New Delhi: Coke Studio Nu.WAV, the Gen Z version of the franchise, just released its new song, and most Pakistanis are not thrilled. They want the original Coke Studio vibe.
The track Dil, released Saturday, brought together Afusic and Ali Soomro, known for the hit Pal Pal, with newcomer Zoha Waseem, who went viral across social media the previous year with a song called Majboor. The song begins with Afusic singing alone about the confusion and uncertainty that come with falling in love. Once Zoha Waseem enters, however, the song takes on a different form. What initially feels like a personal reflection develops into a conversation, as her verse presents the other person’s perspective on the relationship.
At the heart of the song is a recurring Urdu line—jeene ka maza hai dil deke (The joy of living is in falling in love).
A different world of old and new
The music video, directed by Kamal Khan, follows a surreal and loosely constructed hero’s journey storyline. Afusic portrays a man searching for his way home, at times appearing to float without any physical connection to the world around him.
Meanwhile, Zoha’s surroundings are shown as literally turned upside down in his absence. The video combines nostalgic elements such as vintage television sets with hearts popping out and purple neon lighting with a contemporary aesthetic.
Globally, the song seems to be a hit. In 2 days, it has 5.9 million views on YouTube, and listeners across South Asia and across the world are going gaga over it.
“The blend of these poetic lyrics and the artistic visual direction is pure magic. It’s rare to find a track that hits this hard both sonically and aesthetically, a total masterpiece from the whole Coke Studio team! Who else has this on repeat?” a YouTube listener wrote.
“From Set design to Effects, Animation, Background, Audio everything feels modern and new. I think that’s the Nu.WAV. Traditional Coke Studio is also beautiful. But this new initiative is also the best! I hope one day Coke Studio Bangla will also bring something like Nu.WAV,” a Bangladeshi listener wrote on Instagram.
But Pakistanis are not so impressed. “So… have millennials started crying over Coke Studio nu.wav yet, or are we pretending to have evolved as a society?” X user Sakina Naz wrote.
“They fumbled cricket, and now they’ve fumbled Coke Studio too. Wtf is this Nu Wav shi?” a Gen Z Pakistani X user added.
Others simply want the old version of Coke Studio back. “What the hell is nu wav? No, we don’t want that ugly music, give us back good studio versions with acoustics and bass and orchestras and house bands,” a Pakistani X user called woman with a potter head complained.
Also read: India’s Coke Studio is a big fat serving of mainstream. It should learn from Pakistan
Big shoes to fill
Coke Studio announced Nu.WAV in August to spotlight a new generation of Pakistani artists. They’re calling it ‘Coke Studio’s Gen Z era’.
The trailer released a week ago has 13 million views and looks more like a Stranger Things promo than a musical show. Amid a black and red background, singers go through facial scans and flickering screens.
The first edition of the show brings together Aaryan SDQ, Afusic, Asim Azhar, Hasan Raheem, Izz Chughtai, Maanu, Sabaat Batin, Shae Gill, Young Stunners, and Zoha Waseem. Their six songs—Maheya, Dil, Rangeen, Qasam, Shabnam, and Ae Deewan e Dil—are intended to form something like a composite portrait of contemporary Pakistan. Each occupies its own emotional territory, collectively tracing a movement from ambition toward belonging. Kamal Khan, the creative head for Nu.WAV, was quoted as saying ahead of the release.
Behind the songs is an equally varied group of producers: Abdullah Kasumbi, Ali Soomro, Jokhay, Rovalio, Talal Qureshi, and Umair. Rather than arriving as a single musical statement, the six releases will roll out individually, with details about the artists, songs, and visual worlds behind them to follow in the coming weeks.
Most listeners are confused. They are still comparing Nu.WAV with Coke Studio. The reviews are great and brutal: ‘Is that actually Coke Studio? Or a separate platform for newer artists? Because I heard the song too and it’s awful,” an X user wrote.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)