Coke Studio emerged as a rare cultural intervention; conceived as a fusion platform, it challenged the homogenisation of popular music by foregrounding collaboration, plurality and artistic depth. It has articulated a distinctive musical narrative that transcends borders, languages and generations. It is a significant cultural phenomenon and is immaculately distinguished by the seamless blending of musical genres. Since its inception, it has been a commitment to artistic diversity and has played a crucial role in the revival of age-old traditions through contemporary arrangements.
The Coca-Cola Company initiated a music project in Brazil titled EstĂşdio Coca-Cola in 2007, a concept far from South Asia. The project was envisioned as an experimental space for creative exchange, bringing together artists from diverse stylistic and cultural backgrounds to foster musical innovation through collaboration. Recontextualised within a region marked by rich oral traditions and deep musical histories, Coke Studio Pakistan transformed the original idea into a full-fledged cultural revolution. Hence, it was only with the adaptation in Pakistan in 2008 that the concept attained global resonance.
Coke Studio Pakistan
Coke Studio Pakistan premiered in 2008, marking the first significant adaptation of the Coke Studio format beyond its Brazilian origins. The project was conceptualised through a collaboration between Nadeem Zaman, then Marketing Head of Coca-Cola Pakistan and Rohail Hyatt, co-founder of the iconic band Vital Signs. It was envisioned as a platform that produced music that was at once rooted and experimental. Its identity was its philosophy of fusion: classical, Sufi, folk and qawwali traditions were interwoven with elements of rock, pop and electronic music; creating a hybrid aesthetic that challenged rigid genre boundaries.
The success of Coke Studio Pakistan goes to the artists who have shaped its sound and spirit. Artists like Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, with their commanding vocal presence, have exemplified the core of the platform. Other prominent artists include Ali Sethi, Shae Gill, Arif Lohar, Meesha Shafi and Abida Parveen; they have fused Punjabi poetic sensibilities with contemporary rhythm, reintroduced regional Punjabi folk to mainstream popular culture and internationally revered Sufi mystic.
While Coke Studio Pakistan has produced hundreds of tracks, certain performances have come to symbolise its cultural impact. Pasoori by Ali Sethi and Shae Gill emerged as a global phenomenon. It became the most-viewed Coke Studio performance in history, surpassing one billion views on YouTube and achieved unprecedented international recognition on global streaming charts. Similarly,  Afreen Afreen by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Momina Mustehsan revitalised a beloved classic, propelling Mustehsan into the spotlight and becoming a viral favourite across South Asia. Other such tracks include Alif Allah (Jugni) and Chaap Tilak, portraying the platform’s commitment to musical plurality and cultural depth.
Coke Studio Bharat
Coke Studio entered the Indian musical landscape in 2011 through Coke Studio @ MTV. Spanning four seasons and broadcast on MTV India, the series represented an important early attempt to bridge classical heritage with popular music frameworks. Despite its favourable reception, Coke Studio @ MTV did not attain the same depth of cultural penetration as its Pakistani counterpart. Following an eight-year interlude, the platform returned to India in a reconstituted form as Coke Studio Bharat, with its inaugural season launching in February 2023.
This iteration embraced a digital-first approach, prioritising platforms such as YouTube and JioCinema; hence moving apart from conventional television formats. It was positioned within the evolving ecosystem of digital consumption and participatory listening cultures. It articulated a renewed vision grounded in pluralism under the creative leadership of music curator Ankur Tewari, alongside lyricist Kausar Munir and producer K. J. Singh. The series sought to foreground India’s vast musical heterogeneity, encompassing Hindustani and Carnatic classical traditions, diverse regional folk forms and contemporary genres including hip hop, pop and rock. Departing from episodic television structures, Coke Studio Bharat adopted a modular format, releasing individual tracks as self-contained musical experiences. This format enabled greater stylistic flexibility and allowed each collaboration to occupy its own cultural and aesthetic space.
Across its seasons, Coke Studio Bharat has assembled a diverse constellation of artists whose work reflects the breadth of India’s musical imagination. Among them, some artists are Aditya Gadhvi, Jasleen Royal, Amira Gill, Bombay Brass and Deveshi Sahgal. Among the many compositions to emerge from Coke Studio Bharat, “Khalasi” stands out as a defining moment. Its widespread resonance extended beyond musical circles, earning public recognition from India’s Prime Minister and prompting the creation of a Hindi adaptation in response to its popularity. The song’s success underscores the platform’s ability to transform regionally rooted music into a nationally shared cultural experience.
Conclusion
Coke Studio extends far beyond the realm of branded entertainment; it has fundamentally altered how fusion music is conceptualised, produced and received. By recontextualising traditional music within contemporary arrangements, Coke Studio performs an act of cultural preservation that is inherently dynamic rather than archival. It portrays the commitment to intergenerational dialogue very well. Digital circulation enables the performances to resonate across national borders, fostering a transnational listening community anchored in cultural affinity rather than political demarcation. Across seasons and borders, through legendary voices and emergent talents, Coke Studio endures as a testament to music’s most enduring capacity: to speak across time, space and difference.