For the longest time Coca-Cola has done well with its marketing game. From the “back of the bus” Tyrese advert, when he sang Always Coca-Cola back in the ’90s to K’Naan’s Waving Flag which was the 2010 World Cup anthem, there is no denying that Coca-Cola has been part of pop culture for a long time.
So it comes as no surprise that the soft drink giant is introducing CokeStudio, a music TV show, in South Africa. The show sees 32 well-known musicians converge in a space to create music under unusual conditions. Not only do they have to collaborate across genres, they only have three days to make a song from scratch. If you are aware of the creative process in the studio, then you’ll know that those are really harsh conditions. Which is why it will be interesting to see what the musical geniuses on CokeStudio can cook up.
Think of all the music that you have heard from Mi Casa – how it has made us do silly dances at parties – and then mix that with the mind of Cassper Nyovest, what do you get? Well, you don’t have to think about that much, because that combination will make for one of the episodes.
While the talent on this show are the usual top South African musicians who also include Donald, Goodluck, Uhuru and Black Motion, among others, there are some acts from across the continent that make the show worth while. It will be refreshing to see artists outside of those we are used to. Think of what could come up between Zimbabwe’s Oliver Mtukudzi and Tanzania’s Salma. That, too, is a reality coming to the show.
“What has really inspired us is the talent from artists who came from different regions, genres and languages. The creative energy which came out during live recording sessions has been exhilarating. The music produced by a fusion of these artists will leave you thunderstruck,” said Brian O’Shea, Good Noise executive producer.
For the music enthusiast this is going to be an informative show because it also gives the artists room to discuss how they want to make their hybrid song. To the viewer this is going to be like stepping into the studio with the masters just by the click of a button of your remote control.
The show will be hosted by music enthusiast Siya Ngwekazi.
l CokeStudio, Mondays at 8.30pm on e.tv.