Just three episodes in, Coke Studio 9 has seen some of the most knee-jerk reactions from the audience. From people chanting unjustifiable hatred for certain pieces to people pouring their hearts out for vocalists with minimal singing parts, this season has seen it all.
What has failed to come under the microscope of this large and humming social media, was the sheer brilliance of one unsung hero. He came, he sang and he conquered but the Pakistani audience was too occupied to notice.
Come to think of it, you can’t really blame an audience for the display of their short attention span. And, verily so, the attention was diverted to his co-singer’s individual piece that was somehow glued with his own to form one single song. The rationale behind which is still beyond my thought process.
If you still haven’t figured it out, I am talking about Haroon Shahid; the lead vocalist of the Pakistani pop rock band SYMT and the runner up of, and highly regarded by Meekal Hassan himself for his performances in, “Pakistan Sangeet Icon.”
Haroon was seen slaying it in his song in the second episode of the ninth installment of Coke Studio. But his segment was ignored, first overshadowed by the wait for Quratulain Baloch’s entrance and then facing the challenge of coming to terms with the fact that it couldn’t live up to everyone’s expectations “Long Gawacha”.
Note here, that my criticism towards Long Gawacha is not directed towards QB (that would be blasphemous!) but towards the cacophony that let her vocals down.
Baliye and Long Gawacha were two separate pieces, each with their own musical introductions that were forced to be taped together towards the end. If treated separately, Baliye is one of the best songs produced in these three episodes.
Here’s his performance with Sanam Marvi which helps us better gauge his talents and understand how far he has come. I don’t think that there can be a bigger crime against music than letting good, talented people go underappreciated!
Whom else do you think has been underrated this season? Let us know!
