‘Battle of the Bands’ kicks in with a new zest

KARACHI: Pepsi is proud to launch Battle of the Bands, again, after a hiatus of 15 years. Fawad Khan, Meesha Shafi, Shahi Hassan, Farooq Ahmed and Atif Aslam were confirmed as the official judges for Pepsi’s eponymous musical reality show. The five powerhouses appeared together at a press conference held by Pepsi Pakistan at the Karachi Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel.

This comes after the release of Pepsi Battle of the Bands launch song, a mash-up rendition of Alamgir’s ‘dekha na tha’ and ‘do pal ka jeevan’ by Vital Signs.

Fans, all over the world, are elated to see Fawad Khan returning to his musical roots – a feat he has been preparing for from the previous 6 months – where he is joined by Meesha Shafi, Atif Aslam, Farooq Ahmed and Shahi Hasan to preside over the wave of emerging talent in Pakistan, with Ayesha Omar acting as the host of the show.

Farooq Ahmed from Aaroh, winner of the first Battle of the Bands, returned as a guest judge for auditions. He has been busy lending his acumen as an artist, to help bring forward a new age of band culture in the country.

The season will consist of 8 episodes. Fawad, Meesha and Farooq will be the judges for audition rounds whereas Atif Aslam and Shahi Hasan will join as judges for the battle rounds. Two power-packed episodes have already been launched which have been received phenomenally by the media and the music fans alike. The press conference also revealed the top 8 bands which are now going into the main rounds of the program. These bands belong to different musical genres and their names are: Kashmir, Darvesh, Roots, Badnaam, Aura, Shajr and Jasim, Madlock and The Pindi Boys.

Pepsi Pakistan Marketing Director (MD) Salman Butt said, “Pepsi has always taken great pride in showcasing musical talent in Pakistan and Pepsi Battle of the Bands is our chance to do it all over again!”

Not only is Battle of the Bands a turning point in Pakistan’s music industry, it is also a convergence of some of the most brilliant minds in entertainment. With the Grammy nominated Faisal Rafi directing and leading music production, along with his incredible music team, the show is truly going to be a force to be reckoned with. Saad Bin Mujeeb, from Green Chillies Production, is the video producer of the show.

Several high end fashion designers and celebrity stylists have been taken on board by Pepsi to dress and style the judges and the bands.

Pepsi has especially flown in UK based director Andrew Bramley, particularly known for being the video director for the band ‘Coldplay’ for 9 years. He is joined by DOP Nick Collier, renowned for his work on shows like the X Factor and the Olympics games, and Jack Lineker, who is the lighting programmer.

International Advertising Limited Saatchi and Saatchi are the executive producers of show while Proximity Advertising is handling digital content. Catalyst Public Relations is providing PR, image consultancy and celebrity management services.

The show airs every Sunday evening on all major TV Channels. Every episode is also available on Pepsi Pakistan’s website: www.pepsibattleofthebands.com