The song ‘Na Tutteya Ve’ from Week 1 of Coke Studio 2020 is an all-female song that is a message on female sensitivity from the perspective of strength and not weakness. Originally conceived with only one artist in mind, this is the first time in the history of Coke Studio that all the female artists of a season have performed together in one song.
Written in Punjabi by Shuja Haider and Asim Raza, the song concept which was initially titled ‘Tuttda’ (breakable) was altered ever so slightly to become ‘Na Tutteya Ve’ (unbreakable) changing the main message of the song that despite all challenges a woman faces within our society, she continues to remain resilient.
The rap section of the song is composed and performed by Meesha Shafi, making this her first attempt at this genre. When asked about the song she said, “Gender equality is a very big topic of discussion throughout the world today and this song talks about equality from the woman’s perspective.”
Fariha Parvez said, “I absolutely agree with this concept. There is no doubt that if women didn’t play their role, a house can never become a home. The liveliness of a home and the colors of creation, all originate from women.”
One of the 6 female lead singers, Wajiha Naqvi, explained that Na Tutteya Ve is the story of the everyday woman in our society, “It is important to respect women – after all it is these women who play an equally critical role in society. I see this song as a prayer calling upon unity among women; a prayer that we always stay together and support one another.”
Zara Madani added that while men are stronger than women physically, women exhibit fierce strength emotionally, “If a woman is given the slightest support from her family, she could summit the highest peaks. There is absolutely nothing a woman cannot conquer.”
This song mentions the loving but sometimes complex relationship between husband and wife, reiterating at the end that her heart may have suffered, that it may appear to break but it does not. And that is the strength of the message in this song, that the spirit of a woman is unbreakable.
“You are my husband, the crown on my head,
I am the proud plume of your turban,
I welcome and accept
I welcome and accept your family as mine
But I am also your family
This, you should remember
That my heart suffers greatly, but does not break…”
Reflecting on the lyrics of the song, Sanam Marvi said, “Somewhere behind the lyrics of this song lie real stories of all the women in the world.”
Performed by an ensemble of extraordinary female artists, the lead singers include Meesha Shafi, Fariha Pervez, Sehar Gul Khan, Zara Madani, Sanam Marvi and Wajiha Naqvi who is also a part of backing vocals along with Nimra Rafiq. The house band includes Turkish drummer Volkan Öktem and Serbian musician Goran Antović on the keyboards performing remotely, Kamran ‘Mannu’ Zafar on the bass, Rohail Hyatt himself on the acoustic guitars, Hyatt and Goran on the keyboards, Shehroze Hussain playing the sitar, Nawazish Nasri on the rabab, Abier ‘Veeru’ Shan playing the percussions and Babar Khanna on the Eastern percussions.
When the youngest artist from the season, Sehar Gul Khan was asked about the song, she said, “I had the time of my life singing this song – it is a real gem!”
