‘Coke Studio’ is all set to release the second episode of Season 12, featuring “Billo” by singer and philanthropist Abrarul Haq, “Saiyaan” by Shuja Haider and Rachel Viccaji, and “Roshe” by Zeb Bangash. This episode of Coke Studio Season 12 will air on 25th October 2019. Abrarul Haq takes the stage this season in a whirlwind of rap and bhangra, opening a gateway to the past with a remake of the iconic song that started his musical career: “Billo”. Released in 1995, “Billo” took the country by storm with its quirky lyrics that talk about a young man’s infatuation with his Billo; a girl who is famed for her beauty and whose house the young man is determined to visit. The young man declares his intentions of taking a marriage procession to her home and winning her as his bride, cursing everyone and anything that stands in the way of this pursuit. For Abrar, Billo was the song that changed everything. It brought him overnight fame and turned music from a hobby to a lifelong calling. Abrar has been wanting to take this visit into the past, to recreate this memory using the melodies, rhythms and instruments that now populate the world’s musical canvas. Coke Studio’s rendition of Billo stays true to the nostalgia of the tune, offering listeners a space where they can relive a time in which bhangra-pop enlivened Pakistan’s music channels. “Music is spiritual. It comes from within a person. Sound can create such a strong impact; this is something you feel in music. You’ll hear something and get goosebumps. If you’re sad, a song can uplift your mood. In a way, it’s a cure. It has the power to induce nostalgic feelings and has a spiritual side to it that brings you closer to God … There’s something extraordinary about music.” Says Abrar UlHaq Shuja Haider teams up with Rachel Viccaji in Saiyaan, a Punjabi ballad calling back to the glorious Lollywood of the 60’s and 70’s. Woven with Punjabi metaphors, the song features a jilted lover who implores their beloved with a passionate plea, coaxing them to return. The sadness of the lyrics is contrasted with a musical arrangement that is almost playful in nature, illustrating the tension between the two characters in the song. The theme of all-consuming love, which is wrapped in visual metaphors inspired by Punjabi folklore, is arranged over a composition that hints at music from the golden era of Pakistan’s film industry. In this process, the singers deliver an ode to the artists of a bygone era, all the while creating a voice of their own. “Music has given me hope. What is greater than hope? Who knows? If I couldn’t do music, I couldn’t have done anything else. What would I have? Just imagine. I don’t have a formal education. Where would I work? What would I do? Music is the biggest blessing in my life. Music has given me everything.” Says Shuja Haider “Music is life. Everything around you is music. In a busy street, or on a quiet roof, if you listen closely, you’ll [hear] different elements of sound and they all have a relationship to each other. There’s always music happening around you. We probably got jealous of the birds sounding so beautiful. People probably wanted to curate those sounds, so they said ok we’re going to create our own music. Somebody starts singing and then someone starts drumming and that’s music.” Says Rachel Viccaji. Zeb Bangash returns to Coke Studio this season with a Kashmiri ode to loss: Roshe. The song first caught Zeb’s attention when she came across a video of Ali Saifuddin’s version of it on YouTube. For Zeb, this was the fortunate outcome of an exploration into Kashmiri music that had been sparked when she met a group of Kashmiri students in Delhi, who requested that she perform a song in their native tongue. So began the process, nearly four years ago, of working on the song with house band member Zain Ali, who presented it to Coke Studio this season. For Zeb, this has been an experience of trusting the destiny of a song – that it was meant to happen when the time was right, and when the world was ready for it. The song speaks of love and loss; its poetry was written by the Kashmiri poet Mahjoor, who lived in the early 1900s. Mahjoor was greatly inspired by the verses of Kashmir’s last empress Habba Khatoon – whose own verse has been used in the chorus of this song. Coke Studio’s rendition of Roshe offers an ambient space in which the poetic themes of nostalgia and separation are meant to be contemplated upon. Zeb encapsulates the song’s melancholy feel vocally, while she once again, takes on a language that is new to her repertoire with the meticulousness she is known for. Released in 1995, ‘Billo’ took the country by storm with its quirky lyrics that talk about a young man’s infatuation with his