Coke studio Pakistan launches Nu.WAV to give creators greater creative freedom

Coke Studio Pakistan has announced the launch of Nu.WAV, a new creative music platform aimed at giving artists, producers

KARACHI: Coke Studio Pakistan has announced the launch of Nu.WAV, a new creative music platform aimed at giving artists, producers and storytellers greater freedom to experiment while creating communities around their work.

The new platform was introduced through Coke Studio Pakistan’s official Instagram account. The project has been created by award-winning filmmaker and director Kamal Khan, and is designed to move beyond the traditional Coke Studio format by bringing together creators from different areas of Pakistan’s entertainment and creative industries.

Unlike the established Coke Studio model, Nu.WAV seeks to provide a space where musicians, designers, filmmakers and visual storytellers can explore new sounds, ideas and forms of expression. The platform describes itself as the “sound of the people”, presenting an environment where artists can develop their own creative identities rather than follow a fixed format.

Coke Studio General Manager Sami Wahid said Nu.WAV represents a natural continuation of the cultural role that Coke Studio has developed over the years.

“For nearly two decades, Coke Studio has evolved into far more than a music platform,” Wahid said, highlighting the programme’s contribution to Pakistan’s cultural landscape.

According to Wahid, Coke Studio has completed 15 seasons and released nearly 350 musical tracks, transforming it into an important platform for representing Pakistani culture and music. He added that the project has helped introduce Pakistani music and stories to audiences in more than 180 countries.

Wahid also pointed to Coke Studio’s role in supporting emerging musicians by giving them opportunities to develop their voices and reach wider audiences. The platform, he said, has also contributed to the growth of Pakistan’s wider creative economy.

Nu.WAV aims to build on that foundation while responding to the way younger artists now create, distribute and promote their work. Its inaugural edition is expected to include six songs: “Maheya,” “Dil,” “Rangeen,” “Qasam,” “Shabnam” and “Ae Deewan-e-Dil.” Each track is expected to present a different interpretation of Pakistani identity, creativity and artistic ambition.

The launch and listening event brought together a wide range of established and emerging names from Pakistan’s music industry. Among those present were Asim Azhar, Hasan Raheem, Young Stunners, Shae Gill, Maanu, Rovalio, Ali Soomro, Zoha Waseem and Abdullah Kasumbi among others.

The gathering also demonstrated the platform’s broader ambition to encourage collaboration between different parts of Pakistan’s creative sector.

Wahid said Nu.WAV has been developed with a generation of creators in mind who grew up producing music independently, often recording songs in their bedrooms and sharing them directly with audiences through digital platforms.

“These are people who grew up making music in bedrooms and putting it out themselves. The platform had to reflect that,” he said.

He explained that the goal was not to impose a uniform creative style on participating artists. Instead, creators would be given space to shape their music and the visual worlds surrounding it according to their own identities.

“My job was to bring the right people into the room, let them do what they do, and then get out of the way. Each song has its own world because each artist does,” Wahid said.

With Nu.WAV, Coke Studio Pakistan appears to be expanding beyond its traditional role as a music series and moving towards a wider creative ecosystem. The initiative could provide Pakistani artists and storytellers with greater opportunities to experiment, collaborate and present their work on their own terms.

The launch marks a potentially significant step in the evolution of Pakistan’s contemporary music and visual culture, particularly as digital platforms continue to reshape how young creators produce and share their work.