Coke Studio released the third episode of Season 12, featuring Chal Raha Hoon by Umair Jaswal, Mubarik Mubarik by Banur’s Band and
Atif Aslam, and Aadam by Fareed Ayaz
and Abu Muhammad with Humnawa, on 8th November 2019.
Revisiting the heartache of a loss experienced years ago, Umair Jaswal
brings Chal Raha Hoon to Coke
Studio Season 12. Written during Umair’s university years, Chal Raha Hoon is a song that flows
between grief and hope, speaking of the darkness that follows the end of a
relationship. Umair counts the distances that have come between him and the
person he loves, sings of the sunlight burning his wounds, declaring that the
days have turned to ash. These words are interwoven with resilience: “chal raha hoon” (I am walking
onwards), Umair keeps reminding himself. Hidden in Chal Raha Hoon are the lessons that Umair learnt from the
experience that inspired it - that life does move on, the sun keeps shining,
and one’s pain becomes a source of growth and artistic inspiration. Reaching
his audiences eight years after it was first written, Chal Raha Hoon signifies a new direction for Umair, of sharing
music with the world that is more personal and comes from a place of
vulnerability and honesty. On Coke Studio, Chal Raha Hoon find its voice as a rock ballad, with a musical
arrangement designed to complement the shifting mood of its words.
Chal Raha Hoon can be viewed at:
Celebrating the rich relationship between music
and wedding festivities in our part of the world, Mubarik Mubarik
comes to us in the unique hues of the Baloch culture. The lyrics are simple and
heartfelt and a mix of two aspects of Balochi poetry and music: haalo and naazek. A song of celebration, the naazek aspect of Mubarik
Mubarik praises and celebrates the bride and bridegroom on their
wedding day. The song also lives within the haalo
genre of Balochi poetry, wherein the word haalo
is repeated several times and means ‘come’, inviting listeners to join the
festivities. Musically, the song also includes a zahirok, which is the Balochi counterpart of Eastern Classical raags and forms the basis of Balochi
music. In Mubarik Mubarik, the sarbaney zahirok has been
used, which has been named after the cameleers who used to sing this, as they
travelled through hills and mountains, vocalizing notes to match the gait of
their camels’ footsteps. The song is a collaboration between Banur’s Band and
Atif Aslam, who joins in on the celebration, adding Punjabi lyrics to the song.
Singing in the Balochi Kechi dialect, SM Baloch brings his earthy tone and open
free-flowing vocals to the track. A result of extensive research and careful
thought on the traditions of Balochi music by the minds behind Banur’s Band,
the song is an attempt to create something that showcases Baloch culture, while
adding contemporary colors to the mix.
Mubarik Mubarik can be viewed at:
Presenting the story of mankind’s innate
connection to music are Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad with Aadam, a composition by Hazrat Amir
Khusrow that has been handed down to them through Sufi tradition. The piece, as
presented by the duo, brings together three couplets and two taranas expressing the legacy of music
in the Sufi tradition as well as the collective human inheritance. The first
couplet narrates the incident of Hazrat Aadam’s creation, as told by Khusrow,
presenting music as humankind’s Divine inheritance and an integral part of our
story in the Divine Order. It is joined by two other couplets, celebrating the
Sufi Chishti Order’s religious practice of using music as a vessel to gain
connection with the Divine, and recalling the famed musical gatherings of
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. A piece that follows its own ebb and flow, Aadam is presented by Coke Studio
with Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad at the helm, leading the rise and fall of
this composition as it climbs towards its crescendo.
Aadam can be viewed at:
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 FAREED AYAZ AND ABU MUHAMMAD:
The
qawwali ensemble of Fareed Ayaz & Abu Muhammad, returns this season with
their signature genre that speaks of a domain beyond the material. Fareed Ayaz
& Abu Muhammad are descendants of the Qawwal-Bachcha gharana of Delhi,
tracing their lineage back to Mian Samad bin Ibrahim who was a disciple of
Hazrat Amir Khushrow. The ensemble represents a scholarly tradition of nearly
700 years and consider it their sacred duty to preserve the principles and
traditions of the qawwali. In this mission, they have performed and spread the
message of the qawwali in seventy countries, and have been credited with
bringing this classical tradition to the youth and revitalizing it in the
country on a mainstream level. Wherever they perform, they offer the knowledge
that has been passed down to them, a knowledge that speaks of ‘Divine and the
Ultimate Truth’.
ABOUT UMAIR JASWAL:
The rock star with the unmistakable growl, Umair
Jaswal returns to Coke Studio with a ballad that is deeply personal to him –
signifying a new phase of his career where he shares more personal music with
the world. Hailing from Islamabad, Umair Jaswal is someone whose name is one of
the first to come to mind when one thinks of rock music in Pakistan. Former
front man of the rock ensemble Qayaas, Umair is an artist who likes to play
with the boundaries of what it is to be a rock musician in Pakistan and, in this
process, has created a niche of his own. Vocally, the singer’s range is layered
- Jaswal’s ability to belt out powerhouse vocals in true rock form is easily
transformed into deep, husky textures for softer ballads. Umair has won
multiple accolades and has featured on soundtracks for both film and
television. A multi-talented performer, Umair has also worked as an actor in
Mor Mahal and Yalghaar. After a short hiatus, Umair is set to return with his
debut album, offering an intimate look into the singer’s life and featuring
music and tonalities that showcase a softer side of him.
ABOUT BANUR’S BAND:
This
season, Coke Studio welcomes Banur’s Band to the stage, bringing with them
three stories of dedication to music. The band is the brainchild of Usman Liaqat,
who began his pursuit of the craft in his teenage years. This pursuit was one
that led to days and nights dedicated to the study of music. Today, Usman runs
a studio in Quetta and travels as a session musician all over Pakistan.
Surrounded
by music growing up, Chakar Baloch developed an innate relationship with
melody. As a young child, he developed the desire to play the benjo -- a wish
that became a reality two decades later. In spite of societal pressure to
pursue a more conservative path, Chakar was determined and picked up on musical
techniques by observing and listening. Eventually trained by his uncle, Chakar
uses his academic background to study Balochi musical tradition, infusing his
knowledge into the music he creates. Chakar and Usman came together during a
song recording and have since then, worked together, driven by their mutual
desire to learn and experiment with Balochi music.
The
third component to the magic is SM Baloch, an uncle of Chakar’s. Though he did
grow up singing, out of obedience towards his family’s values, he never pursued
it seriously. However, over time, Baloch met with musicians who encouraged him
to pursue his gift. On a chance visit to see Chakar in Quetta, Baloch met Usman,
who was instantly in awe of his singing prowess -- and so, Banur’s Band was
born. Today, Coke Studio becomes a part of the journey that these three
musicians share.
ABOUT ATIF ASLAM:
This
season, Atif Aslam brings an experimentation of ambient and introspective
discovery to the canvas of Coke Studio; once again exploring the melodies
hidden in his voice and showcasing his versatility with genres that are new to
his repertoire. For Atif, it all began with a song which pulled him under the
spotlight– Aadat. The song created the trajectory that would soon become his
career. Atif’s musical journey began when he first started to experiment with
his voice while he was alone in his family home in Lahore. This led to a
pursuit of his craft that presented itself in college activities. Since then,
Atif’s name has been considered as the embodiment of a unique brand of vocal
prowess. With international tours constantly lined up, 3 albums to his name,
multiple Bollywood singles, several international collaborations and a fan
reach that spans across the globe, Atif has solidified his place as one of the
predominant voices in the subcontinent today.