Coke Studio Explores the Musical Spectrum Of Pakistan’s Vibrant Traditional Past

Almost everyone in Pakistan must have grown up listening to and singing this Punjabi folk song in weddings. Even if one does not understand all the lyrics, the upbeat tune and happy rhythm of the song has made it a favorite to sing amidst celebrations.

Coke Studio Season 10’s Episode 4 featured a rendition of the colorful and vivid ‘Latthay Di Chaadar’ directed by Shani Arshad and performed by the super talented Quratulain Balouch and Farhan Saeed. Interestingly, Farhan and Quratulain performed together on their Coke Studio debuts in ‘Panchi’ on Season 4 which went on to become a massive hit.

Shani Arshad, returning in Coke Studio Season 10 as a music director, takes the traditional South Asian wedding song and blends it with an 80s pop track ‘Dekh Tera’ to create a cheerful track nuanced with the rhythm of dandiyaan and the gliding flute.

The duet features Farhan Saeed’s warm, tuneful vocals on ‘Dekh Tera’ paired with Quratulain Balouch’s textured, radiant voice belting out Latthay Di Chaadar making this concoction a perfect mixture.

Music director, playback singer, song-writer and multi-instrumentalist, Shani Arshad started his career in the music industry as a keyboard player, moving on to compose jingles for television commercials. Shani Arshad has worked with some of the country’s top musicians like Sajjad Ali, Shafqat Amanat Ali and Raheem Shah and has been acclaimed for composing music for films including ‘Main Hoon Shahid Afridi’, ‘Na Maloom Afraad’, ‘Bin Roye’, ‘Actor in Law’ and most recently, Na Maloom Afraad 2’.

He made his debut on Coke Studio Season 9 as a music director and singer creating memorable tracks like Abida Parveen’s ethereal ‘Maula-e-Kul’ and Meesha Shafi’s bold and feisty ‘Bholay Bhalay’.

With her husky, melancholic and soul-stirring voice, Quratulain Baloch stands as one of the most unique voices in contemporary popular music and is no stranger to the soundscapes of Coke Studio. With hits like ‘Sammi Meri Waar’, ‘Laung Gawacha’ and ‘Sab Jag Soye’ under her belt, she returns to Coke Studio in Season 10 and shares,

If it wasn’t for Coke Studio, I don’t think many people, like the newcomers and the producers would have gotten a chance to explore other dimensions of music.

Coke Studio has managed to keep the essence of our culture and tradition alive while keeping it organic. Fusion means to bring about different sounds together and creating something new and this can sometimes be risky.

But mostly at Coke Studio, you end up with meaningful, soulful music and that’s the beauty of Coke Studio.

Actor and singer-songwriter, Farhan Saeed returns to Coke Studio Season 10 with his solo debut after his phenomenal performance of ‘Ik Arzu’ on Coke Studio Season 4, with Jal the band.

Pursuing music as a solo artist since 2011, Farhan has released a multitude of popular singles including ‘Pi Jaun (feat. Momina Mustehsan)’, and has been a popular voice across the border most recently releasing the song ‘Thodi Der’ for the Indian film, Half Girlfriend.

The original ‘Latthay Di Chaadar’ was composed by Khalil Ahmed, written by Bashir Manzar and was performed by Surinder Kaur, Punjabi singer-songwriter, also known as the Nightingale of Punjab; while

‘Dekh Tera’ was originally composed by Niaz Ahmed and written by Muhammad Nasir.

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