Coke Studio season used to be fun - a rollicking, eye-opening journey through the nuances of Pakistani music; careening wildly into pure rock and roll, flowing smoothly into poignant folk tunes, dipping into the very depths of Sufi literature, bounding into blithe, catchy pop. One could expect the unexpected from Coke Studio, and still always be sure that it would be one riveting show. Five years down the line, Coke Studio seems to be losing what makes people love it so much; the zing, the spark, the sheer energy that made one sit up and say 'Wow!' seems to be dying out.

Is Coke Studio losing its spark? Pose this question to Rohail Hyatt, the musical maverick behind the show, and he gets bewildered. “I really don't think so,” he says. “Every year, some Coke Studio numbers are instant hits while others grow on the audience over time. It's impossible to gauge the success of the show based on the initial viewership. There is a mixed variety of music in each episode but I have never selected songs on the basis that this may be popular and this may not. As always, I have opted for music that I like and am passionate about.”

And passion truly is what has made Coke Studio the phenomenon it is today. As the local music industry dwindled into near non-existence, Pakistani music and musicians would have gotten lost under the shadow of seedy Bollywood songs if it weren't for Coke Studio. Music videos may have died an early death, concerts may have become nearly nonexistent and albums may have vanished into oblivion - but here was Rohail, wielding his magic on the Coke Studio stage, featuring Pakistan's finest artistes playing beautiful, spellbinding music.
From its very first season, Coke Studio has been Rohail's baby. Light-eyed, sun-streaked, long-locked, the quiet, intense musician; Rohail made a mark in his youth as a member of pop band Vital Signs. Several decades later, he's merging traditional beats with modern music to create tunes that are often instantly catchy, instantly memorable, and completely mesmeric. Time and again, Rohail has said, “Through Coke Studio, I want audiences to rediscover and identify with the folk music that is part of our cultural heritage yet has faded into the background over the last few years.” Seeing him in the Coke Studio episodes, tapping his feet to a number he likes, nodding to the exceptional in-house band that plays along to the song, squinting in concentration, it's easy to tell that while this may be a mainstream show - a cleverly constructed ad campaign by a soft drink company, even - for Rohail, it's more about the music being played than anything else. 

Come season five this year, there's something missing in Coke Studio. The house band still features the country's finest musicians, the hype created through roadside billboards and television advertisements is ever-consistent and there's still a heavy dose of the Sufi folk genre meets modern tunes that have always struck a chord with audiences. Blame it on the artist lineup; many have been repeated this year from previous seasons while most new entrants have failed to impress. Blame it on the choice of songs; quite a few of them drag on and on and hardly any of the collaborations are as potent as, say, Meesha Shafi and Arif Lohar in season three. Rohail, for one, feels that there is nothing to blame anyone for - but if he absolutely had to, he'd point a finger at the past!

Vying with the past

“This is something we actually face every year,” observes Rohail. “The audience always comments that the last season was much, much better and then, as the episodes continue to be aired, they begin to like certain songs. Our past seasons have always been our biggest competition. Expectations for every new Coke Studio season are so high that it is impossible to please the audience initially. It is gratifying and yet, exasperating at the same time!”

It's a feat for a show to become so popular that audiences accept it as their own and debate over it with such passion. Some people may love a song, others may hate it, but the reactions to Coke Studio's productions have always been intense, never lackadaisical. And it's no wonder that Rohail has high expectations to live up to - the past seasons of Coke Studio really have been that good! This is the show that gave us the hypnotic collaboration between Ali Zafar and Saeen Tufail, 'Allah Hoo' in its very first season, the unforgettable 'Aik Alif' by Saeen Zahoor and Noori in season two, 'Alif Allah Chambay Di Booti', pairing the inimitable Arif Lohar with Meesha Shafi in season three and last year, all-out hits like 'Daanah Pah Daanah' by Komal Rizvi and Akhtar Chanal Zahri and the euphoric, cheeky 'Kir Kir Kir' by Sajjad Ali. Of course, every Coke Studio season has had its hits and misses - one remembers season three's disastrous 'Bolo Bolo' by Entity Paradigm particularly - but with a lineup that features some of the most talented musicians and singers in the country, this is a show that has never failed to entertain, enthrall and be followed devoutly over social media networks.

