Building on the international acclaim garnered by its first season that featured hits like Khalasi, Holi re rasiya and Korimol, Season 3 of Coke Studio Bharat launches today.

Continuing with the ethos of #ApnaSunao, the team for Season 2 features singer-songwriter-composer Ankur Tewari, who serves as the creative architect, and a think tank comprising lyricists Swanand Kirkire and Kausar Munir and sound engineer-music producer KJ Singh.

Kicking off Season 2 will be Diljit Dosanjh with #Magic, with talents like Shreya Ghoshal, Neha Kakkar, Digvijay Singh, Kanishk Seth, Cyli Khare, MC Square, Mohito, Komorebi, The Quick Style, Ikky, Raf Sappera and many more, also pumping it up in subsequent episodes. t2 chatted with Ankur Tewari to know more.

What do you think worked for Season 1 of Coke Studio Bharat and what were the areas that called for improvement?

It was exciting to work on Season 1. It had fresh talent and was a new beginning for us because the Coke Studio YouTube channel had not released anything for more than five years before that. It was exciting to start with a fresh mindset and a fresh palette to address the songs and stories that we wanted to put forward.

I think what worked for us was the kind of stories we were trying to tell. We were trying to not just make songs, but songs that resonate with you, say what you feel and tell the story of your life.

The world of Coke Studio Bharat connected with people. Melodically, we were not about making very complicated songs. We wanted straightforward, simple and easy songs that people could hum or sing along but also ones that retained the cultural depths that we offer as a country.

Visually, we were in a different zone last time. We had a fresh palette for sound but we kind of retained the way we told the story visually. But in the new season, we are also trying to have a new approach in the visual storytelling aspect, which probably might appeal to people better.

In Season 2, what is the difference in approach in terms of visual identity and storytelling?

In the first season, we showcased a jam in the studio, it was the same format that Coke Studio India had. This time, we will take a different approach where each of the songs will have a different theme.

What is it about the Coke Studio format, in your opinion, that resonates so well with the global audience?

I can’t speak about Coke Studio India because I was only seeing it as a customer and a consumer. With Coke Studio Bharat, we are trying to tell local stories honestly, but I hope that they cross over globally. We are using themes that are very rooted but could also easily resonate with what people around the world are feeling.

The world has become a different place from what it was during Coke Studio India. People live in very different places and far-off lands but are probably going through the same things as we do and we all connect through the phones in our pockets.

What was the predominant tenor of the feedback like for Season 1?

Khalasi from Coke Studio Bharat S1 is a global hit

If the intent is right, I like listening to every kind of feedback. You have to take cognisance of what you are trying to do and what people are expecting of you. The audience is expecting you to be slightly ahead of the curve and try and present something new. Whether what you do works or doesn’t, what is important is the intent of how you approach the story you are trying to tell and how honest you are in that storytelling. We want to retain that.

We have a Gen Z-first kind of approach towards presenting our songs but we are also hoping that it crosses over to the older generation and they relate to the story themes that we are trying to present this time. The older generation has also been through the same issues. It is just that they haven’t nomenclatured it like the younger generation has.

What have the highlights of curating Season 2 been?

The greatest challenge that we face in India is the fact that it is a very diverse country. We have the problem of plenty. There is so much talent and it is hard to choose between one good talent and another good talent. Deciding which are those Top 8 songs that will make it is a tough call and I am glad that I have a think tank around me with Kausar Munir, Swanand Kirkire and KJ Singh. The whole Universal (Music) team backs us and there is also a coaching team. We have an open-door policy in all our meetings and we brainstorm a bunch of different things. Then we come up with a list of the Top 8 stories that we want to tell.

Coke Studio Bharat is a space where anybody could meet and collaborate with anybody, like maybe a big mainstream artiste jamming with folk artistes from villages. We live in these imaginary boxes and we often find it difficult to step out of them. In Coke Studio Bharat, we want to create a space where these walls collapse and everybody can meet and make music together.

What are the names this season that have you pumped up?

I hope I can drop some surprises along the way. We are excited about working with the likes of Shreya Ghoshal, Mohito and Komorebi. There are also some very talented artistes many people may not have heard of. It is a curious mix of interesting people.

How has curating Coke Studio Bharat over two seasons contributed to you as an artiste?

It is exciting to be a fly on the wall when these artists work. When you are working as an artiste, you are just doing your own thing. But when you see others work and go through their process, there is a huge learning of how different people approach their art differently.

You have churned out a bunch of popular music over the last few years, as an indie artiste as well as a composer for Hindi films like Gully Boy to Gehraiyaan, The Archies to Kho Gaye Hum Kahan. What kind of mind space are you in at the moment?

I am bursting with ideas in my head. I am hoping that I can find time to hit the studio and record with a crazy bunch of talent. It is so inspiring to see them.

Priyanka Roy

Which is your favourite act from Coke Studio Bharat S1?Tell t2@abp.in