There is good news for the lovers of rich and diverse Indian music. After nearly a decade-long hiatus, the live studio-recorded music series Coke Studio India is coming back; this time as Coke Studio Bharat. The next season of Coke Studio Bharat is coming – not to your TV screen but digitally. The show will feature some of the unique voices of our nation in collaboration with musicians across genres. Already singer-songwriters Ankur Tewari and Jasleen Royal, National award-winning music producer KJ Singh, poetess and lyricist Kausar Munir are gearing up for the formal announcement on February 1.
Gujarati playback singer Aditya Gadhvi, Indian classical group Maithili Thakur & Brothers, Delhi-based indie artist Mansa Pandey, underground MC Prabh Deep, hip hop duo Seedhe Maut, Kannada singer Sanjith Hegde and reality show winner Rashmeet Kaur will join them, and are believed to be a part of the latest season. This time, MTV won't be the host for the show steeped in diverse voices and sounds. The videos will be streamed on the property's YouTube channel while the audio tracks will be available on music platforms.
According to sources, Coke Studio Tamil is all set to launch with a season of eight episodes. They will be produced by hip-hop artist Arivu and music composer Sean Roldan. Expect to see interesting musicians from South India including Carnatic vocalist Sanjay Subramanyan, playback singer Chinmayi Sripaada, singers Benny Dayal, Khatija Rahman (daughter of AR Rahman) and Tamil folk singer Pushpavanam Kuppusamy. Other regional Coke Studio properties from different regions are set to roll out over the next two years.
To be fair, Coke Studio is a property that's been thriving all along in Pakistan – with their songs that make it to the top charts regularly – and Philippines, South Africa, Egypt and Bangladesh. In fact, it's the success of Coke Studio Bangla – which also includes artists from West Bengal – that has spurred interest in Coke Studio Bharat.
Turns out, the global push for diversity has had an effect on the music industry too...and we couldn't be happier.
