n the cosmos of the performing arts, music has played a significant role for centuries. It has laid foundation, in this region and around the world, for the birth of different forms of music. The growing significance that is now placed on the study of music in an ethnographic form, shows its integral hold on cultural mores and acceptance as time evolves.

In Pakistan, cultural integration of music in commercial shape is rather old. A clear example is the relationship that existed between Pakistan’s pioneering music groups: Vital Signs with Pepsi and Junoon with Coca-Cola.

From the late noughties to the present, as Coca-Cola bankrolled the iconic music series Coke Studio (its fourteenth season concluded now), appearing on the series is still the dream of many. And this year Coke Studio did go all out to create a radically different experience for those who watched the series followed by those who witnessed it live in Dubai.

While Coca-Cola’s association with sports is undeniable, particularly during the ongoing 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a song by Atif Aslam; the musical collaboration between a group of artists, courtesy of one mobile network, represents what should’ve been said a long time ago: we need to look past cricket even as we celebrate and cherish it, and understand the idea of play in a larger context.

Enter: ‘Khel Dil Mein Hai’

What is usually a jarring experience is actually fun and nuanced if you spend time listening to the lyrical material.

Featuring Eva B, Meesha Shafi, Abdullah Siddiqui and Asim Azhar, ‘Khel Dil Mein Hai’ is a suspension of focusing on one sport only but caters to the underrated sports including boxing or hockey and female athletes as well. It is metaphorical in the sense that it presents the idea that the world is a stage, and we must play our roles to thrive and survive.

With music produced by Abdullah Siddiqui, composition by Abdullah Siddiqui and Meesha Shafi and written by Meesha Shafi and Eva B, it is everything a song like this should be. A celebration of sport but the larger meaning of the spirit of play.

In Pakistan, integration of music in commercial shape is rather old. But very recently, the musical collaboration between a group of artists, courtesy of one mobile network, represents what should’ve been said a long time ago: we need to look past cricket even as we celebrate and cherish it, and understand the idea of play in a larger context.

The performance by Meesha Shafi and Eva B is so strong that they steal the spotlight from someone as popular as Asim Azhar. Though it was probably not by design, the song is so much fun, it doesn’t feel like an advertisement or commercial.

In fact, Meesha Shafi, who is growing as a producer and songwriter, and appears to test new waters with every release, has followed up ‘Khel Dil Mein Hai’ with a track for Hush Hush, an Amazon Prime India series being helmed by Tanuja Chandra with Juhi Chawla as one of the chief protagonists.

Shafi, who has displayed just how strong she is as an artist with each release made a case for emerging artists in one song and brought compelling beauty to the other.

Talking about ‘Meray Mahru’ for Hush Hush, Meesha told Instep from Toronto: “It’s been a pleasure to sing this hauntingly beautiful composition and poetry. Tanuja is an inspiration and is telling such an important story, I was honoured to be a part of Hush Hush. Sameer has written some classically lush Urdu poetry for this song. Very sensitive and balancing pain and beauty which is my weakness. Arijit Dutta’s composition and arrangement are both just as beautiful and haunting. For me, ‘Meray Mahru’ was instant love - it was love at first listen.”

We agree. It was love at first listen for us as well.

When probed on what it was like to work with Asim, Abdullah and the dynamic Eva B for ‘Khel Dil Mein Hai’, Meesha Shafi noted, “Well Abdullah has been a long-time collaborator by now, so it was familiar but very exciting because I’ve never written a commercial anthem before, and we wanted to make something motivational that didn’t have the same old, tired, trite sportsmanship references. It was also the first time we made a song sitting in the same room and not remotely across oceans.

“Asim is a joy to work with. He is very hardworking and humble. I wrote his parts and he really rose to the occasion of delivering them with his signature flair.

“Eva is a powerhouse! She is so grounded in her craft, and she wrote and recorded such a fire verse with great speed. I am not easily impressed by rap, but she is definitely a force in that genre and here to stay!”

In the end, as both songs had us enchanted, the news of another project ft. Meesha Shafi has also come out. But more on that later. For now, do listen to ‘Khel Dil Mein Hai’ and try to find the metaphors that apply to life almost as much as they literally do to any sport. Also, listen to the glorious ‘Meray Mahru’ for it is Shafi at the top of her game.