Coke Studio Season 9 set for launch: Will feature Amjad Sabri

Karachi, June 24, 2016: Season 9 of the signature fusion music platform Coke Studio will be
remembered by fans for all time to come, as Amjad Sabri, who passed away tragically just a few days
ago, will be seen performing in this Season. In what is probably the last studio recording, Amjad Sabri
together with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan read the qawwali, Aj Rang Hai.
With the duo of Bilal Maqsood & Faisal Kapadia of Strings as Executive Producers, the Season will
bring together multiple music directors, delivering music of different genres will bring forth the talent
of some of the most accomplished and major names of the industry including Noori, Shani Arshad,
Jaffer Zaidi, Shiraz Uppal, Faakhir Mehmood and Shuja Haider.
Although Amjad Sabri did not feature in previous seasons of Coke Studio, Tajdar e Haram was
performed in Season 8 last year by Atif Aslam, as a tribute to the original performers, Ghulam Farid
Sabri and Maqbool Ahmed Sabri. Amjad Sabri had also helped Coke Studio on this rendition. The
rendition gained worldwide fame with over 33 million views on digital media. Speaking about his
kalaam during the recording in May, the late Amjad Sabri had stated, “About 40 years ago, my father
and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan read this kalaam at a dargah in Karachi and 40 years later, Rahat and I
are reading it again (on Coke Studio Season 9).”
“Coke Studio is the ultimate manifestation of Coca-Cola’s music strategy and Season 9 will further
strengthen Coca-Cola’s cultural leadership, celebrating diversity while bridging barriers relevant to
the youth of today,” stated Rizwan U. Khan, General Manager of Coca-Cola Pakistan, and added,
“It is very distressing that Amjad Sabri himself will not be with all of us to see Season 9 go on air in
August. His death is a huge national loss.”
The vast talent on the music direction and production side will be matched in Season 9 by a dazzling
array of artists, many of whom have performed in previous Coke Studio seasons, as well as several
upcoming and talented singers performing for the first time in Coke Studio. While national icons who
have performed previously include the likes of Abida Parveen, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Sanam Marvi,
Umair Jaswal, QB, Saieen Zahoor, Ali Azmat, Noori, Zeb Bangash, Faakhir and Meesha Shafi to
name a few, the new artists include Shilpa Rao, Mehwish Hayat, Momina Mustehsan, Natasha Khan,
Ali Khan, Rizwan Butt, Basit, Rachel Viccaji, Nirmal Roy and of course the maestro of qawwali, Amjad
Sabri.
“We’ve always believed in collaborations because this is how the industry grows. After the monumental
response of season 8, we decided to bring onboard 6 of Pakistan's leading music directors to be a
part of Coke Studio. Our vision since season 7 has been to involve more and more people from our
music industry and make this platform a collective dream. When we presented the idea to Coca-Cola,
they loved it and were fully supportive. It was a challenging task and our guidance was required
throughout the process, but today we are extremely satisfied that we took this initiative.” Strings
commented.


Facebook, more than 170 million YouTube views and 7.5 million plus audio streams. It is viewed by
fans in some 150 countries and has been exported to 20 countries. In Pakistan it has proved to be
a unique platform for high profile projection of everyone associated with the music industry, including
singers, back up vocalists, composers, producers, musicians and technical persons of every possible
specialty, without whose invaluable contribution no Season could have been produced.
About The Coca-Cola Company:
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with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable
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consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day.
With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on
initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive
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