After the overwhelming response of Tu Jhoom, Coke Studio releases the second song from Season 14, KANA YAARI featuring icons Eva B, Kaifi Khalil and Abdul Wahab Bugti.

Betrayal: tough on friendship, great for art. That’s what singer-songwriter Kaifi Khalil proves in beautifully crafted Kana Yaari; a song about relationships that just didn’t last. This is the Coke Studio tune we knew was coming, with futuristic sounds with cultural integrity. Kana Yaari features Kaifi, folk singer Abdul Wahab Bugti who adds Balochi spirit and the magnetic Eva B who always understands the assignment; anchoring Kaifi’s style.

The mix of characters in Kana Yaari makes an interesting point about Coke Studio: it’s a meeting place of opposites. Creating a world for them becomes a team effort. Video Director Jamal Rahman shifts the song’s moody message – honoring it with a hopeful outcome by the last chord. In his video, the artists wander through an interior space, dismantling brightly-coloured walls as if dropping their own invisible boundaries. The song speaks of betrayal, but visually we feel joy.

And it works because the audience can relate. All three performers have incredible personal style (helped by Samiya Ansari), that is unmistakably, un-self-consciously Pakistani. Local spirit shines through Production Designer Hashim Ali’s color and textural references that feel true to Dera Muraad Jamal and Lyari, the artists’ homes.

Kana Yaari pushes regional representation, but Xulfi and Associate Music Producers and Arrangers Abdullah Siddiqui, Arsalan Hasan and Sherry Khattak don’t stop there. The global, rearview-rattling beats hijack the song; turning Kana Yaari into a Balochi-dancehall blend that can pulse out any car window on a sunny day, from Seaview to South Beach.

Kana Yaari can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQDAi8tI-cU and streamed on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/genre/0JQ5DAqbMKFQ0zHsfXlNmV

Keep yourself logged on to https://www.instagram.com/coke_studio to follow the Coke Studio journey.

Song Credits:

Coke Studio Season 14 Song#2: Kana Yaari

Performed by: Kaifi Khalil, Eva B and Abdul Wahab Bugti

Curated and Produced by: Xulfi

Song Concept by: Kaifi Khalil

Composed by: Kaifi Khalil

Written by: Kaifi Khalil, Eva B and Wahab Bugti

Music Produced and Arranged by: Xulfi, Abdullah Siddiqui, Arsalan Hasan and Sherry Khattak

Mixed by: Xulfi

Video Director: Jamal Rahman

Production Designer: Hashim Ali

Stylist: Samiya Ansari

Dr. Sundus

Dr. Sundus is Independent Journalist; she has work experience in Electronic, Print, and Web media, She has been serving Magazine Journalism since 2006, and Ph.D. in Strategic Communication from University Utara Malaysia she can be approached via tweet @TheRealSundus

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