Thank you, Rohail... you are irreplaceable!

In a recent display of his spontaneity, he surprised many friends and fans by disclosing that he is parting ways with Coke Studio — a cultural hurricane that not only put Pakistan’s fading musicians back on the map, but also gave Pakistanis something to own up and look forward to. The influence of the music show was such that its songs got featured in both Hollywood and Bollywood films, such as West is West and Cocktail, respectively.

“As a local radio jingle goes these days ‘Britney chali gayi or sufi agaye’ — this is how Coke Studio and Pakistani musicians have changed the game,” said Aditya Swamy, the Executive Vice President and business head of MTV India at the beginning of the second season of its own telecast Coke Studio India.

Whatever may be said about the decline of Coke Studio over time, the fact remains that Rohail’s absence is going to leave an unfillable void. Coke Studio was his baby, a venture that he personally groomed and evolved over the passage of six years, and which was brought to fruition owing to the ideal combination of his personal and professional accolades.

You sit during the recordings of Coke Studio and you’ll find out why a folk legend like Lala (Attaullah Esakhelvi) and rock star Atif Aslam were equally comfortable working with Rohail. There’s one word for it — humbleness.

Part of what made Coke Studio a raving success was Rohail’s veneration for senior artistes and cordial attitude towards the younger ones, which made them open up to him. The rest of  it comes from the deadly combination of some of the best musicians in Pakistan and Rohail’s home ground — the studio.

Be it the good old days of Vital Signs or Coke Studio, Rohail was more a studio musician and that just got better with time until he was ready to create his own musical empire and single-handedly rule it for six years.

Modesty and talent are a rare combination, but even when they co-exist, you certainly don’t expect the artiste to be a pro at corporate communications. Rohail had all these qualities and that is why, more than anyone else, the brands (which were also the financers) worked at ease with him over the course of two decades.

Both Frequency Media (Rohail’s company) and Coca Cola were well adjusted with each other’s red tape. This uncompromising yet in sync attitude is also the reason why Coke Studio didn’t fizzle out despite a forgettable season five, and platforms like Uth Records tapering off after merely two seasons.

The ideal package that Rohail is makes him truly irreplaceable, but now that he has opted out, what options are we left with? Mekaal Hasan, a potential contender, recently bashed Rohail on a public forum saying that he has not created a single artiste in the history of Coke Studio.

There is no point in rebutting such a delusional statement, but Mekaal does need to be reminded that in his short portfolio as a producer, which is significantly less than what Rohail has produced, includes around 40 minutes belonging to the Princess Annie. The rest is history, and worth jest.

The other contender could be Shahi Hasan, but given the substandard music he created for Cornetto Music Icons, the chances of a second season of his own show seem bleak.

The most speculated contender, however, is Strings. Although it is understandable for Coca Cola to be interested in getting some popular faces and star power for Rohail’s spot, we fail to fathom why they’d choose a band that has no experience is music production. Strings is a good band, but production is certainly not their cup of tea and if this rumour turns out to be true, it would be the last nail in the coffin for Coke Studio.

Whoever replaces Rohail, we hope does justice to the platform, if not make it better. In the meantime, the entire music industry is indebted to Rohail for keeping music alive at a time when record labels are exploiting artistes, music channels are gobbling up albums and the government has banned YouTube.

Dear Rohail, whenever Saeen Zahoor talks about sufi music, Sanam Marvi replaces Abida Parveen on a show, Akhtar Channal performs in front of an urban audience, Arif Lohar goes on a world tour, Zoe Viccaji records a jingle and Meesha Shafi uses the word singer with her name, deep down in their hearts, each one of them owes their success to you, who made them so important in such little time. Rohail Hyatt, you are the man with the Midas touch and will truly be missed.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2014.

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Some highlights from Rohail Hyatt’s run as producer of Coke Studio:

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