For more than 15 years, Coke Studio has shaped the sound of the region, but its next chapter looks entirely different. Coming this September, Coke Studio is launching the inaugural edition of Nu.WAV by stepping back and letting the artists call the shots. What makes it different is that it skips the traditional single-producer format and gives both seasoned veterans and rising stars creative control over their art. By pairing musicians with producers of their choice and bringing in visual storytellers, filmmakers and designers, the project ensures that every track becomes its own distinct, multi-sensory experience.

Award-winning filmmaker and Coke Studio veteran Kamal Khan is taking the helm as Executive Producer. For Khan, this new format isn’t just an experiment but a reflection of how modern music is actually made. “Coke Studio built something incredible with the house band and a single musical direction,” Khan said. “Nu.WAV is a different approach. It’s about laptops, home studios and letting artists and producers work exactly how they work in the real world. These are people who grew up making music in bedrooms and putting it out themselves. 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.”

The first edition brings together Aaryan SDQ, Afusic, Asim Azhar, Hasan Raheem, Izz Chughtai, Maanu, Sabaat Batin, Shae Gill, Young Stunners and Zoha Waseem. Their six songs, ‘Maheya’, ‘Dil’, ‘Rangeen’, ‘Qasam’, ‘Shabnam’ and ‘Ae Deewan e Dil’, take different approaches to the idea of contemporary Pakistani sonic identity. The behind-the-scenes production is just as diverse, with producers including Abdullah Kasumbi, Ali Soomro, Jokhay, Rovalio, Talal Qureshi and Umair.

Kicking off the project is ‘Dil’, a track that brings together Afusic, Zoha Waseem and Ali Soomro. At its heart, the song explores a love story complicated by the noise and distractions that come with fame. Afusic sings to a woman who knew him before the spotlight, but when Zoha’s vocals enter, the song shifts from a private confession into something more conversational. The music video, directed by Khan, leans into this theme of disruption, using a surreal, upside-down world as a visual metaphor for two people trying to find their way back to one another.

“‘Dil’ felt like the right song to open Coke Studio Nu.WAV with because it captures what we want this platform to be about: artists bringing something personal and making it their own,” Khan said.

For Afusic, the track marks another step in a rapid rise from independent releases to becoming one of South Asian pop and hip-hop’s most recognisable young voices. His breakout hit, ‘Pal Pal’, has already amassed hundreds of millions of streams and found audiences in the UK, Canada and beyond.

Zoha Waseem brings a different musical background to the collaboration. Trained in classical and ghazal singing, she first gained attention in Lahore before reaching a wider audience with releases such as ‘Majboor’, blending her classical foundation with contemporary pop.

‘Dil’ is the first of six Nu.WAV releases, with the remaining tracks set to arrive individually over the coming weeks. With five new artists and five returning from the last season, alongside the individual success many of these artists have already enjoyed, Coke Studio Nu.WAV has plenty going for it. If the edition is well received by audiences in Pakistan and abroad, it could pave the way for a bigger version of the show, if not this year, then certainly in 2027. What comes next, from who produces it to the format it embraces, will ultimately depend on the success of this edition. Watch this space for more news.