Legendary South Asian vocalist Runa Laila — who has sung in 18 languages over her six-decade long career, including Bangla, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Urdu, Sindhi and English — is set to release a new rendition of her iconic track "Dama Dam Mast Qalandar" on Coke Studio Bangla. The song will be published today on the platform's official YouTube channel.

Speculation had been rife since the announcement of Coke Studio Bangla's third season that Runa Laila would be part of the lineup, though the authorities remained tight-lipped. Last year, the artiste herself confirmed that she had recorded a song for the platform but did not reveal which one. A teaser released on November 14 finally disclosed the track, which is scheduled for release this evening.

Although the song premieres today, it was recorded a long time ago. A nearly year-long pause in Coke Studio Bangla's activities delayed its release. Two years ago, in Kolkata, Runa Laila performed "Dama Dam Mast Qalandar" alongside the Coke Studio team during an event, accompanied by music curator Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, composer Shubhendhu Das Shubho and others.

Tomorrow marks Runa Laila's birthday, and the release is intended as a tribute to the celebrated artiste. The track is the eighth song of Coke Studio Bangla's third season. The platform last released a song titled "Café" on October 24 — a reimagining of the popular Mohiner Ghoraguli track, performed by Avash vocalist Tanzir Tuhin along with Gaurab Chattopadhyay, son of Mohiner Ghoraguli founder Gautam Chattopadhyay, and Brazilian artiste Livia Matos.

In addition, a novel titled "Mayer Singhason" will be published tomorrow to mark Runa Laila's birthday. Written by Abdullah Al Muktadir and released by Chandrabindu Prokashon, the novel explores Runa Laila's emergence, struggles and rise to becoming a cultural icon in Bangladesh.