Coke Studio Africa returns

From the first week of November in 2018, Coke Studio Africa will begin production in Kenya's capital city, Nairobi. The show will again be creatively directed by Tim Horwood.

“We are excited to soon kick-start the production of Coke Studio Africa 2019," Coke Studio Africa project manager Andrew Endovo Alovi said. "Expect an interesting twist of themes and musical fusions!

"The show has always been at the forefront of producing quality music while at the same time granting various artists across the continent mega exposure, and opportunities to collaborate among each other. They also get to work with some of the best local and international professionals in the music world.

"Much as the final list of artists participating will be unveiled in a few days, we are very excited that the pool of young and vibrant artists across the continent has significantly grown. The artists will be paired alongside Coke Studio Africa super producers, who will then be tasked with engineering the show’s musical fusions and collaborations."

An online exclusive will be aired before the show goes to TV. After the online special, the first episode of the season will show up on TV in February 2019.

Since its first season, Coke Studio Africa has brought stars across countries together. While some of these collaborations have yielded memorable performances onstage, others have lasted beyond the TV screen. Nigeria's RunTown and South Africa's Nasty C released the single 'Said' after an initial collaboration on the grounds of Coke Studio Africa.

“We are very excited to have some new partners come on board to join us as we make great music from Africa to the world," said Monali Shah, head of content excellence for Coca-Cola's southern and East African business unit. "Dusit D2 shall be our official hospitality partner for this new season. As a very progressive hotel that fully embraces the arts we are glad that they have come on board to join us in this journey.”

Last year, the show's two series, Coke Studio South Africa and Coke Studio Africa, merged, with more countries added to the mix.

“We are very excited to be back in Nairobi for one of our most favorite and challenging projects. We will focus on delivering world-class quality in sound and picture as we tell stories from Africa through music,” Horwood said.