Coke Studio@MTV Season 3 to air from 17 August

Coke Studio@MTV - a platform that bridges divides by showcasing the musical diversity of India, is back with Season 3. The show which will premiere on 17 August (2013) at 8pm on MTV and brings together eminent music producers and music artists from different parts of the country. While A R Rahman, Salim Sulaiman and Ram Sampath will make their debut, Amit Trivedi, Clinton Cerejo, Hitesh Sonik, Papon will build on the success of Season 2. Coke Studio@MTV, Season 3 was launched in Mumbai today by the music producers along with Sukhwinder Singh, lyricist, screenplay writer and adman Prasoon Joshi along with Coca-Cola Happiness Ambassadors - Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra. Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India said, “3 years, 150 songs and countless magical moments… It’s been an incredible journey and today Coke Studio at MTV has become the definitive platform for Independent music in the country. This year we have pushed the boundaries even further on the collaborations and the look is totally avant garde. A very special audio visual experience is ready to unfold” Giving the audience a glimpse into what they can expect in the upcoming season, the launch of Coke Studio@MTV Season 3 saw the unveiling of the happiness song - ‘Zariya’ - composed by A R Rahman, with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. Based around the theme of motherhood and compassion, this track gives a whole new spin to the term ‘world music’. Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of McCann World group India and South Asia, said, “It’s always special to work with A R Rahman. We connect and this time even more since it’s for a brand which is very close to me. Coke Studio brings together very different genres of music just like brand Coca-Cola, which brings people together. Also as a songwriter I have tried to express what I feel about the world today in these songs – faith that there is basic goodness in all of us and that will never be lost.” Launching Coke Studio@MTV, Season 3, Alia Bhatt, said, “The beauty of being associated with Coca-Cola is that one thing leads to another and all of it is aimed at making this world a happy place. Earlier this year, we were sharing Coca-Cola with complete strangers, giving them that moment of refreshment and upliftment. Today, we have this opportunity to share happiness via this song from Coke Studio@MTV. I thank Coca-Cola, MTV and the music producers for using music to make this world a better place” Varun Dhawan, Coca-Cola Happiness Ambassador at the launch said, “I thank the music producers for getting together to create the sounds of Coke Studio@MTV, Season 3. The amount of planning and thinking that goes into composing a song especially if it is being done for Coke Studio is immense. I am really looking forward to this season.” Sidharth Malhotra, commented, “The most striking thing about Coke Studio is that it gives youngsters like me the great opportunity to have access to our rich cultural musical heritage. Properties like this just go on to establish that if there is good content, there is an audience for it. I thank Coca-Cola and MTV for treading on a path that is not conventional but very different.” Launching Coke Studio@MTV, Season 3, Wasim Basir, Director, Integrated Marketing Communications, Coca-Cola India, said, “The platform is Coca-Cola’s unique viewpoint on music, because much like Coca-Cola, it brings together things that usually do not come together. That said, every year, we ask ourselves, what is new and refreshing this year. And we say – it’s the music. This year we have got some of India’s best music talents to do what they like doing – composing music that they would want to hear. We are hoping that the audience too will like the compositions, as they have done it in the past two seasons.” Building the excitement prior to the on-air launch, the song ‘Bismillah’ a sufi-influenced composition by Salim-Sulaiman will be announced on the occasion of Eid. Independence Day will be celebrated by Coke Studio@MTV with the song ‘Jagaao Mere Des’ by A R Rahman and written by Prasoon Joshi, who was inspired by late poet Rabindranath Tagore’s poem ‘Mind without fear’. This being just a teaser, Coke Studio@MTV Season 3 will witness the perfect amalgamation of different genres of music and styles. The song ‘Shehar’, completely symbolizes Amit Trivedi’s knack for discovering melodies where there are none, Clinton Cerejo’s ‘Aisi Bani’ is an interesting composition using the 3 distinct voices of Bianca, Sonu Kakkar and Vijay Prakash. Bringing a whole new level of fresh African rhythms and funk to his composition, Papon teams up with Benny Dayal for the song ‘Tauba’ – an extremely catchy track! ‘Haal’ composed by Hitesh Sonik brings to life the energy of the most powerful Punjabi voices making it one bouncy music track. Ram Sampath’s ‘Kattey’ brings an interesting collaboration by mixing two completely different musical worlds - Bhanvari Devi’s complete traditional but powerhouse, Rajasthani vocal, fuses with Hard Kaur’s true-to-form rapping skills to give a track which is an over burst of energy, unlike anything you’ve heard before! Joining the composers to produce the best music on Coke Studio@MTV Season 3, the show boasts of an enviable ensemble of singers and bands. This season will not only see known artists coming together but will also promote international singers with exceptional talents - The Buddhist Nun Ani Choying Drolma & the Jordanian Singer Farah Siraj, rappers – Blaaze and traditional & folk artists – Des Raj Lachkani, Barmer Boys, Bhavnari Devi, Kalpana Patowary. Musical heavyweights - Padmabhushan Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Ustad Rashid Khan, Aruna Sairam, Karsan Sagthia will also be crooning for various tracks. Popular Singers – Hans Raj Hans, Shalmali Kholgade, Tochi Raina, Harshdeep Kaur, Vijay Prakash, Benny Dayal, Siddharth Basrur, Nikhil D'souza, Piyush Mishra, Sona Mohapatra, Sonu Kakkar, Sunidhi Chauhan, Kailash Kher, Sukvinder Singh are also a part of this season. Coke Studio@MTV Season 3 will continue to celebrate the glory of incredible musicians who represent the best that the country has to offer. A season of 8 episodes, each episode of Coke Studio@MTV will be a manifestation of different form of music. The 8th episode, which is an opportunity for young musicians to take their music to a large audience, will see 6 young artists produce one song each. Coke Studio@MTV Season 3 is produced and broadcasted by Viacom 18 in association with Coca-Cola India Pvt. Ltd. Sony Music is the official music partner. This year, Coke Studio kick started with a series of recordings at the famous state-of-the-art Reliance Media Works Studio in Mumbai and the rehearsals at Whistling Woods International.