Karakoram is on a roll. The alternative rock band made their Coke Studio debut earlier this year when the song ‘Yeh Dunya’ – performed by Karakoram alongside rappers Talha Anjum and Faris Shafi – appeared on the show’s 14^th season. Since then, they have joined forces with singer Hasan Raheem for an unplugged take on their single ‘Kyun’ and also released an unplugged version of the track ‘Awaaz’.

Next on their agenda is the new song ‘Duur’ which sees the group further experiment with their sound.

“’Duur’ is [inclined] more towards the intimate side of sound that we do,” Karakoram frontman Sherry Khattak tells Instep. “What’s interesting about this one is that we have included Foley and sound effects to the soundscape, giving us a whole new dimension of storytelling through just music,” he notes.

‘Duur’ is set to be unveiled later this month. The song will be one of the Karakoram singles released this year that are likely to be compiled into the group’s sophomore album. Their full-length debut record, Ailaan-e-Jang, came out in 2021 and was mixed and produced by Xulfi.

Keep reading these pages in the coming weeks for a more detailed tête-à-tête with Sherry Khattak.

Talha Anjum collaborates with Indian
rapper Calm on new track

Talha Anjum, one half of the prolific rap duo Young Stunners, has joined forced with Indian rapper Siddhant Sharma – who goes by the stage name Calm and is part of the hip hop duo Seedhe Maut – for a cross-border collaboration.

Produced, mixed, and mastered by musician Umair, the new track ‘NEVERMIND’ sees the two artists rapping in Urdu, Hindi, and English against the backdrop of a moody beat. Talha’s verse appears first, followed by Calm’s fiery contribution.

Both rappers uploaded snippets of the song to their respective Instagram pages. Calm captioned the post with the words “Dilli Karachi sampark,” quoting a line from the song. “Dropped some fire with @talhahanjum,” he wrote, adding that he “had fun writing this verse”.

Ali Sethi and Hasan Raheem among artists performing at Coke Studio Live

The line-up for the upcoming Coke Studio Live event is slowly being revealed. Ali Sethi and Shae Gill, the singers behind the latest season’s runaway hit ‘Pasoori’, are among the first artists who have been confirmed to perform at the gig that is set to take place at the Coco-Cola Arena in Dubai on October 14.

Also performing at the show will be Hasan Raheem and Justin Bibis, two of the acts behind the catchy ‘Peechay Hutt’, a song that, like the aforementioned ‘Pasoori’, has also made an international impact and become a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by way of an appearance in the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel.

Envisioned and curated by the show’s current producer Xulfi, Coke Studio Live will be the first show of its kind and will add another facet to the massively successful franchise. Tickets for the concert extravaganza are currently on sale.

Taylor Swift wins big at the VMAs

In a ceremony hosted by LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj, and Jack Harlow, MTV honoured the best in music at their annual Video Music Awards on August 28. Stars descended on the Prudential Center in New Jersey for a performance-filled event that offered a handful of watercooler moments, ranging from Johnny Depp’s divisive cameos to … whatever that Eminem and Snoop Dogg performance was meant to be.

As for the awards themselves, popstar Taylor Swift was the night’s big winner, taking home the Video of the Year, Best Longform Video, and Best Direction honours for the 10-minute version of her song ‘All Too Well’ from her 2021 re-recorded album Red. During her acceptance speech, the singer surprised fans by announcing that she is releasing a new album, Midnights, which will be out on October 21.

Other recipients of the Moon Person statue this year included Billie Eilish (Song of the Year award for ‘Happier Than Ever’), Bad Bunny (Artist of the Year), and Dove Cameron (Best New Artist).