After a two-month long musical journey which featured some memorable covers and originals, the fourth season of Pepsi Battle of the Bands reached its final destination: the grand finale to reveal who won the musical face-off between Auj and Aarish. The competition was intense and everyone worked hard to get at this stage, but there can only be one winner. However, a grand finale without some electrifying performances ain’t possible so a lot happened before the big reveal.
Pepsi has this tradition of always supporting talented individuals and hence it was obvious that the previous two winners of season 2 and 3 will become a part of this musical chapter as well. Kashmir and Bayaan, both performed a mashup duet on an original track, Dhaltay Rahay, which talked about the journey of life. The performance was as immersive as virtual reality and as wholesome as Andre Rieu’s Johann Strauss Orchestra by the 11 men on stage. Kashmir and Bayaan set the mood perfectly for the magnificent occasion of the coronation of the Pepsi Battle of the Bands season four crown-bearer.
Surprise performances
This wasn’t the only surprise of the evening. The grand finale was filled with such breathtaking performances. We also witnessed big names like Shahi Hasan, Qawwal Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad, Asad Ahmed (guitarist) and many others perform a masterpiece Jaag Musafir. The composition was so strong and captivating that it held the audience in a trance. Shahi Hasan fused qawwali with English rap by Maria. The song rivaled Greek composer Yanni in terms of grandiosity and control.
After presenting a theatrical rendition of Mein last year on Pepsi Battle of the Bands, Meesha Shafi returned to follow up on it with a performance on Leila. Meesha explained that the poetry revolves around a conversation between a girl and the moon. Staying true to the poetic essence of the verses, the performance was as dreamy as they come with Shafi’s costume right out of a fairy-tale.
Read: Pepsi BOTB Season 4: Aarish & Auj bring their A-game in the final battle
Aarish & Auj’s journey
It was a beautiful moment when the family members of Aarish shared what their journey was all about. They recounted how the six were in their childhood, what attracted them to music, how their journey begun and what made them consistently try for Pepsi Battle of the Bands since season 2. Their original Pukaar earned them the last standing ovation on Pepsi’s stage this season and Aarish left us wanting for more.
The band members of Auj also shared heart-warming stories of their journey. Like any other story, it was also full of ups and downs, but their perseverance and resolve made it possible to get recognition all over the world. The band then performed their original called Aansu as the last performance of this season, which again earned them a standing ovation.
Fawad & String’s electrifying performances
It was impossible to have Fawad Khan in the judges and not see him perform. He brought his old Entity Paradigm gang back including Xulfi. They performed a song called Uth Jaag, which narrated a conversation an individual is having with time. Fawad’s performance made everyone nostalgic, indeed it was a delight to watch him sing on stage.
Moving forward, the veterans of the music industry, the timeless duo of Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia, perrformed a new original Hum Aaye in what was the episode’s last performance. The song was dedicated to the youth of Pakistan and what a grand way to end the season!
The big win
After much anticipation and hype, host Hina Altaf broke the suspense and announced the winner of this season: Auj. Facing a worthy opponent like Aarish, Auj emerged victorious and took home the title of season’s four champion in the biggest musical battle of Pakistan. The band was awarded with PKR 50 lac, an album contract and lifetime royalties of the original songs performed during the course of the season.
And let’s not forget about the runner-up band, Aarish, who put a fair fight and were loved and voted by many admirers. For their incredible journey as an underdog to achieve this success with effort and pure talent, they took home PKR 25 lac and an album contract.
The marketing director of PepsiCo, Saad Munawar, came on stage to award the trophy to the winner. He spoke of the need to produce original music in Pakistan and how Pepsi is serving that purpose. With Auj being crowned the Pepsi Battle of the Bands season four winner, the band joins a prestigious line-up of previous title holders: Aaroh, Kashmir and Bayaan.
Watch the season’s grand finale here and share in comments what will you miss most:
