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MTV unveils plans for Coke Studio 3

Third season of the popular music show promises a wider range of collaborations; involves AR Rahman for the first time, and also international singers

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MTV unveils plans for Coke Studio 3

MTV unveils plans for Coke Studio 3

Third season of the popular music show promises a wider range of collaborations; involves AR Rahman for the first time, and also international singers

Sohini Sen | Mumbai | August 2, 2013

publive-image (L-R) Prasoon Joshi, Suleiman, Saleem, Varun, Sidharth Malhotra, Aliya Bhatt, Wasim Basir- Director IMC, Coca-Cola India , A.R Rahman, Aditya Swamy EVP & Business Head, Clinton Cejaro, Hitesh Sonic, Sukhwinder Singh

MTV's Coke Studio Season 3 was launched with much fanfare at Blue Frog, Mumbai, yesterday. The show which brings together different music composers and artists from different genres and styles will premiere on August 17, 2013 on MTV.

"A lot of people ask what's different about Coke Studio. What is different is essentially the artists. It is their musicality which has set this show apart. As a country, and especially as a generation, the youth are very, very passionate about music. Coke Studio provides them with the opportunity to listen to different kinds of music. The kind of music which would otherwise not be available or music from their roots – that's what Coke Studio brings in," said Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India.

The show this year will feature music producers from across the country. While some of them will return after a successful season 2 like Clinton Cerejo, Papon, Hitesh Sonik and Amit Trivedi, well known names will make a debut this season. Among the new names are Ram Sampath, Sailm-Sulaiman and AR Rahman. There will be singers from India's four corners such as Kailash Kher, Sukhwinder Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Harshdeep Kaur, Sonu Kakkar, Sona Mohapatra, Tochi Raina, Benny Dayal, Hans Raj Hans, Nikhil D'souza, Hard Kaur and Bhanvari Devi.

The show this season will feature international talent too. Buddhist nun Ani Choying Drolma and Jordanian singer Farah Siraj, rapper Blaaze, and traditional and folk artistes Des Raj Lachkani, Barmer Boys, Kalpana Patowary will all be part of Season 3 of the popular musical show.

The launch event was attended by most of the participating producers as well as adman and lyricist Prasoon Joshi and singer Sukhwinder Singh. Also present were the three Coca-Cola happiness ambassadors – Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidhartha Malhotra.

After an initial round of introductions and video clippings from the show, Rahman launched his song 'Zariya'. The song would now be available live for viewing exclusively on the digital medium before the season launch on television. The run-up to the show will also see two more launches. While 'Bismillah' a sufi-influenced composition by Salim Sulaiman, will be announced on the occasion of Eid, Rahman's 'Jagaao Mere Des', inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's 'Where the mind is without fear', will be launched on the digital platform on Independence Day.

"Coke Studio as a brand keeps on building. We will be launching the songs digitally and they will also play on MTV and Colours. Doordarshan will do it again this year, as well as several regional channels like Sun TV. These three songs would give you a flavour of what's in store. We have a partnership with Sony Music, so the music will get distributed through them and will also be played on radio across 25 stations. Online, MTV is a huge hit, not to mention the huge following Coke Studio itself has in India. 12 million views and 13 million downloads of the music - that is not a small number," said Wasim Basir, Director, Integrated Marketing Communications, Coca-Cola India.

"To make 48 songs we have used 250 musicians this time. The number is only going to go up. But then, India has a huge amount of musical talent and I wish we could make it into a full-year show and not just for a season," remarked Swamy.

Coke is also running a promotion on Coke Studio. Consumers would be given Coke Studio kits as a reward for participating and showing interest in the show. The company is also thinking of coming up more ideas such as a Coke Studio concert.

Prasoon Joshi, Chairman and CEO  of McCann Worldgroup India and South Asia, said, "Coke Studio is a great idea, especially in today's time. It is here that city and village music, music for the big and small, all can come together. Coke Studio gets people together, irrespective of region, religion or social standing. Also, as a songwriter I have tried to express what I feel about the world today in these songs – faith that there is basic goodness in all of us and that will never be lost.” Joshi has penned the lyrics for Rahman's 'Zariya', based on the themes of motherhood and compassion.

Sohini.Sen@BestMediaInfo.com

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