Coke Studio has announced Coke Studio Nu.WAV, a new platform aimed at supporting the next wave of Pakistani music and culture, with its launch scheduled for September 2026.
For nearly two decades, Coke Studio has brought together voices, languages, sounds and creative traditions from across Pakistan. Over the years, it has helped Pakistani music reach audiences beyond the country and has become one of Pakistan’s most recognised cultural exports.
Coke Studio Nu.WAV has been designed as a new space for creative exchange, building on the legacy of Coke Studio while giving artists, producers and storytellers room to define their own sound, communities and audiences.
Unlike a format led by one central creative direction, Nu.WAV brings together multiple perspectives. The platform includes established and emerging talent from music, film, design and visual storytelling, allowing collaborators to experiment independently while remaining part of the wider Coke Studio ecosystem.
Sami Wahid, General Manager, Pakistan and Afghanistan Region, The Coca-Cola Company, said Coke Studio had become far more than a music platform over nearly two decades.
“Across 15 seasons, nearly 350 musical releases, it has become a powerful expression of Pakistan’s cultural identity. Most importantly, it has become a source of national pride, carrying the sounds, stories, and spirit of Pakistan to audiences in over 180 countries, while creating a space where emerging talent finds a voice and the country’s creative economy continues to grow,” he said.
He added that Coke Studio Nu.WAV marked the next chapter in this journey by creating more space for artists, producers and creative communities shaping the sound of Pakistan today.
The creative direction of Coke Studio Nu.WAV is being led by Executive Producer Kamal Khan, an award-winning filmmaker and director, and a Coke Studio veteran.
Speaking about the platform, Kamal Khan said Coke Studio had built something remarkable with the house band and a single musical direction, while Nu.WAV would take a different route.
“Nu.WAV is a different approach, laptops, home studios, artists and producers working the way they actually work now. These are people who grew up making music in bedrooms and putting it out themselves. The platform had to reflect that,” he said.
He said his role was to bring the right people together and allow them to work in their own way, adding that each song had its own world because each artist did.
Nu.WAV will continue the Coke Studio tradition while bringing more first-time voices into the platform alongside established names. It will include artists who have developed their audiences through independent releases, live performances and social media.
The platform also introduced the Nu.WAV Portal, which enabled emerging talent to submit work in categories including singing, dancing and other creative disciplines. According to the announcement, the portal received thousands of entries from across Pakistan. These entries were reviewed and shortlisted, helping identify Nu.WAV artists and a wider pool of promising creators beyond the final music lineup.
The inaugural edition of Coke Studio Nu.WAV will feature Aaryan SDQ, Afusic, Asim Azhar, Hasan Raheem, Izz Chughtai, Maanu, Sabaat Batin, Shae Gill, Young Stunners and Zoha Waseem.
The platform is built around six songs — Maheya, Dil, Rangeen, Qasam, Shabnam and Ae Deewan e Dil — which together form a portrait of Pakistani identity. Each song is rooted in its own emotional world and together they move from ambition to belonging, reflecting the country through the people making its music today.
Nu.WAV also includes a diverse producer lineup comprising Abdullah Kasumbi, Ali Soomro, Jokhay, Rovalio, Talal Qureshi and Umair.
The six Coke Studio Nu.WAV releases will be rolled out individually. Further details about each song, its artists and the creative world behind it will be announced in the coming weeks.
