Aug 23(ABC): It had been six years since their video, of singing Justin Bieber’s “Baby”, had gone viral on the internet. Yet, the young duo, who called themselves the “Justin Bibis”, were still struggling as artists, waiting for a big break. Then finally last year, they got just what they were hoping for.
In an unexpected call that changed their lives, Saania Sohail, 21, and Muqadas Jandad, 18, were asked to sing in Pakistan’s most popular music show, the Coke Studio.
The man on the line told Justin Bibis that Zulfiqar “Xulfi” Jabbar Khan, a celebrated Pakistani musician, was Pakistan Coke Studio season 14’s producer and was inviting them to Karachi to feature in the brand’s upcoming season.
The girls were in disbelief.
“It was an emotional moment,” the artists told, speaking over each other. They shared the news with their mother first, who immediately burst into tears.
Pushing boundaries with hip hop and tradition
When Coke Studio announced its upcoming season in January, Pakistanis were still mourning their loss in the T20 Cricket World Cup semi-finals. During the same time, shocking news surfaced of a mob lynching in Punjab.
But music was a balm on the bruises, said Rafay Mahmood, a Karachi-based cultural commentator.
“Whatever a nation is going through…Music has the chance to transform things,” he added.
The new season of Pakistan’s Coke Studio replaced its monotonous colour range with vibrantly decorated sets, showcasing the bright colours of the Pakistani culture and featuring new hip hop twists, which Mahmood called a “cosmopolitan approach to traditional music.”
When the Justin Bibis were introduced to their Coke Studio project, they found “Peechay Hutt” unlike any song they’d heard before. After all, the girls had Rajasthani roots and were skilled in singing traditional Pakistani music rather than hip hop songs.