Coca-Cola has expanded its Coke Studio, a music platform launched in 2008 in Pakistan, to global reach.
The Coke Studio program is digital-first, always-on and provides an opportunity for emerging talent to partner, create and deliver moments of musical magic to new audiences.
Its initial offering is through the global film “The Conductor,” which showcases seven artists collaborating to reimagine the iconic Queen track “A Kind of Magic.”
The artists are Grammy-nominated Ari Lennox; British singer-songwriter Griff; Turkish electro-pop producer Ekin Beril; Latin urban pop powerhouse Mariah Angeliq; Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems; Canadian-Indian rapper and producer Tesher; and multilingual K-Pop girl group TRI.BE.
Coke Studio and “The Conductor” are part of Real Magic, the new global brand philosophy that Coca-Cola introduced late last year.
“Coke Studio is a direct extension of Coca-Cola's Real Magic philosophy. It celebrates the unique ability of music to unite and uplift and provides a connection point for fans around the world to come together and enjoy a new experience,” said Pratik Thakar, head of Global Creative Strategy and Content of Coca-Cola.
'The Conductor' pays homage to the legendary rock band Queen through a unique collaboration that encapsulates the multicultural magic at the core of the Coke Studio platform.
The film centers on a re-recording of Queen’s “A Kind of Magic” melody, produced in collaboration with global breakthrough artists who each bring their own unique style to the music, reimagining the track for a new generation.
Each of the seven artists recorded their own versions of “A Kind of Magic” which is available on the Coke Studio YouTube channel.
“The Coke Studio platform was born in Pakistan and has gone on to have great success there as well as in Africa and the Philippines, including 11 million YouTube subscribers,” said Thakar. “We believe it has the potential for exponential growth, and today we’re excited to introduce it to a wider global audience, using the reach of our iconic brand to help bring new audiences to some extraordinary artists.”
Joshua Burke, head of Global Music & Culture Marketing of The Coca-Cola Company, said, “We set out to do something different with Coke Studio.”
“We see ‘The Conductor’ as both a homage to the legendary Queen and an opportunity to refresh and reinterpret one of their greatest tracks in different ways across cultures and musical genres, for a new generation. There’s magic in that too,” he added.
The launch of Coke Studio and “The Conductor” was curated in partnership with Universal Music Group with five of the participating breakthrough artists signed to the company’s record labels, and a sixth with its Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) division.
“Collaborating with these incredible artists and the Coca-Cola team on both the music and creative vision for this launch was magic,” said Richard Yaffa, executive vice president for Global Brands of Universal Music Group. “Our companies are aligned in our deep commitment to showcasing phenomenal talent, to partnering with artists from all over the globe and to supporting them in sharing their music while creating opportunities to expand their fanbase.”