Season five's biggest triumph is most definitely Atif Aslam and Qayaas' collaboration in 'Charkha Nolakha'. It's a song that stands at par with Coke Studio's previous hits; energetic, spellbinding, effortlessly merging Sufi folk with rock. Among others, the traditional folk artists are exceptional; Chakwal Group and Tahir Mithu hold one riveted with their haunting, poignant renditions of folk songs. All credit goes to Rohail for searching out such raw, untapped talent from within the villages of Pakistan and bringing it to the fore. On a completely different tangent stands Bohemia, who entertains as he raps about 'Paisay Da Nasha' and his 'School Di Kitab'.

Coke Studio has always provided a platform for talented young musicians and singers, turning them into sensations overnight. Season three ricocheted Meesha Shafi's singing career forward, season four did the same for Bilal Khan. This season also has its newcomers and among them, the band Qayaas really stands out. Perhaps nobody would have taken much notice of the band if they hadn't been paired with Atif Aslam in 'Charkha Nolakha'. Most people tuned into the song to watch Atif Aslam and ended up marveling at Uzair Jaswal's powerful vocals as he matched Atif note to note, getting the groove, building the song up to its powerful climax and most importantly  having fun with it.

Something old, something new

And yet, even with the usual ingredients; the inspiring folk musicians, the hit collaboration, the inspiring debutantes, Coke Studio isn't exciting audiences the way it has in the past four years. For one, this year doesn't put the spotlight on a seasoned veteran. Tina Sani, Ataullah Essa Khelvi, Arif Lohar, Abida Parveen, Sajjad Ali - these are all fine artistes that Pakistan recognizes as their own but are barely seen on television nowadays. Coke Studio brought them to its stage and their powerhouse performances were the highlight of past seasons. There is no such veteran in season five.

There are other exemplary vocalists in the lineup that, for some reason or the other, fail to electrify. The qawwals, Fareed Ayaz and Abu Mohammad come to mind. They are brilliant as always in their renditions of Amir Khusrau's kalaam but having heard them just last year in season four, one wonders if they would have made a bigger impact had they been repeated a few years down the line. Bilal Khan also gets to perform in his second consecutive year - probably because his mild, pleasant songs are popular with young audiences. Although Bilal has certainly progressed as a singer, his songs are catchy yet forgettable - hardly the best of Coke Studio!

And while Farhad Humayun dazzles with his drumming as part of the in-house band, it is nothing less than a musical faux pas he makes by collaborating with Rachel Viccaji on 'Neray Aa'. The original number is a raw, compelling number typical of Farhad's band Overload. Add Rachel Viccaji and you've got a woman veritably screaming through the song. Whether a song is good or bad, is of course, a matter of opinion - and Coke Studio is a show that has always been besieged by far too many opinions - but one certainly doesn't expect screechy, tone-deaf numbers from Rohail Hyatt.

Hadiqa Kiyani takes to merging Sufi kalaam with folk in 'Rung' and 'Kamlee' and although she sings beautifully, one can't help but feel that folk music is perhaps not her forte. Hadiqa's voice is delicate and melodious while some of the best female folk singers have earthy, husky voices; Reshma, Abida Parveen and Sanam Marvi, to name a few. And why did Hadiqa have to opt for folksy songs when she has such a vast repertoire of fun, catchy songs to choose from? One would have loved to hear Hadiqa deliver some of quintessential happy-go-lucky tracks on the Coke Studio stage.

