Coke Studio and its Obsession with the West

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An Indian journalist Jyoti Malhotra said “Take Kashmir, give us Coke Studio” to Hamid Mir in an interview which discussed the infamous Kashmir Issue.

What is Coke Studio?

Coke Studio is an international music franchise and its Pakistani version is a very popular TV show in South Asia. What is surprising is the larger fan base in India than in Pakistan despite an Indian version of the show. This success is due to the change in the global perception of South Asian music from the otherwise stereotypical Bollywood music.

Representing South Asia

Through this platform, Coke Studio Pakistan (CSP) has shone a light onto a wide range of genres which including Qawwali, Sufi Kalam, Ghazals, Religious anthems, classical and folk music, and the range of regional music which Pakistan had to offer. Punjabi, Pashto, Balochi, Farsi, Sindhi, and Urdu music were also incorporated. As a result, the fan base of CSP grew, since the music became accessible to a larger audience. Due to this, it may even be justified to call CSP the hub of the South Asian Music industry.

A Kashmiri singer, Shahroz Ahmad Siddiqui, from Dubai, also states that

“In UAE you will find artists of Coke Studio Pakistan performing in front of audiences from India and Pakistan which is bringing people of this region together.”

This can also be seen in the YouTube comments section since Indians increasingly appreciate Pakistani music.

Where did it go wrong?

Surely, CSP has done something right to have garnered support from across the border- however, they made their fair share of mistakes as well. Due to their lust for popularity, they produced music that harmed the quality of the content. Some would argue that they still produce world-class music- however, many say that CSP can and has done better.

Coke Studio’s Execution of Masterpieces

Coke Studio caters to Pakistan and South Asia yet we increasingly see a fusion of traditional songs with English. An example is ‘Ae Dil’ which was originally sung by Saleem Raza and re-sung by Ali Zafar and Sara Haider in Season 8. Everyone had high hopes from the rendition of this masterpiece however the composition was destroyed due to additional English elements. Similarly, Coke Studio was only criticized further for recreating masterpieces like ‘Ko Ko Korina‘.

This isn’t a platform that should produce Western Pop music especially when English isn’t the first language in Pakistan. Zahra Sabri, who worked with Coke Studio for nine seasons also expressed her frustrations on the matter:

“Our flawed education system has been pushing people towards English, especially in larger cities. Though many young people from large urban centers still cannot claim to have mastered English, this over-emphasis on English has certainly led to a weakening of their understanding of Urdu.”

Conclusion

Needless to say, compromising on the lyrics to incorporate English was something that wasn’t necessary. The original fan-base would continue to support them had they continued to create traditional music which was representative of Pakistan.

Cover Photo Courtesy: DAWN News.