Billo; a girl who is famed for her beauty and whose house the young man is determined to visit. The young man declares his intentions of taking a marriage procession to her home and winning her as his bride, cursing everyone and anything that stands in the way of this pursuit “I decided to pursue music professionally when I saw how it enables you to connect with people. It’s a beautiful feeling. You can move people; you can talk to them. You sing a song and someone connects to it and you don’t even know about it. That’s really lovely for me. That someone is having their own relationship with a song sung in my voice.” said Zeb Bangash. The King of Bhangra, AbrarUl Haq, returns to the Coke Studio main stage in a whirlwind of upbeat nostalgia. Starting his journey from Narowal, Punjab, Abrar studied social sciences at university and later became a teacher at the prestigious Aitchison College in Lahore. However, one thing that prevailed alongside the academic route was Abrar’s passion for music – something that manifested itself in his first song, which was released in 1995. With 24 years in the music industry and numerous albums to his name, AbrarUl Haq remains one of Pakistan’s most prolific artists, particularly in the Punjabi tradition. Abrar is also an avid philanthropist and humanitarian – he is the founder of Sahara for Life Trust, as well as the Sughra Shafi Medical Complex in Narowal. He aims to encourage the promotion of health and education in the country’s most remote areas. This season, Shuja Haider pays homage to the iconic masters he grew up around, composing a song inspired by their work. Born into a musical family, Shuja was surrounded by some of the industry’s finest. His grandfather, Master Sadiq Ali, was a renowned pianist in Lahore’s film industry and had a strong impact on Shuja’s career choices. Shuja is a musician, composer, and songwriter who worked his way up from humble beginnings through a steep uphill climb, starting his career as a teenager. A true artist to his craft, Shuja made a name for himself through the sheer discipline of his expertise. To date, Shuja has worked on numerous original soundtracks for films and shows, including Parwaaz Hai Junoon and Khuda Ke Liye, and has also worked on arrangements for classics from the 1990s such as Strings’ Sohniye and Mera Bichra Yaar. Having worked with some of the industry’s most reputable musicians, Shuja won a Lux Style Award for Best Original Soundtrack in 2014. Known for his diverse style, the artist has written, sung and composed songs on themes such as love and Divine devotion. Returning to the mainstage this season is Rachel Viccaji, a household name in the Coke Studio family since Season 4, who has previously exhibited her vocal prowess with numbers such as Neray Aah, Kee Dam Da Bharosa, and Main Irada. Rachel grew up surrounded by music in her home and began her career at the age of seventeen, performing onstage in the musical Chicago. She then went on to perform onstage yet again with Mamma Mia, and later joined Coke Studio as a backing vocalist. An artist who loves the creative process, Rachel has sought artistic pursuits in the world of acting as well – her most recent credit being a starring role in Asim Raza’s Parey Hut Love. This Season, Rachel breaks out of her comfort zone once again, a challenge she is known to meet with creative zest. Zeb Bangash is known for her diverse music, which she has sung in a multitude of languages along the spectrum of folk and Eastern classical genres. Zeb Bangash first came to the forefront of the Pakistani music industry as a part of the duo she formed with her cousin, Zeb & Haniya. The two have created hits that have been performed all over the world, starting with their debut single “Chup”, released in 2008. Their first album led to hits like “Bibi Sanam Janam” and “Paimona”, both of which were later featured on Coke Studio. In 2014, Bangash struck out on her own and has since launched Sandaraa – a Brooklyn-based project that brings together musicians from different genres, showcasing the many ways in which music travels across civilisations. Bangash is an avid culture and language enthusiast, and has been exposed to languages like Pashto, Dari, Persian, and Turkish from a young age. She continues to explore her musical roots, learning Eastern Classical music, in the tradition of khyalgaiki, under the tutelage of Ustad Naseeruddin Saami. For Bangash, music is a tool for studying human history, depicting just how connected cultures and civilisations have been in their evolution through time. This season, Bangash returns to the ‘Coke Studio’ mainstage, exploring previously undiscovered territory in the ever-expanding map of her musical exploration.