n 2022, Shae Gill became the breakthrough artist of the year when she collaborated with the seasoned Ali Sethi for the song ‘Pasoori’ from Coke Studio 14. Once released, ‘Pasoori’ found a life of its own. The song went on to become one of the most popular songs in Coke Studio’s long and illustrious history and was featured in Ms. Marvel series in 2022. The most streamed Pakistani song to date, ‘Pasoori’ is still one of the biggest songs in 2023, so much so that any effort to cover it has gone kaput.

Attempts were made by artists from India but they fell flat. Some songs are just not meant to be covered and ‘Pasoori’ is one of them. It is like trying to recreate a The Doors song without Jim Morrison or Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ without Freddie Mercury or ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’ without Kurt Cobain or ‘Hello’ by Adele.

Fast forward to the summer of 2023, Shae Gill is back in Coke Studio, except this time around, it is the second season of Coke Studio Global.

Coke Studio Pakistan is very much alive if sources are to be believed and under production right now.

However, at the present moment, our undivided attention is firmly set on Coke Studio Global 2023, because Shae Gill, to be honest, is a part of it. She joined forces with Turkish artist Evdeki Saat to deliver the first song from Coke Studio Global, aptly titled ‘One Love’. Sung in Turkish, English and Urdu in a quiet studio setting, it has an immediate effect: Evdeki Saat creates curiosity, before finding a room for himself because of his sheer talent; and with an addictive hook, it provides a soothing balm at a difficult time in the country. The message is also clear. When Shae Gill takes on the mic solo, it is an obvious reminder that she is a breakthrough artist for a reason. And the combined musical aesthetic is so pure that if ‘One Love’ doesn’t find a spot on your playlist permanently, we’d be surprised. A brave and refreshing effort that makes no overt or subliminal effort to copy ‘Pasoori’.

‘One Love’ is among several songs Coke Studio Global has dropped, which is led by multiple Grammy winning artist, American singer and composer, Jon Batiste who is the musical conductor for this (second) season.

Perhaps a strong reason ‘One Love’ has addictive properties is the contrasting voices of Gill and Evdeki Saat. The opening bass is arresting so giving the song a chance from start to finish before coming to a conclusion would be best for a listener, no matter which corner of the world they came from including Pakistan.

Bringing Turkish and Pakistani culture together, the song and the season, according to a presser, falls under a label called Collisions.

“Collisions are central to Coke Studio Global and are all about bringing incredible musical talent together across genres and cultures, to create fresh new sounds,” noted Joshua Burke, Global Head of Music & Culture Marketing, Coca-Cola™, in a statement.

Speaking about this collision song, Shae Gill said, “The inspiration for the track was based around the themes of romance, new love and the open expression of love. It was a pleasure collaborating with him because he’s such a gifted and kind person. On top of that, I felt like we made a lot of sense musically and that just made this collaboration all the more exciting.”

On a similar note, Turkish artist Evdeki Saat said in a press statement, “I think it’s always exciting to be involved in Coke Studio as a musician. The project itself is so exciting. A global collaboration was something that I wanted to experience in my music career. I always love to connect with other musical cultures. Shae is a great representative of her culture, a great musician and personality. I enjoyed the challenging process of our decision on making of the song.”

What both artists do have in common is their genuine desire to make original music and put forth a narrative that is not bound by personal geography. A case in point is ‘One Love’ which is co-written by the artists.

The larger purpose of Coke Studio Global does have merit. “Curated in collaboration with Universal Music Group, the world leader in music-based entertainment, it offers the rare opportunity for artists from all over the world to collaborate creatively and experiment with sounds from different cultures, fuse genres to create new music and reach global audiences - whether bringing Punjabi music to the US or South African beats to India,” noted a statement.

The ambitious second season of Coke Studio Global will feature more than a dozen “breakthrough music artists of the moment” from the US, UK, Canada, South Africa, Colombia, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, China, Korea and the Philippines.

Find more music from Coke Studio Global – in addition to ‘One Love’ on YouTube.