Coke Studio goes international with live performance in Dubai

The audience was wowed and left wanting more at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Friday night, where Coke Studio Live made its debut, featuring some of Pakistan’s most loved singers.

But before the singers even came on stage, the audience was mesmerised by dance performances from ‘Quick Style’, the Norwegian troupe that has become an overnight sensation in Pakistan and across the globe after a video in which they dance to desi beats at a wedding went viral.

‘Quick Style’ danced to Coke Studio’s ‘Kana Yaari’ as well as some Arabic music, and later made an appearance when Hassan Rahim and Justin Bibi sang their Coke Studio Season 14 mega-hit ‘Peechay Hutt’.

This was followed by a powerful performance by ‘Young Stunners’ where they sang their hits including ‘Laga Reh’, and ended with ‘Phir Milenge’, for which former ‘Strings’ singer Faisal Kapadia joined them on stage.

Kapadia then stayed on to sing two of ‘Strings’ most famous songs - Dhaani and Duur.

The highlight for many was perhaps the performance by Xulfi, the man who assembled, produced and curated Coke Studio Season 14. He sang ‘Laari Chooti’ by his former band Call, which also found popularity in India when it featured in a Bollywood movie called ‘Ek Chalis ki Last Local’ back in 2007.

Xulfi, who has been working relentlessly behind the scenes, came on stage barefoot and sang softly, with the crowd singing along so loudly his voice would sometimes be hard to make out. He genuinely seemed moved and surprised by the love from the audience, which was clearly overjoyed to see him and gave him a standing ovation.

Earlier, in a statement released by Coca-Cola, Xulfi had said: “Music is a language that transcends cultures and boundaries. Whether someone is performing a song or listening to one, music provides an opportunity for real and meaningful connection.

“With Coke Studio Live in Dubai, we want to give the richly diverse population one more reason to open their hearts and connect through their love for music.”

He added that the line-up of acts was “drawn from across the musical spectrum and specially selected for the first-ever Coke Studio Live”.

The biggest sensation to come out of Season 14 was undeniably Ali Sethi and Shae Gill’s ‘Pasoori’ - having garnered more than 400 million views on YouTube alone.

Understandably, then, it seemed the organisers left the best for last. Sethi came on stage to sing a medley of some of his slower songs - like ‘Chandni Raat’ and ‘Chan Kithan’ - after which Gill joined him on stage for a powerhouse performance of Pasoori complete with a short dance number and Gill appearing from behind a floral divider.

This brought the crowd to their feet, with smoke, fire and confetti adding to the atmosphere. The night ended with all the performers coming on stage as Sethi and Gill sang Pasoori for a second time.

After the show, Business Recorder caught up with fans, one of whom said that for expats and third culture kids such as herself, “it was such an amazing opportunity for us to experience events like this”.

“We always go to concerts of artists from around the world. But it’s really nice to see our singers and Pakistani music being promoted on such a platform.”

Meanwhile, model Adnan Zafar, popular in Dubai as the Pakistani Ken Doll, said “Coke Studio Live in Dubai was a hit. I believe Pakistan should do more such shows so people in Dubai who can’t come to Pakistan can see how amazing [our music] is. What a great initiative.”

The show builds on the immense success of Coke Studio, which has more than 4 billion views online and over 12.7 million subscribers on YouTube and which started in Pakistan in 2008, helmed for many years by Rohail Hyatt.

Earlier this year, when Coke announced it was expanding the platform internationally, Pratik Thakar, Head of Global Creative Strategy and Content at the company, said: “The Coke Studio platform was born in Pakistan and has gone on to have great success there as well as in Africa and the Philippines.”

“It celebrates the unique ability of music to unite and uplift and provides a connection point for fans around the world to come together and enjoy a new experience.”