Before Coke Studio became replete with vocalists intensely interpreting Sufi kalaam, it used to be fun. 'Kir Kir Kir' had Sajjad Ali cheerfully tapping his feet as he sang, Meesha Shafi and Arif Lohar were very obviously having the time of their life as they performed 'Alif Allah…' and three years ago, Ali Zafar smilingly perfected 'Yar Daddi' - the fun and the sheer ebullience of putting out a sensational song was infectious and had the audience humming along. One doesn't see that happening this season as one singer after the other takes on beautifully evocative but very heavy-duty Sufi kalaam and hardly anyone has fun with it. The reason Atif Aslam and Uzair Jaswal succeeded this year is because they did.

And then there's the prevalent obsession with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan tracks. Nusrat was certainly a maestro but singers need to start looking for other inspirations. There are far too many songs that sound the same and that is, maybe, the main drawback of Coke Studio season five: the lack of anything new. We've seen folk being modernized, jazzed up cover songs and Sufi-rock collaborations; we've applauded the violins, tablas, flutes, guitars and drummers; Coke Studio is a platform for Pakistan's cultural heritage and is spectacular at it. However, five years down the line, they now need to start doing things differently. Take Sufi kalaam and mix it in a new way, create a heady concoction of rock and roll and folk, break the monotony and make things unique all over again. If anybody can do it, Rohail Hyatt can.

Think beyond

So has Coke Studio lost its spark? Not really. If one didn't have the past four years to compare it with, this may as well have been a great season. Are fewer people watching it this year? Not at all. As Uzair Jaswal, who is ecstatic at the audience response to his Coke Studio numbers observes, “People may criticize Coke Studio to no end but they still wait for it and take the time to go online and post their comments, good or bad, on the Internet. It's the best platform for Pakistani music.” 

Unfortunately, Coke Studio is also the only credible platform for Pakistani music right now, the benchmark by which our musicians are recognized internationally. “When we go abroad, all we're asked is if we are part of Coke Studio,” says Farhad Humayun, the show's new drummer. “Coke Studio is the only avenue through which the world knows about our music.”

Still, Pakistani musicians should certainly not regard Coke Studio as the be all and end all of their careers. Although music videos keep getting released every now and then, they're no longer produced in large numbers. Albums are all the more rare. Musicians wax lyrical about their upcoming albums only to finally release them five years later or not at all! Why bother, when you can have your face up on billboards, get YouTube hits, hype, hoopla and concert offers all through a single successful Coke Studio season? But with season five not gaining as much popularity as the past seasons, it shows that even Coke Studio can sometimes go wrong.

Rohail Hyatt is nothing short of a musical genius and if not this year, there's no doubt that Coke Studio will continue on in its brilliance next year. But an entire industry can't grow on the basis of one show, even if it's a show like Coke Studio. Coke Studio provides the platform, the media mileage, the opportunity to work with an exceptional in-house band, the exposure to the country's finest indigenous talent; in the words of Uzair Jaswal, it's a 'dream come true'. But once they've lived their dream for one season or even two seasons, musicians have to start thinking beyond.

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Highs and lows: Abida Parveen is always brilliant and while Coke Studio has given a platform for living legends like her, it is on the unexpected that it thrives. Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi made a brilliant combination, and while her number with the Chakwal Group is lovely, throwing Meesha with a folk singer has become a formula now. The electric magic of ‘Alif Allah Chambay Di Booti’ is yet to be matched. This year the ‘electric’ honour goes hands down to Atif Aslam and Uzair Jaswal who made ‘Charkha Nolakha’ their own ode to sufism and progressive rock. What one misses is the playfulness of a Sajjad Ali’s ‘Kir Kir Kir’, there are few musicians who can do intense (with Sanam Marvi) and fun as well as he can. Mostly everyone wants to take the sufi route.  

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“This is something we actually face every year,” observes Rohail Hyatt. “The audience always comments that the last season was much, much better and then, as the episodes continue to be aired, they begin to like certain songs.”