is a miracle. If you move someone’s heart with music, all differences between you and them are wiped away for a bit.” said Ali Sethi.

Dhola:

A song celebrating the happiness and vulnerability of love, Dhola features Sahir Ali Bagga and Aima Baig, as they embody the conversation between two lovestruck companions. Composed by Bagga in Seraiki, the song was a challenge for both artists. For Bagga, this a true performance piece and, in the process of embodying a new character to bring life to the song, the artist adjusted his vocal range to sing at a higher octave. Aima too exhibits the full range of her vocals, challenging herself by singing in a language that she is not well versed in. In Dhola, as the two characters converse, one is reminded that love is about vulnerability, without which one could not experience the delight that comes with being truly open with someone else. A festive number, Dhola is ultimately a celebration of love, as it meanders between playful and vulnerable.

“I always want to make music that relates to my land, my culture and my home. Our raags, our beats, our lyrics – these are our own colors. I want to give my fans the kind of music that shows these colors.” said Sahir Ali Bagga.

“Music doesn’t have a language, it’s about the feeling. You have to put a lot of soul into whatever you are making. Music doesn’t work if you’re only doing it for money or professionally. It works only if it’s from the soul. There’s no price to it.” said Aima Baig.

Hairaan Hua:

This season on Coke Studio, Sanam Marvi gives voice to the poetry of Sachal Sarmast in Hairaan Hua. Woven with symbols of ­ishq-e-majazi (worldy love), the verses of Hairaan Hua sing of a beloved whose beauty is wonderous and has enamored the heart of the speaker. As is always the case with Sufi poetry, Sachal Sarmast invites listeners to delve into the meanings layered within this symbolism, to seek that which is not immediately obvious — the ishq he speaks of in these verses transcends the material, it is nothing less than ishq-e-haqiqi, Love of the Divine. The Beloved in Sarmast’s Hairaan Hua is the Divine who left him wonderstruck, capturing his heart completely and filling him with ecstasy. In Coke Studio’s rendition, Sanam weaves Sachal Sarmast’s words with poetry borrowed from other sources ­­— she recalls the Beauty that Moses beheld on Koh-e-Toor when offered a glimpse of his Master, sings of the ecstasy felt by devotees at the prospect of meeting the Divine on the Day of Resurrection, and pays homage to the Persian saint Mansur Hallaj. Bringing together these verses in the rich resonance of Sanam’s resounding vocals, Hairaan Hua sheds a light on the ecstatic devotion of Sufi mystics, and the intensity of the love these mystics felt for the Divine.

“It is our responsibility to make music so that the message we are trying to spread through our voice and words reaches people.” said Sanam Marvi.

To find out more, keep yourself logged on to https://www.youtube.com/user/CokeStudioPk or https://www.facebook.com/cokestudio and look for the hashtag #CokeStudio12 to follow the Coke Studio journey.

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ABOUT ALI SETHI:

Crooning his way back to Coke Studio’s stage for his fifth performance on the platform, Ali Sethi returns this year with his unique flavor of classical tones and melodies, a mix between the nostalgic and contemporary. Ali made his debut in 2013, by lending his vocal chops to the original soundtrack of Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Following this, he went on to feature as a singer in a Pakistani production for the first time, with Sarmad Khoosat’s Manto. Trained in Eastern Classical music under the tutelage of Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami, Ali is credited for being a bridge to classical music for today’s youth, making the genre relevant to younger audiences. His songs blend classical poetry with original lyrics and are contextually laden with layers of meaning. Ali has had several notable performances this year with The New York Times describing his performance at Carnegie Hall as having “both rawness and plaintive delicacy.” Ali is currently working on his debut album, a record that fuses the fundamentals of his musical learning with more contemporary sounds.

ABOUT SAHIR ALI BAGGA:

Sahir Ali Bagga, the versatile powerhouse, returns to Coke Studio this year with original music inspired by the colorful textures of his diverse experiences in the musical industry. A musician whose career began at the age of eight, Bagga recorded for the first time as a drummer on Madam Noor Jehan’s rendition of Mera Piya Ghar Aya for the film Bilawal. Trained by the ustads of the Tafu family in Lahore, Bagga went on to play for the likes of Mehdi Hassan Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, and Ghulam Ali as a teenager. By the time he hit his twenties, Bagga’s repertoire had expanded and included musicians like The Jupiters, Jawad Ahmed and Ali Azmat. An artist on a path to absorb and create, Bagga went on to become a composer. Having produced over 5000 songs to date, he has proven himself to be a dynamo producer, with songs featuring in numerous films and television productions. In the process, Bagga has also worked on his singing capabilities, adding to his versatility as a musician, eventually leading him to the mainstage of Coke Studio as a vocalist.

ABOUT AIMA BAIG:  

Aima began to discover her voice as a young girl, in the privacy of her bedroom, singing along to karaoke versions of her favourite pop songs. While Aima’s secret remained undiscovered in the mainstream media for much of her life, she is now considered to be one of Pakistan’s leading female vocalists. She won a Lux Style Award in the category of Best Female Singer in Film for Kalabaaz Dil, a song she sang for Lahore Se Aagey in 2017. The following year, she won yet again in the same category. In 2019, Aima was awarded the highly coveted Tamgha-e-Fakhr-e-Imtiaz for her contribution to the arts. Aima is regarded as a versatile singer with a mastery in many genres including romantic, sad and upbeat songs and while her vocals possess a western texture, she has demonstrated her vocal range by singing in Seraiki, Punjabi and Urdu effortlessly. To date, Aima has worked on numerous films and dramas as a playback singer including Jawani Phir Nahin Aani 2, Na Maloom Afraad and, more recently, Parey Hut Love. As an artist, she has performed alongside top names in Pakistan’s music industry including Shuja Haider during the PSL Final Opening Ceremony.

ABOUT SANAM MARVI:

The Sufi songstress Sanam Marvi returns to Coke Studio this season with her mesmerizing earthy vocals, bringing music that has come down to her through her heritage of Sufi music. Sanam began her training at the age of seven, performing with her father at Sufi shrines in Sindh and Punjab. Born with a natural gift, Sanam was encouraged by her father to strive towards a career in music and it was just a matter of time before Sanam found a way to make her dream materialize. She debuted on ‘Virsa Heritage’, a program on PTV, and has since gone on to become one of the most well regarded Sufi singers of the region. Passionate in her mission to perfect her craft, Sanam has trained under Ustad Fateh Ali Khan of the Gwalior Gharana, and has come to be known for her ability to embody a grounded soulfulness in her performances. With Sufi poetry being her primary focus, Sanam finds her essence in performing compositions in Urdu, Sindhi and Seraiki - the lyrics of Sufi poets possess a timeless universality for her and provide her with comfort.