Coke Studio has been the go-to show in television fusion music in south Asia since 2008, when it launched its Pakistan version, just a year after the original Brazilian one. Since then, it has become something of an international phenomenon, with Indian and Middle East editions that are both relatively popular in their regions.
But its latest and perhaps most ambitious experiment is in Africa, where Coke Studio Africa is now almost at the end of its second season. Launched in 2013, this edition brings together artists from several countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, the Central African Republic, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique. The show features some of these countries’ more popular artists.
Coke Studio Africa follows the studio format now standard across the franchise, but has not yet moved to composing new music. So far, artists have only sung fusions covers of their own hits. Most perform Afropop, RnB and hip hop. A few also sing blues, soul and reggae. The second season has 48 songs spread across eight episodes and 24 artists from five countries. Although the show is shot in Nairobi, almost half the artists in the second season are from Nigeria and the rest from east Africa.
It is not clear now whether Coke Studio Africa will eventually follow the same route as India. The first season of the Indian franchise was a disaster, largely because it had little by way of innovation. As Coke Studio Africa is doing now, it only had folk artists revisit traditional tunes. Following widespread criticism, the producers altered the format for the next season to make space for new music to be composed.
Here are some songs from its first and second seasons.
Miss Karun (Kenya) and Boddhi Satva (Central African Republic)
Life
Waje (Nigeria) and Qwela (Uganda)
Rail On
Lillian Mbabazi (Uganda)
Danger
Salif Keita (Mali) and Bamboo (Kenya)
C'est Bon
Omawumi (Nigeria) and Valdemiro Jose (Mozambique)
If You Ask Me
Fena Gitu (Kenya) and Olamide (Nigeria)
Africa Massive
The last episode of the second season of Coke Studio Africa will be aired on November 8.
But its latest and perhaps most ambitious experiment is in Africa, where Coke Studio Africa is now almost at the end of its second season. Launched in 2013, this edition brings together artists from several countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, the Central African Republic, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique. The show features some of these countries’ more popular artists.
Coke Studio Africa follows the studio format now standard across the franchise, but has not yet moved to composing new music. So far, artists have only sung fusions covers of their own hits. Most perform Afropop, RnB and hip hop. A few also sing blues, soul and reggae. The second season has 48 songs spread across eight episodes and 24 artists from five countries. Although the show is shot in Nairobi, almost half the artists in the second season are from Nigeria and the rest from east Africa.
It is not clear now whether Coke Studio Africa will eventually follow the same route as India. The first season of the Indian franchise was a disaster, largely because it had little by way of innovation. As Coke Studio Africa is doing now, it only had folk artists revisit traditional tunes. Following widespread criticism, the producers altered the format for the next season to make space for new music to be composed.
Here are some songs from its first and second seasons.
Miss Karun (Kenya) and Boddhi Satva (Central African Republic)
Life
Waje (Nigeria) and Qwela (Uganda)
Rail On
Lillian Mbabazi (Uganda)
Danger
Salif Keita (Mali) and Bamboo (Kenya)
C'est Bon
Omawumi (Nigeria) and Valdemiro Jose (Mozambique)
If You Ask Me
Fena Gitu (Kenya) and Olamide (Nigeria)
Africa Massive
The last episode of the second season of Coke Studio Africa will be aired on November 8.
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