Rohail Hyatt steps down as 'Coke Studio' producer

The Vital Signs founding member launched Coke Studio in 2008 and took a break after producing six seasons

KARACHI:

Celebrated musician Rohail Hyatt has stepped down as Coke Studio (CS) producer for the upcoming season. The maestro, as of late, has been seen active on Twitter; a website he has never used as frequently before. From giving gardening tips to followers to sharing his two cents on the Senate elections, the introverted Hyatt we knew seems to have taken a new life altogether.

It was during this spree of Twitter interactions when a fan asked him if he became active on social media after taking a break from CS. Hyatt replied, “I am sure CS is being planned but not by me,” adding, “Social media is a great place to figure out if one is neutral or biased in any way. I am using it as a tool to measure my own imbalances. Seems to be working well for me.”

The cryptic response made Hyatt’s not-so-significant Twitter following wonder what he was up to and whether it really meant that he is no longer be producing CS. When The Express Tribune reached out to Hyatt, he confirmed that he is indeed stepping down as the producer of the show.

While he may not be producing the show anymore, the rumour mill is rife with him still being associated with it in a less direct capacity. Perhaps, a role that allows him to display the vacay mode that he currently seems to be enjoying on social media.

The Vital Signs founding member launched CS in 2008 and took a break after six seasons. He returned as the producer for the show in 2019 and churned out two consecutive seasons. Strings took the reigns from season six till 10 and Ali Hamza along with Zohaib Kazi co-produced season 11. As much as the notion in the industry remains that CS has seen so many different producers and has been happening for so long that the format has run its course, there is still a lot of curiosity around who will be taking the throne of Pakistan’s biggest music platform.

This year, CS will also be releasing a Pakistan Day special that is being produced by Hamza. Hyatt has never produced extended tracks, such as associated anthems and anniversary specials, so it will be an inaccurate parallel to assume that Hamza will be taking charge of CS from now on. The name that’s flying around in the market as the top contender is none other than Xulfi.

When reached out, Xulfi told us that it is always a possibility. The former Call guitarist shared, “Every year, there’s this news. So there’s a probability of doing Coke Studio every year. No one knows and let’s see what the future holds.”

It is pertinent to mention that Xulfi has previously produced Hum Aik Hain under the banner of CS and was also roped into to do Coke Studio Explorer before the latter was called off in season 12.

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