The eighth season of the Pakistani

music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

'' Coke Studio'' premiered on 16 August 2015 and aired its finale on 4 October 2015. It aired a weekly episode every Sunday on various channels across Pakistan. The season was revived under the tagline of ''The Sound of Nation''. The debut producers of season 7, Strings duo and series regular producer

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 Atla ...

, continued their journey as producers in this season. Earlier, rumours were made that

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

would be back as a producer this season but he denied rumors saying "Just for the record, I'm not producing the next season of Coke Studio Pakistan (2015)....... I would like to produce my 7th season of Coke Studio one day. I hope this clears any confusion". The lead bassist, Khalid Khan, was ruled out of season 8 due to cervical pain; he was replaced by Kamran 'Mannu' Zafar. The season featured seven episodes comprising thirty-one artists, thirteen musicians and twenty-eight songs.

Artists

Featured Artists

Following is the list of thirty-one featured artists line-up, including six bands, that will perform as individuals, duos and with chorus: *

Ali Azmat Ali Azmat Butt (born 20 April 1970) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He is best known as the lead singer for the influential Sufi Rock band Junoon and for his subsequent solo career. In 2001, he became part of the firs ...

* Ali Haider * Ali Sethi *

Ali Zafar Ali Zafar ( pa, ; born 18 May 1980) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, model, actor, producer, screenwriter and painter. Zafar started out on Pakistani television before becoming a popular musician. He later also established a career in Bo ...

* Alycia Dias *

Anwar Maqsood Anwar Maqsood Hameedi (born 7 September 1939, Urdu:), popularly known as Anwar Maqsood, is a Pakistani scriptwriter, television presenter, satirist, humorist, and infrequent actor. He was well known for his drama write-ups for PTV in the late ...

Arif Lohar ) , native_name_lang = ur , birth_name = , alias = , birth_date = , origin = Punjab, Pakistan , instrument = Chimta , genre = Punjabi Folk music , occupation = Vocalist, musician , ...

Asim Azhar Asim Azhar (; born 29 October 1996) is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, musician and an actor. He started his career as a singer on YouTube, covering contemporary Western songs before he became a public figure. Career Asim Azhar was born o ...

Atif Aslam Atif Aslam is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his vocal belting technique. Aslam predominantly sings in Urdu, but has also sung in Hindi, ...

* Bakshi Brothers *

Farida Khanum Farida Khanum (Urdu: ) is a Pakistani classical singer from the city of Kolkata West Bengal. She is also known by her honorific title ''Malika-e-Ghazal'' (The Queen of Ghazal) in both Pakistan and India. Early life She was born in the fall of 1 ...

* Fizza Javed * Gul Panra * Kavish * Karam Abbas * Mai Dhai * Malang Party * Mekaal Hasan Band * Mulazim Hussain * Nabeel Shaukat Ali * Nafees Ahmed * Qurat-ul-Ain Balouch * Rizwan & Muazzam * Samra Khan *

Sara Haider Sara Haider is a Pakistani singer-songwriter and musical and film actress from Karachi. She started her music career as a backing vocalist and later became singer at Coke Studio. She has also won a Lux Style Award after making debut in Coke ...

Sara Raza Khan Sara Raza Khan also known as Sara Raza, is a Pakistani singer who started her singing career on the television program ''Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009''. She is the winner of the Pakistani reality show ''Bright Star''. She also participated in ...

Shazia Manzoor Shazia Manzoor ( Punjabi, ur, ) is a Pakistani playback and folk singer. She is known for her song, "''Chann Meray Makhna''". Early life and career Shazia Manzoor was born in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan. She first started singing by perfor ...

* Shehroze Hussan * Siege * Surriya Khanum *

Umair Jaswal Umair Jaswal is a Pakistani actor, singer-songwriter and music producer from Islamabad. He was also lead vocalist of the rock band '' Qayaas''. Umair is the brother of singers Yasir Jaswal and Uzair Jaswal. Personal life Jaswal, whos ...

Ustad Hamid Ali Khan Ustad Hamid Ali Khan ( ur, ; born 1953) is a Pakistani classical singer. He belongs to the Patiala gharana. Being a representative of the Patiala gharana, Hamid Ali Khan is an exponent of ghazal and classical singing. He has released seve ...

Note:

is the only featured artist who served as a narrator of his own poem specially written for the song "Chirya Da Chamba".

