'I performed it just as I’ve always done,' says Runa Laila as Coke Studio reimagines 'Mast Qalandar'
The timing of the release — on the eve of her birthday — places the focus squarely on the singer's legacy.
Legendary singer Runa Laila's return to the cultural foreground arrives with a sense of occasion and quiet resonance, as Coke Studio Bangla released a reimagined rendition of "Dama Dam Mast Qalandar" — a song long intertwined with her artistic identity on Sunday.
For an artiste whose career spans six decades and 18 languages, the release marks not a promotional milestone but a moment of renewed visibility for a voice that helped shape South Asia's musical memory.
Rumours about Runa Laila's involvement in the platform's third season have circulated for months, fuelled by her own confirmation last year that she had recorded a track, though she declined then to name it.
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A teaser unveiled on 14 November finally revealed the song and confirmed its long-delayed release, postponed by nearly a year due to a pause in the programme's production cycle.
The recording itself predates that hiatus. Two years ago in Kolkata, Runa Laila performed the Qawwali classic alongside members of the Coke Studio team, including curator Shayan Chowdhury Arnob and composer Shubhendhu Das Shubho — an early indication of a collaboration that would eventually surface as the season's concluding piece.
Speaking to TBS today (16 November) about the release, Runa Laila said, "I've been singing this song for many years. But because of its popularity, other artistes also perform it. They may present it in their own style. However, I performed it just as I've always done since the very beginning."
She further added, "I recorded the song for Coke Studio quite a long time ago. But perhaps the channel's activities had been irregular all this time. I'm quite happy that the song has finally been released.
"I hope listeners will once again be able to enjoy this popular song, sung by me, in a fresh way."
The timing of the release — on the eve of her birthday — places the focus squarely on the singer's legacy.
Her centrality to Bangladesh's cultural life is also being marked in print: a new novel, Mayer Singhason by Abdullah Al Muktadir, is set for publication tomorrow, tracing her artistic rise and the social landscape that shaped it.
Sohel Ahsan contributed to this report
