Bringing the most exciting new names in the industry together, Coca-Cola champions emerging talent and the powerful effect that music can have through their COKE STUDIO™. With initiatives such as festival sponsorships, live performances, an augmented reality record store, and digital content, and more, they celebrate the magic of human connection — and how this can transcend borders and unite people all over the world. This idea is reflected in their newest offering, “Be Who You Are (Real Magic)”. A collaboration between the Grammy-award-winning American songwriter and musician Jon Batiste, K-Pop group NewJeans, rapper J.I.D, Latin Grammy-award-winning pop artist Camilo, and singer-songwriter Cat Burns, it brings different backgrounds together in a mission of authenticity, individuality, and self-love. The track and music video champion the power of staying true to yourself, and the beautiful, vibrant world that doing so creates.
Pratik Thakar, Head of Global Strategy & Creative, explains: “True collaboration between artists from different cultures, genres and backgrounds, what we are calling creative ‘Collisions’, are at the heart of our COKE STUDIO platform”.
Following this release, COKE STUDIO will showcase more incredible industry-leading and breakthrough artists from across the globe. In total, the season will see work from the following artists and countries: Camilo (Colombia), NewJeans (Korea), J.I.D (US), Cat Burns (UK), Imagine Dragons (US), Sam Smith (UK), Afroto (Egypt), Diljit Dosanjh (India), Evdeki Saat (Turkey), Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (US), Nasty C (South Africa), Jessie Reyez (US), Shae Gill (Pakistan), Shreya Ghoshal (India), XIN LIU (China), and Zack Tabudlo (Philippines). The multi-artist songs embrace borderless collaboration and the ethos of the Coca-Cola brand.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Camilo about the beautiful messaging behind “Be Who You Are (Real Magic)”, working with Coke Studio and his collaborators, and his favourite Coca-Cola product.
Watch the video…
Read the interview…
How did you get connected with Coke Studio, Jon Batiste, J.I.D, Cat Burns, and NewJeans?
Well, they invited me to be part of their global music platform, which was wonderful news because I am a fan of all the songs from Coke Studio. As an artist, I’m super excited to be part of this not only because I love the opportunity but also because I was able to share it with artists I admire. When I found out Jon Batiste was behind the song, and it was sent to me, I felt such an incredible feeling because I admired him so much; he is true to who he is, his energy is positive, beautiful, and clean, and to has now this collaboration with him and the other artists is very meaningful to me.
When did you first start working on the idea of “Be Who You Are” and what were the initial inspirations behind the song? What was the process of writing and producing the song with your collaborators?
They sent me part of the song, specifically the beautiful chorus that Jon Batiste wrote. I fell in love immediately because it’s a celebration of something I have been trying to share my entire career and life. The fact that there’s no braver act than being who you are; it requires a lot of courage and bravery. In a world full of excuses to try to be someone else, being true to who you are is revolutionary. I share that feeling in the part of the song that I wrote. The melody and lyrics embody identity, your essence, and what’s true inside you.
And of ideating and filming the video?
The music video was a whole production. The idea of me floating in the air in a vintage car and the bear floating next to me, as well as filming it with all of the other artists, was so much fun. I’ve been a huge fan of all the productions from Coke Studio in the past, so being part of this fantastic campaign was an excellent experience for me as an artist and as a fan.
What does the track mean to you?
The spirit behind it, one of unity and the celebration of being yourself, which has been part of my philosophy since I started making music, and it is what we celebrate in every concert. La Tribu, my life’s project, celebrates the value of being the person you are every day. This makes me very happy.
How does this project differ from the music and videos you’ve worked on before?
Well, this is a collaboration with a lot of artists. I haven’t done it with that many artists before, and it had a global feeling, like a universal truth behind it. People from different backgrounds are celebrating the same message. It’s just awesome.
What are you most excited about regarding its release?
The spirit of Coca-Cola has always been the unity of the nucleus of being oneself, family, and community. This spirit makes me very proud to be part of this campaign because each artist participating is from a different place, yet we come together to sing, making it global.
What is it about the Coca-Cola brand that resonates with you?
Coca-Cola is always talking about unity, celebrating family and community, and being part of something bigger than only just you, so that’s one of the things that I like the most about the brand. I’m very excited to be part of the Coke Studio 2023 because Coca-Cola campaigns have been outstanding for as long as I can remember. I always saw artists that I admired participating in the campaigns, and I used to say, “Wow,” fast forward, and now I have the opportunity to do it as well. It’s incredible to me.
Do you have a favourite Coca-Cola product?
If I have to pick — the original Coca-Cola because I grew up drinking it with my family. I remember there was always a Coca-Cola in the middle of the table on all the special occasions, like Christmas and New Year’s, among many other moments.
