The stage seemed set for a new era; The ballroom is resplendent with chandeliers and flowers on every table, three rows of tables are filled with musicians, and a trailer is voiced by Amitabh Bachchan’s inimitable baritone. The reason for the glamour? Latest version of Coke Studio launched in India. After a long eight-year hiatus, the series is back in a new form, with a new name and mission: Coke Studio India.
tell yours (Tell us about yourself / Make your voice heard) is both the tagline and the mission. Ankur Tiwari said, “We want to bring youth into the limelight, so that they can tell the stories they want.” Music director and singer-songwriter who has worked in films like Gully Boy And the depthsNew editions, curating and hand-picking artists from around the country are at the helmsman.
Ankur Tiwari speaking during the launch event of ‘Coke Studio India’ in Mumbai | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
It all started with a phone call, he says. Ankur was invited to pitch, and once he got the green light, it was time to search for voices. He started by building a think-tank, which he credits to Zulfi coke studio pakistan, The team includes National Award winning music producer/sound engineer K.J. Singh and renowned lyricist-writer Kausar Munir, known for her work in films. Dear Zindagi, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Pad Man And Art.
The team looked for actors everywhere; Internet, friends, gigs, and so on. “The idea was to create an end product that moves your body, your soul, and has the daring of youth; Something that doesn’t burden itself with too many rules. Ankur explains that he doesn’t want his actors to worry about where they come from – be it a small village or a big city. “I come from a small town and the first time I entered a five-star hotel, I was nervous… I don’t want our India to be like this. I want everyone to be equally confident and walk on the same ground, ”he says. And once the artists have composed their lyrics, “we would love to take the music to the villages and play it for the people there, because we are telling stories that belong to our land.”
While Ankur has an impressive musical repertoire of his own, he has consciously taken a backseat for this edition, saying the spotlight “should be on the youth.” This time, he will be more of an advisor. “Because what India really needs is stories coming from the mouths of the young, not the older generation. This is their time and they need to tell the story.
Ankur hopes coke studio indias music will rule not only the Indian charts, but the entire world. “I look at Korea and I’m jealous,” he jokes, referring to the wave of K-pop music that has swept the world. “I think India has always had great artists, but we have been lacking on the infrastructure front. Being an artist myself, I know what goes into performing a song. He points out that we don’t have many elements – from management and producers to someone to make you look a certain way – in place. “We just go with instinct and some people have flair, and they shine through more than others.”
“There’s an entire industry behind K-pop. From CAs, lawyers and management to choreographers and designers; there are people who make your look and make your work shine.” While this kind of support and endorsement is common in film music, the indie space is lagging behind. coke studio india stepped into. “He has empowered [artists] With this structural element. Once this infrastructure becomes more formal and takes shape and it empowers the songs, I don’t think anything can stop us because we are a rich, deep culture.
He says that the world and India are ready to listen to music from anywhere. or, as he quotes onstage, from a song he co-wrote Gully Boy , your time will come,
How was the ‘Coke Studio India’ think-tank?
Kausar Munir (centre) lighting the lamp Coke India Studio Launch event in Mumbai; He is accompanied by Piyush Pandey and Amruta Fadnavis
Kausar Munir shared that she was thrilled to take on a new role, utilizing the faculties gathered from many years in the trenches as a lyricist and writer at large.
She also states something that is very important and personal to her, something that matters to the country, “There are very few women in the business as composers or songwriters in the music industry, and even fewer women are involved in decision making Process.”
“So to have me on the curation team that decides where, why and how voices from different parts of the country are going to come together… felt like an honor.”
Regarding how the songs came together, she describes it as an organic, participatory process. “Ankur came with a vision. We just put people who know how to work in a room with no brief on what to do, and enforce tell yours Principle.
In addition to his work as part of Think-Tank, Kausar Munir has also written the lyrics. Udja, and added passages to other songs that needed a connecting bridge.
going regional
“We’re really going regional this time,” Kausar said. “It is about different places, languages and regional ethos, so there are different types of flavours. Not just the language and musical traditions, but the cultural ethos, and I think this is best represented in the word ‘Swadeshi’.
At the launch, the guest of honor, Piyush Pandey recalled the time when he wrote the song When my tune and your tune merge. “I had no idea what an impact it would create in the heart of India,” he says. “That was the time of classical music, but now, is the time of the ‘mass’ of that classification.”
This is reflected in the diverse line-up of participating artists, featuring artists such as Amira Gill, Achint, Aditya Gadhvi, Arjit Dutta, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, Ashima Mahajan, Armaan Malik, Bombay Brass, Burra, among others. Charan Raj, Deveshi Sehgal, Dhruv Vishwanath, Diljit Dosanjh, Don Bhatt, Hashbas, Jasleen Royal, Kanwar Grewal, Mahan Sehgal, Manasa Pandey, Maithili Thakur & Brothers, Mohd. Munim, Noor Mohd., OAFF & Savera, Osho Jain, Prabhdeep, Rashmeet Kaur, Straight Death, Sakur Khan & Sons, Sanjit Hegde, Shillong Chamber Choir, and Tajdar Junaid.
This edition also highlights traditional instruments. Bassoon, Chimta, Tambourine, Sarod, Sarangi, Tumbi And Rabab.
With this diversity of musicians, also comes a plethora of styles and languages, and Kausar has enjoyed working with artists from across the country.
“That’s where a story helped; we have a general coke studio india The story, which is about finding music from different corners of the country and tying it together in a way with the intention of music. There is a story within each song and the story helped us understand the sentiments.”
An example of this is the song written by him in Gujarati. Incidentally, it was the first song to be released on 7 February. Featuring OAFF, Savera, Jasleen Royal and Burra, the song has already garnered over eight million views.
where do we tune in?
Unlike the previous version of Coke Studio, launched in collaboration with MTV, coke studio india Will see more digital presence. Universal Music India serves as the executive producer for the season, and the songs will be released on YouTube and music streaming apps such as Spotify, Gaana, Saavn, Wynk Music and Audible.
Nine songs are currently under consideration, although Ankur admits that he secretly thinks “everyone is really excited and we can make more songs.”