Coke Studio Nu.WAV Releases Fifth Track Qasam Featuring Shae Gill and Afusic
Coke Studio Nu.WAV continues its rollout with the launch of its fifth track, Qasam. The new release brings together vocalists Shae Gill and Afusic on an experimental pop song that features production and direction by Abdullah Kasumbi. The platform previously released four tracks, establishing a distinct space for contemporary musical exploration in the region.
Qasam pairs contemporary electronic production with the traditional South Asian sound of the sarangi. Written by Afusic, the lyrics explore the uncertainty of a relationship caught between hurt, attachment and the desire to hold on. While the words carry emotional weight, the production maintains an energetic pace, creating a contrast between the lyrical themes and the musical feeling.
Musical Style and Vocal Collaboration on Qasam
The musical contrast of Qasam also comes through in the vocal delivery. Afusic brings his familiar rhythmic phrasing to the track, while Shae Gill explores a vocal range and style that audiences have heard less often from her. This gives the two voices distinct textures as they navigate the song structure. Musician Gul Khan plays the sarangi, running acoustic passages through the electronic production to add another emotional layer to the sound.
Executive produced by Kamal Khan, Qasam is produced, arranged and mixed by Abdullah Kasumbi, with Sean Tallman handling mastering. Kasumbi serves as a co-founder of creative studio FT.WA, building a body of work that spans music production, visual direction and live performance. His dual role on this project allows the sonic and visual worlds to develop from the same creative idea.
Visual Direction and the Historic Bristol Hotel Setting
The music video for Qasam was filmed inside Karachi's century-old Bristol Hotel. Production designer Hammad Sohail used the building's existing character as part of the visual world, incorporating ageing interiors, chandeliers and weathered surfaces. These elements were paired with details such as fading flowers and an untouched banquet, creating a lived-in setting for the narrative.
Kasumbi directs the music video alongside a core production team. Babar Dahr handles cinematography, while Faraz Sheikh and Team manage styling. Naweera Azeiz designed Shae Gill's look for the video. Gali Films leads production, with Iman Khan, Jamal Haroon, Zarmeen Ali, Taimur Aamir and Fariha Afzal forming the core production team.
Choreography and the Sufi Metaphor of the Moth and Flame
The music video direction focuses on movement to explore the relationship at the center of the song. Rather than telling the story literally, the choreography by Shams Mansur and Shaan-e-Qasim Mansur follows different stages of connection. Two dancers draw closer, pull apart, try to trust one another and find their way back again.
At one point, invisible strings appear to connect and control the dancers, while elsewhere their bodies move like stitches, repeatedly coming together and separating. Another recurring image in the video is the moth and the flame. This idea emerged from Kasumbi and Shams Mansur encountering Rumi and Sufi thought during a visit to Konya, drawing on the shama and parwana metaphor of a moth drawn to a flame. By the final moments of the video, as Shae reaches for Afusic's hand, the moth finds its way to the flame.
Backgrounds of Shae Gill and Afusic
The release brings together two artists who arrived at contemporary South Asian music through very different paths. Shae Gill made her Coke Studio debut alongside Ali Sethi in Season 14 with Pasoori. That track became the first locally produced Pakistani music video to cross one billion views on YouTube. Shae has since built an international profile through collaborations including Sukoon with Hassan and Roshaan, Le Right alongside Ali Sethi, Maanu and Abdullah Siddiqui, Bulleya with Asim Azhar, and Coke Studio Global's One Love with Turkish artist Evdeki Saat.
Afusic has grown from a digital-first singer, songwriter and rapper into a prominent emerging voice in contemporary South Asian pop and hip-hop. His breakout track Pal Pal reached audiences far beyond Pakistan, topping the UK Official Asian Music Chart and entering the Canadian Hot 100. Qasam marks his second appearance on Coke Studio Nu.WAV following Dil, which served as the platform's opening release.
The Coke Studio Nu.WAV Release Schedule
Qasam stands as the fifth of six planned Coke Studio Nu.WAV releases. It follows the previous drops of Dil, Rangeen, Maheya and Shabnam. The sixth and final release in this series, along with its unique creative world, is set to unfold next, concluding the current phase of the platform's experimental rollout.
