Thunder on the mountain, rollin’ like a drum/Gonna sleep over there, that’s where the music coming from/I don’t need any guide, I already know the way” - Thunder on the Mountain’ by Bob Dylan

In its fourteenth year, Pakistan’s most revered and controversial music TV series (now also digital) Coke Studio always incites interest.

Since co-founding music producer Rohail Hyatt launched it in April 2008, we’ve seen some of the country’s modern masters and superstars, as well as iconic greats come into their own. After season 6, as Rohail departed from the role of music and executive producer, what made Coke Studio work, and ironically enough draw criticism, is the change in music producers but not enough innovation.

From 2008 to 2020, those who have worn the hat of music producer include Rohail Hyatt, Strings (Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia) and multiple producers within one season such as Jaffer Zaidi, Shuja Haider among many more.

Season 11 brought a new pair of producers: Ali Hamza and Zohaib Kazi, who also launched Coke Studio Explorer. The two called it quits after one experimental season.

Rohail Hyatt returned to the role of music producer for season 12 and season 13 during which the Covid-19 pandemic had hit the country hard. Past music directors also include Sahir Ali Bagga and popular music group, Noori. Which brings us to the present.

Coke Studio also made way for other music shows such as Nescafe Basement and the resurrection of Pepsi Battle of the Bands. It was here where Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, better known as Xulfi, shone as mentor and music producer including certain songs for PBOTB with the likes of Meesha Shafi and Fawad Khan.

Furthermore, while Rohail Hyatt produced season 12 and 13, a special rendition of 99 names of God featuring Atif Aslam, directed by Asim Raza and produced by Xulfi was also released. In season 13, the number of songs was also reduced significantly, making room for quality over quantity.

As Pepsi continues its campaign of music called Pepsi Why Not Meri Jaan with Ali Hamza as executive producer and a decent combination of artists and different music directors in 2021, Coke Studio 14 will not be left behind. While the news of Xulfi producing the upcoming season has been public for some time, sources close to the production confirmed some information to be expected from the show that is at present on floors and being recorded.

“You can’t start a fire/You can’t start a fire without a spark” - ‘Dancing in the Dark’ by Bruce Springsteen

Atif Aslam, who has been on the show as a featured artist in multiple seasons, will be returning to the fourteenth season. What is most curious is (a) what Atif will perform since he has presented renditions of kalaams, sung original pop songs, and collaborated with a number of artists including Mai Dhai and Banur’s Band in the past and (b) whether he will make just one appearance or sing multiple songs.

Like last season this, the upcoming season will be shorter and will consist of only 12-13 songs. The focus will be on quality rather than quantity.

Among house band member will be guitarist Zain Ali – who works with Atif Aslam and also appeared on season 12. He has recorded at least one song. Similarly, Veeru Shan whose trajectory began with Nescafe Basement and moved to Pepsi Battle of the Bands, and eventually Coke Studio, will be a part of some songs. The house-band consists of newer names. The genre of music has also gone electronic and synthpop so the house-band will also take a different shape.

Another prolific name – which is not new to Coke Studio and has been a featured artist on a number of occasions – is that of Momina Mustehsan. She will be coming back for another season. Soch (music group) will also appear this season as will Karakoram. Rapping community will be well-represented by names like Young Stunners and Eva B.

The musical series, also available on digital platforms, is heading for a complete visual overhaul. Visually, the set for each song will be different with various directors shooting various songs. Similarly, the audio landscape will differ from previous seasons in both overt and subtle ways. The sound is modern, global, but it remains to be seen if our audience will take to it.