MTV Coke Studio – Isn’t it about Staying Raw??

Few months ago, I remember asking a question to my friend whilst watching and admiring a Coke studio video on YouTube – ‘How well will this concept work in India, collaborating raw talents from diverse genres on one common stage? Will it be as good as this one? And I was being answered –‘I can’t imagine anything coming to this level but who knows. Let’s wait and watch.’

The wait got over on 17th June, when Coke Studio’s first session was aired on MTV. And they all claimed that it was amazing. Since, I don’t own a television set, I was the last one to witness what the hype was all about. And with my hopes high, I saw the first performance of the first season and the performances that followed. I repeated the videos again because, I thought to myself, maybe it is good and but am not yet used to it and but eventually had to conclude that they were just normal. Honestly, I was disappointed.

Why? Well, what happened to the word called ORIGINALITY?

Being a huge fan of Coke Studio, I feel it’s not just about collaborations and fusions; it is all about celebrating music. Letting two entirely different genres make love to each other, completing each other, feel at one and make a beautiful memory out of it.

Maybe, it’s the overdose of Bollywood. They have featured artists like Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan and other Bollywood singers, who, undoubtedly, have proved their niche in the past but don’t we see them on every reality show anchoring and judging people, singing the same songs every day? Also, the choice of songs were quite predictable. I’ve heard these tracks and their remixes so many times; it feels like I have been listening to them since forever. We need a break from Bollywood, please.
I’ve seen its followers feel elated, nostalgic, blue, animated with the powerful performances they deliver. For instance, take Arif Lohar’s ‘Mirza’ from season3 of coke studio. That is what music does to you. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel slightly close to that feeling, rather had to try hard to like it. All I could come up thinking- When they have taken every single attribute of Coke Studio to India, from the stage to the ambience, the way the bassist sits in the corner- relaxed and cool, facial expressions of percussionists, amazing sound engineering , the way the singers sings- gestures and display of emotions. Why, then, i couldn’t feel the excitement? The music? The energy? Why does it all look as if they have to try too hard to make it alive?
Some would argue that I am being too harsh or judgmental, making our neighbors look good. My point is that we are no less short of talent and innovation. For references, check our reality shows and talent hunts, they always have someone who can even beat the most versatile of singers. We can outnumber anyone when it comes to raw talent and fresh ideas.

A different chord here and a thump of a drum there won’t make much of a difference. Collaborating artists of one state with another isn’t fusion. The artists should complement each other and the music should make sense. Otherwise, it is just another cover song with a language I would never understand. I say, give us some more folk, more Sufism, more energy, more experiments, more music and less Bollywood.

P.S- My opinions are subject to change on the basis of the upcoming episodes.