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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesAKQA and Coala.Lab announced a partnership to create music-centered work connecting artists, brands and audiences. The offering includes music videos, films, campaigns and experiences, with artists positioned as creative contributors throughout a project—not simply as brand ambassadors. LBBOnline reported the launch on 7 July 2021; the announcement describes the partnership’s purpose and past work, but does not establish its legal structure or current operating status.
What AKQA Coala.Lab was set up to do
AKQA framed the collaboration as a way to bring its creative work in music together with Coala’s connection to Brazil’s music scene. The agency described projects spanning music videos, films, campaigns and experiences, giving artists room to translate their creative stories across those formats.
Coala curator and founding partner Gabriel Andrade was named Music Lead. In AKQA’s description, project development could consider a wider set of artist touchpoints—including streaming platforms, tours, music videos and records—rather than treating a single campaign placement as the whole relationship.
The stated principle was that artists should help shape the work throughout the process, while brands should participate in culture through a genuine contribution instead of simply claiming an association with it. Andrade put it this way: “In addition to being in touch with the present and continually contributing to culture, it is necessary to see artists as creative agents throughout the process and not just brand ambassadors.”
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Why Coala brought a music-scene perspective
AKQA says Coala began as a São Paulo festival in 2014. The agency cites its programming of established Brazilian artists such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Milton Nascimento alongside newer acts including Xenia França, Duda Beat and ÀTTØØXXÁ. That background helps explain the cultural perspective the partnership said it would bring to brand and artist projects; it is the agency’s characterization of Coala’s role.
The partnership’s foundation: Baco Exu do Blues’s Bluesman
AKQA says its first collaboration with Coala dates to 2018, when the teams worked on the campaign for Baco Exu do Blues’s album Bluesman. The launch film is the clearest example in the announcement of how a music release could anchor a larger creative campaign. AKQA says the film won Cannes Lions’ first Brazilian Entertainment for Music Grand Prix.
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AKQA also reported that Bluesman surpassed 280 million streams and that the campaign coincided with a 495 per cent increase in the artist’s monthly Spotify listeners. These are agency-published figures; the announcement does not state their measurement period or provide independent verification, so they should be read as reported campaign results rather than independently established impact.
Other projects show different ways music can shape brand work
AKQA pointed to several projects as examples of music entering campaigns in different forms. The descriptions and awards below reflect the agency’s announcement, not independent assessments of audience impact.
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| Project | Format and music connection | Reported outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Baco Exu do Blues, Bluesman | Album campaign and launch film; the earlier collaboration AKQA identifies as the partnership’s foundation. | AKQA says the film won Cannes Lions’ first Brazilian Entertainment for Music Grand Prix. The agency also reported more than 280 million streams for the album and a 495 per cent rise in monthly Spotify listeners coinciding with the campaign. |
| Emicida, AmarElo, with Deezer | A 60-second video AKQA described as an invitation to silence. | AKQA reported a Cannes Lion in 2021. |
| Nike, “The Awakening in Dance” | A film featuring dance group Black Tourmalines and singer Ludmilla, framed by AKQA as a platform for collective empowerment and Black culture. | AKQA reported Cannes recognition; the announcement does not specify a comparable audience-impact measure. |
| Beck’s Frequency | A project linking the brand with Brazilian DJs, including Vintage Culture, and using music and innovation to encourage brand interest and engagement. | AKQA reported Gold and Silver Lions. |
The examples cover an album launch, a short video, a brand film and a broader platform. They illustrate the range of formats AKQA said the partnership could pursue, but the announcement does not provide equivalent detail about each artist’s role, the production process or independently measured audience response.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the announcement does—and does not—establish
AKQA described the partnership as a way to unite brands’ strategic resources with artists’ cultural influence. Global Chief Creative Officer Diego Machado said: “Artists crave the solidarity and strategic impact that brands have while brands desire what artists have in abundance: cultural influence. We are uniting both to create remarkable content that is creatively uplifting and easily sharable, which is central to our core DNA.”
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That is the venture’s stated proposition, not proof that every project achieved the same balance or results. AKQA also lists work with Usher, Kevin o Chris, DKVPZ, BaianaSystem, As Baías, Bivolt, Som Livre, Criolo, Milton Nascimento, Nego Bala and Yo Yo Ma, but gives too little comparable detail to treat those names as case studies.
The launch was reported by LBBOnline on 7 July 2021. The available announcement and coverage do not specify ownership shares, governance, investment or commercial terms, and do not establish whether AKQA Coala.Lab remains active today. For the announcement’s description of the partnership and its projects, see AKQA’s announcement and LBBOnline’s launch coverage.
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