Coke Studio Pakistan has revealed the official artist lineup for the thirteenth season, confirming the arrival of Coke Studio 2020.

According to a press release, the upcoming season will be shorter with only 12 songs. The reason for a shorter season is the nation-wide lockdown and restrictions due to COVID-19 this past year.

CS2020 is produced by Rohail Hyatt and was administered under careful management and maintenance of COVID-19 SOPs which resulted in both singers and musicians being recorded separately. Technology was used to make communication easy for the artists, resulting in an errorless outcome.

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The teaser of every artist was uploaded on Coke Studio’s official YouTube Channel.

The season includes 12 new songs featuring 13 artists, out of which four emerging artists will make their debut on this platform. This includes an assortment of singers ranging from industry veterans like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Meesha Shafi, Fariha Pervez, Umair Jaswal, Ali Noor, Bohemia and Sanam Marvi alongside new-comers such as Mehdi Maloof, Aizaz Sohail, Sehar Gul Khan and Wajiha Naqvi as well as experienced artists such as Zara Madani and Ali Pervez Mehdi.

Not only will this be a season featuring purely original songs, but the focus for this season has also been on its content and social messaging including an all-female anthem on women’s empowerment. Interestingly, this will be the first time ever in CS history that all the female artists of the season will be singing together, although each artist was recorded separately.

Moreover, given the new format and advantages of technology, this season has also collaborated with international musicians from across the world including Turkey, Nepal, Lebanon and Serbia.

“Working on this season has been a valuable learning experience. It has left me with a realization that in order for anything to survive, it must have the ability to change and adapt to the circumstances that surround it. Even in trying times, we must not give up but instead re-invent ourselves and keep moving ahead. Despite the limitations of this pandemic, everyone on the team, especially the artists, willingly left their comfort zones only to help keep alive the tradition of sharing music. It is with this same spirit that we bring CS to you this year; a humble effort to share something familiar, yet new.” said producer Rohail Hyatt.

Given the extraordinary circumstances under which this year’s season has been produced, it will be deliberately referred to as CS 2020 and not CS Season 13.

The first episode of Coke Studio 2020 is set to air on December 4, 2020.