As ‘Pasoori’ tops YouTube charts, creators say global journey ‘only beginning’ for Pakistani music

Special As ‘Pasoori’ tops YouTube charts, creators say global journey ‘only beginning’ for Pakistani music
This screengrab, taken on December 27, 2022 from the music video of popular song Pasoori, released by Coke Studio Pakistan on February 7, 2022, shows Pakistani singers Ali Sethi and Shae Gill. (Photo courtesy: Coke Studio)
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Updated 27 December 2022
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As ‘Pasoori’ tops YouTube charts, creators say global journey ‘only beginning’ for Pakistani music

As ‘Pasoori’ tops YouTube charts, creators say global journey ‘only beginning’ for Pakistani music
  • Punjabi-language song sung by Ali Sethi and Shae Gill was featured on Coke Studio Pakistan’s Season 14 this year
  • Since its release, track has crossed 475 million views on YouTube, coming 53rd on “global top music videos” list

KARACHI: The creators of the globally acclaimed Pakistani song ‘Pasoori,’ which made it to YouTube’s global music video charts last week, said on Tuesday the song’s success had proved that Pakistani music and content was "world class" and its journey to global success was "only beginning."

The Punjabi-language pop-folk song sung by Ali Sethi and Shae Gill was featured on Coke Studio Pakistan’s Season 14 this year. Since its release, the track has crossed 475 million views on YouTube and made it to 53rd spot on the “global top music videos” list on the website.

The song also topped Google's list of songs most hummed to search in 2022 and became the first Pakistani song to rank third on the Spotify’s Global Viral 50 list.

“I am sure everyone will have their own stories knitted from Pasoori’s ideology and narrative of love, liberation, transcending boundaries and communal oneness,” Coke Studio Season 14 producer Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan told Arab News on Tuesday, saying the song had “something that makes people feel ‘together’.”

“That unified emotion is very powerful. Songs that succeed on that level, they all achieve that power,” he said. "A song’s timelessness is in its ability to talk authentically to people. To not just a few people, but to communities, to ideologies, to individual sensitivities. To give people emotional threads of relatability.”

Coke Studio Pakistan manager, Zeeshan Sikandar, said the response to Pasoori had solidified the belief that Pakistani music and content was “world-class.”

“Pasoori’s narrative of transcending borders and boundaries has made it resonate with so many fans across the globe. The Coke Studio community is present in over 180 countries, and we believe it is this community that has helped us create this level of impact.”

“[With Coke Studio Season 14,] we aimed to showcase Pakistani music that is world-class,” Sikandar said, “and the response we received has made us realize we are onto something and that the journey is only beginning.”