If there is one flagbearer of the booming Pakistani electronic industry at present, it is Abdullah Siddiqui for the sheer number of albums he has released while collaborating with some of the finest names in music, both emerging and mainstream. Since his breakthrough appearance on Nescafe Basement 5 with ‘Resistance’, the electronic music prodigy has proven that he is much more than a one-hit wonder.

For the last few years, Abdullah has dropped full-length records nearly every year. He made his album debut with Metannoya (2019) followed Heterotopia (2020), dead Beat poets (2021) and dead Beats poets: side B (2021). The last two records unlike preceding records show a side of Abdullah that is less obscure and more vulnerable. The last album from Abdullah is also sonically explorative and was created at a time when “my professional life was the best it’s ever been, collapsing together. So I allowed myself to translate that messiness into sound, to let go of some of the meticulousness that’s defined my work in the past,” Abdullah wrote on Instagram. In addition to producing tracks for other artists such as Meesha Shafi, Fawad Khan, and Natasha Noorani, he was also a part of ‘Kingdom’, the theme song for Peshawar Zalmi Twenty20 team joining the likes of musician Altamash Sever and the country’s biggest female actor, Mahira Khan.

It looks like in 2022, the producer, singer, songwriter and composer is not looking to slow down and has an exciting year coming up. He is making his Coke Studio debut this year. Speculation suggests he will collaborate with Atif Aslam. As for what lies beyond Coke Studio, Abdullah confirms a new album is in the pipeline.

Speaking to Instep, Abdullah confirmed that he is working on releasing his fifth studio album next year. “I’ll be releasing a new album in 2022, which I will gradually roll out across the year,” said Abdullah. “It’s mostly complete and it features a lot of exciting collaborations. Sonically, it’s very different from anything I’ve ever done, and its sound is super ambitious, which is why it’s taken me longer to make this album than any other; I’ve been working on it since before dead Beat poets came out.”

Coke Studio 14 announced via concert
in Lahore

There is no music production in the country that attracts as much attention as Coke Studio. From the early days when the show was co-founded by Rohail Hyatt and Umber Hyatt as executive producers, the music-TV-digital series has gone through several producers.

Rohail Hyatt returned for season 12 and season 13 (Coke Studio 2020). After seasons 12 and 13, Rohail Hyatt backed away from the series, endorsing Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, aka Xulfi. This brings us to the present.

Xulfi has - (going by anonymous sources) and speculation within the industry – turned the series on its head, opting for multiple sets, multiple directors and a very interesting group of artists who will feature in the series under his aegis.

A Coke Studio Live concert was held in Lahore featuring Atif Aslam, Faris Shafi, Young Stunners, Talal Qureshi and Hasan Raheem (among others). Those who were unable to attend can stream the concert. The concert also served as the backdrop for the announcement of the Coke Studio 14 artist line-up. The artist line-up is made up of artists who have appeared on the show and many making their debut, making it a terrific representation of Pakistani music. They are Abdullah Siddiqui, Abida Parveen, Ali Sethi, Ameer Baksh, Arooj Aftab, Asfar Hussain, Atif Aslam, Butt Brothers, Eva B, Faisal Kapadia, Faris Shafi, Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibis, Kaifi Khalil, Karakoram, Lahore Jazz Ensemble, Meesha Shafi, Momina Mustehsan, Naseebo Lal, Quratulain Baloch, Shaegill, Soch, Talal Qureshi, Talha Anjum, Wahab Bugti, Young Stunners and Zain Zohaib Qawwals. A partnership with Spotify and Khaadi was also announced.

An official date has not yet been announced but the show could be launching as early as December 31, 2021.

Adil Omar, Meesha Shafi to release new music in 2022

2022 is going to be another exciting year for music. While Uzair Jaswal has confirmed his second album should be out this month, and Abdullah Siddiqui is dropping his fourth album next year, other artists are also looking to the future. Things are starting up again, albeit with cautious optimism.

Adil Omar, who dropped a spiritual song born out of sincerity, is looking at 2022 as the year to drop his sophomore album after 2018’s independent release, Transcendence (which was accompanied by a film). Adil confirmed a solo album is coming in 2022 and noted, “the rest is a surprise” while talking to Instep.

Meesha Shafi, who will appear on Coke Studio 14 and dropped the terrific ‘Hot Mango Chutney Sauce’ in 2021, also confirmed that new music will release in 2022. We should expect “lots of original music and exciting collaborations,” said Meesha. Huzzah to that!