Coca-Cola announces collision artists for Coke Studio 2023

The news follows the release of the first original song to kick off the second season of the global music platform, which went live on 31 May.

The new track, titled ‘Be Who You Are (Real Magic)’, is written and performed by Grammy-winning American songwriter and musician Jon Batiste.

“The ‘Be Who You Are (Real Magic)’ anthem and music video is a celebration of the power of staying true to yourself,” Coca-cola said. “It reflects on the idea that it is when people are their authentic selves and accept each other's differences, the ‘Real Magic’ happens.”

Penned by Jon Batiste, the song finds him collaborating with the global breakout K-Pop girl group NewJeans, Colombian Latin Grammy Award-winning pop artist Camilo, British singer-songwriter Cat Burns and Atlanta-born eclectic rapper JID.

“I am proud to partner with Coke to share a message of encouragement and humanity with the world through my music,” Jon Batiste said.

First launched in Pakistan in 2008 and re-launched globally in May 2022, Coke Studio returns this year with new artist collision song releases and a programme of festival sponsorships, live performances, AR and digital content and on-pack experiences, allowing audiences to discover new music wherever they are in the world, running from May to September 2023.

The artists featured in the 2023 programme have created nine brand new multi-artist collision songs and exclusive Coke Studio sessions which will be released to global music fans on all music platforms in June and July.

In addition to the music, Coca-Cola will launch its first Coke Studio augmented reality record store on the Coke Studio Digital Hub, which will feature an immersive album and mobile digital experience inspired by the ‘Be Who You Are (Real Magic)’ music video.

“True collaboration between artists from different cultures, genres and backgrounds, what we are calling creative ‘Collisions’, is at the heart of our Coke Studio platform,” Coca-Cola global head of creative strategy and integrated content Pratik Thakar said. “Our goal for this programme is to always be music-driven and fan-first by bringing unique music and music experiences to the forefront.”

Coca-Cola global head of music and culture marketing Joshua Burke added: “This year, we’ve worked with a diverse mix of amazingly talented artists from all over the world, bringing them together to create original music that we hope will transcend borders and excite music fans with something new.”

At the same time, Coca-Cola has announced it will sponsor the 2023 edition of Lollapalooza Chicago music festival in August. The brand has also partnered with Tomorrowland Belgium, to host a Coke Studio live stream from the festival, enabling audiences globally to tune into live performances via the Coke Studio digital hub.

Collision artists for Coke Studio 2023 will be:

• Nasty C (South Africa)
• Afroto (Egypt)
• Camilo (Colombia)
• NewJeans (Korea) 
• JID (US)
• Cat Burns (UK)
• Imagine Dragons (US)
• Sam Smith (UK)
• Diljit Dosanjh (India) 
• Evdeki Saat (Turkey) 
• Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (US)   
• Jessie Reyez (US)
• Shae Gill (Pakistan)
• Shreya Ghoshal (India)  
• Xin Liu (China)
• Zack Tabudlo (Philippines)