Musicians

Almost all the Musician House Band returns to season 8 except Khalid Khan who left the show due to health problem and was replaced by Kamran Mannu Zafar, while pianist Jaffar Zaidi of Kavish also served as a lead vocalist for the first time. Only Sajid Ali returned as a guest musician for this season. For season 8, following is the list of

backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

that serves

vocal harmony Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical ch ...

with the lead vocalist.

and Rachel return to season 8 as a backing singer, with Sara also appeared as a featured artist. Following are the lists of featured line-up musicians: Note: Haider Ali is a singer-songwriter, and an art director, also recognized as haidertonight, and known for appearing on the (Season 8, Episode 1) of the Coke Studio on 16 August 2015.

Production

The series was produced under Strings's production company MainStage Productions and was distributed by

Pakistan. Speaking at the launch of Coke Studio Season 8, Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia of Strings said: General Manager of Coca-Cola Pakistan, Rizwan U. Khan said,

Episodes

On 4 August 2015, a special tribute to

Sohail Rana Sohail Rana (born 31 March 1938) is a Pakistani music composer for films and television. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films as ...

and Masroor Anwar was presented by reproducing their patriotic song "Sohni Dharti" as a part of Pakistan's 68th Independence celebration. Season also released the promo with the tribute under the tagline of 'Celebrating the spirit of Independence'. "Sohni Dharti" featured all the artists that were scheduled to lined-up for this season. The promo and tribute release were met with extravagant reception from all over the world. "Sohni Dharti" went viral with in 24-hours of it release, earning wide spread acclaim. The song was declared as "the best of what Coke Studio has ever offered".

Reception

''Season 8'' became the one of the most successful seasons of all time, earning the title of "Best of Coke Studio has ever Offered". Many songs became the headlines of newspapers and media outlets including

's rendition of the popular

qawwali Qawwali (Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি ( Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontine ...

Tajdar-e-Haram "Tajdar-e-Haram" () is a qawwali performed by the Pakistani musical group, Sabri Brothers and written by Mirza Muhammad Hakim, a 16th century Mughal prince and brother to Emperor Akbar. 1982 version In 1982, Sabri Brothers recorded this q ...

" as a tribute to its original performers, the

Sabri Brothers The Sabri Brothers (Punjabi, ) were a musical band from Pakistan who were performers of Sufi qawwali music and were closely connected to the Chishti Order. They are considered as one of the greatest Sufi qawwali singers of all times. The Sab ...

. The rendition received an overwhelmingly positive response and the track gained over 241 million views on YouTube. Despite achieving critical success many media outlets and viewers praised the original version by Sabri's and criticized Atif diction to the song, Amjad Sabri the son of

Ghulam Farid Sabri Ghulam Farid Sabri (1930 – 5 April 1994) was a qawwali singer and member of the Sabri Brothers, a qawwali group in Pakistan in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The Sabri Brothers received the Pride of Performance award by the President of Pakistan i ...

says, "I really like how the music was arranged. Atif didn't do badly. I wish he could have worked on his diction a little more, as long as the essence remains untouched, there is no harm." He further said, "it was an honest accolade to his father and uncle". Imane Babar Wahedi of ''

Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English language, English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the ''Daily Express (Urdu newspaper), Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliat ...

'' declared Nabeel Shaukat Ali's song "Bewajah" the Coke Studio's best production so far. She said "Nabeel Ali's composition and voice quality are the backbone of the song; his extraordinary vocals literally gave goose bumps. Haider Ali's guitar riff on the keyboard complements the composition extremely well." Episode two was the most successful episode .

marked his appearance with "Rockstar" (the only original song in episode 2), after six years of a gap from the show. The song received highly critical acclaims for its variation in vocals, jazzy tune and freedom of lyrics and was praised by Many media celebrities and personalities including Hritik Roshan,

Mahira Khan Mahira Hafeez Khan (; born 21 December 1984) is a Pakistani actress. She started her career as a VJ in 2006. Khan is best known for portraying the role of Khirad Hussain in the romantic-drama '' Humsafar'' for which she received numerous acco ...

Fahad Mustafa Fahad Salahuddin ( ur, فہد صلاح الدین) commonly known as Fahad Mustafa ( ur, فہد مصطفٰی, label=none), is a Pakistani film and television actor and producer who is best known for hosting '' Jeeto Pakistan'', a game show tha ...

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

and

Adnan Sami Adnan Sami Khan (born 15 August 1971) is an Indian singer, musician, music composer and pianist. He performs Indian and Western music, including for Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil movies. He has been awarded with Padma Shri (India's fourth hi ...

. On the success of "Rockstar" Ali stated that, "I partly lead the rockstar life I've made fun of." He explains that, "The lyrics of the song remind me of how I used to perceive rockstars when I was a kid. There's an aspect of vanity and arrogance 'Rockstar' which required me to get more animated." The folk-song "Sammi Meri Waar" by

and QB was heavily criticized for the poor coordination and presence. The duo were called "ridiculously photogenic" and media outlets lambasted Coke Studio's first negotiation with a folk song.

