What becomes viral once on social media is enough to capture people’s attention no matter what the original location or language. We are not talking about the viral bachpan ka pyar song, but songs from regional and international industries that found a place in everyone’s heart through the magic of social media. Coke Studio’s channel on YouTube, instagram reels, personal covers and more have brought this music to the masses and increased their popularity fourfold.
Let us tune into some of these viral sensations:
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain: Instagram reels have played a huge role in reviving old melodies. “Hum tum kitne paas hain, Kitne door hain chaand sitare Sach pucho to man ko Jhoote lagte hain yeh saare.'' This golden melody sung by Amit Kumar became popular once again by going viral through instagram reels. The song still creates an aesthetic that is comforting to hear.
Jashn-e-Bahara: When Anumita Nadesan shared her cover of the hit song Jashn-e-Bahara, it went viral and crossed 5 million views. Little must she have known that her voice would become the template for hundreds of reels after hers. Going by this strong popularity, she uploaded the full version of the song on YouTube on February 27.
Ghalat Fehmi Superstar: “Tarasti hain nigahein meri takti hai yeh raahein”, you may not have heard the full song but these lyrics are on everyone’s lips, thanks to its application on instagram reels. The original song is Ghlat Fehmi sung by Asim Azhar and Fatimah Sultan for the film Superstar(2019).
Why this Kolaveri Di: When the studio version of Dhanush’s Kolaveri di came on youtube, it was an instant hit in the Hindi speaking world, despite the complete knowledge of the lyrics. The infectious beat and the overall feel of the song was enough to make it a sensation. The Tamil words with broken English felt unique and relatable to the listeners.
Just within a few weeks, the song was honored by YouTube with a '"Recently Most Popular'' Gold Medal award and "Trending" silver medal award for receiving many hits in a short time. Dhanush became popular among all and was thereafter, invited by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a "Guest of Honour".
South Asian music and Coke Studio: Coke Studio has become a stage for folk artists, artists from the subcontinent to come together and revive traditional and folk music. In India, songs like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s Aafreen and Atif Aslam’s Tajdar-e- Haram from Coke Studio Pakistan are a national sensation. According to Google, the lyrics of the song were one of the most searched lyrics for the year 2017. Many artists from Pakistan like Ali Sethi, Momina Mustehsan and Atif Aslam have garnered a huge fan base in India through social media. Their music is listened to across the country.
Memba - For Aisha: “Umra mein sariyan jee leiyaan, roshni main sariyan pee leiyaan.”, this song was created by Ishan Chaudhary, co-founder of the band MEMBA for his late sister Aisha Chaudhary. After being featured in The sky is pink, the song became popular on social media as an anthem of lively spirit.
Manike Mage Hithe: This is a Sinhala(spoken in Sri Lanka) song which instantly became popular after young artists Yohani & Satheesan uploaded their cover song. Yohanis unique voice, and Satheesan’s rap instantly appealed to the people. The song that trends at 62 million plus views on Youtube was also shared by Amitabh Bachan who said that he loves the song so much that it is impossible to stop listening to it.