Tufail Niazi Tufail Niazi ( Punjabi, ur, طفیل نیازی) (1916 – 21 September 1990) was a Pakistani folk singer whose songs include "Saada Chirryan Da Chamba Ae," "Akhiyaan Lagiyaan Jawaab Na Daindian," "Layee Beqadran Naal Yaari, Tay Tut Gai Tarak K ...

's hit wedding song "Chirya Da Chamba" by Surriya Khanam and

was praised for its music, composition and the beautiful narration of a letter by Maqsood. It was stated that the song "created a memorable experience for audiences." The third episodes mark the debut of Pakhtun singer Gul Panra in

Lollywood Lollywood ( ur, , translit=lâli vuḍ) refers to Pakistan's film industry based in Lahore, previously the base for both Punjabi and Urdu language film production. Lahore has been the center of Pakistani cinema since the partition of ...

, who sang a Persian duet "Man Aamadeh Am" with

. The song went viral and was viewed more than 37, 000 times in five hours. Panra received highly positive acclaim and recognition in her debut in season eight.

Arif Lohar ) , native_name_lang = ur , birth_name = , alias = , birth_date = , origin = Punjab, Pakistan , instrument = Chimta , genre = Punjabi Folk music , occupation = Vocalist, musician , ...

's "Rung Jindri" was also met with positive response. ''The News Tribe '' wrote "his

rif Lohar The Rif or Riff (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. This mountainous and fertile area is bordered by Cape Spartel and Tangier to the west, by Berkane and the Moulouya River to the east, by the Medite ...

song lift up the Coke Studio to another peak of fame." The fourth episode was also reviewed positively, Ali Raj 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 ''Intern ...

'' gave three and half stars out of five by saying, "The episode reflects the good, the bad and the largely ugly of an approach that is seemingly here to stay." Episode five also garnered positive reviews. The release of

's song "Rangeela" was widely praised The second song from episode "Hina Ki kushboo" by Samra Khan and Asim Azhar, with a fusion of

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi devotional music. Sometimes c ...

's qawali "Kina Sona Tenu" aimed as a tribute to Noor Jahan received mixed to positive reception from media outlets. Episode six saw the third appearance of

who sang Marwari duet "Kadi Ao Ni" with folk singer Mai Dhai. Singer

appeared in CS for the first time singing a qawali with duo Rizwan & Muazzam. Fiza Javed who briefly appeared in

season one Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to: ...

of ''

Pakistan Idol ''Pakistan Idol'' was a Pakistani reality singing competition that was a part of the ''Idols'' franchise created by Simon Fuller and owned by 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia. It was the 50th adaptation of the familiar reality competition ...

'' appeared first time on national television with singer Mulazim Hussain, performing a duet of

Reshma Reshma ( ur, ; c.1947 – 3 November 2013), was a Pakistani folk singer. Awarded with Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Distinction), the third highest honour and civilian award in Pakistan among other honours, she is remembered for folk songs and h ...

's song "Meri Hamjoliyaan". The episode ended with "Jiya Karay" by Ali Haider and

. Haider also appeared on both CS and television after a long gap. Episode seven marked the season finaleand reception was highly positive. Specially the appearance of

was the highlight of episode. Khanum appeared on national television screens after a significant gap. In the finale episode she sang her most popular

ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

" Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo". Strings even went on to thank her in the opening monologue of song saying, "We would like to thank Farida Khanum Sahiba for accepting our request and gracing Coke Studio with her presence." ''

ARY News ARY may stand for: * Abdul Razzak Yaqoob, a Pakistani expatriate businessman * Andre Romelle Young, real name of Dr. Dre * Ary and the Secret of Seasons, an action adventure video game * ARY Digital, a Pakistani television network * ARY Digital ...

'' praised the rendition saying, "Finally a reason to watch Coke Studio: Farida Khanum singing 'Aaj Jane Ki Zidd Na Karo'." Besides Khanum,

's third appearance to sing "Aj Din Vehre Vich" originally written by Shahnawaz Zaidi received positive reviews ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's ''The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

'' wrote, "With this season of Coke Studio, Ali has proved that he is an all-rounder. Just like he has essayed different types of characters in his films across the border, in his music also Ali has reaffirmed his versatility like no other artist of his generation, which is on ample display in Coke Studio." The other songs by Alycia Dias, Malang Party and Siege were also praised.

Footnotes

References

External links

*
Strings Online
* {{Authority control #Season08 2015 Pakistani television seasons