Coca-Cola's New Marshmello Collab Flavor Is Not What You'd Expect

Given that he shares his name with a food, you might assume that if GRAMMY-nominated artist Marshmello were to collab with Coca-Cola, it would involve the gooey snack in some way. But as Coca-Coca announced in a press release, there's actually no marshmallow involved. Instead, the two have teamed up to create a new limited-edition drink that combines strawberry, watermelon, and Coke. The combination is inspired by "the feeling of mixing chart-topping beats," giving fans a new way to experience both their favorite musician and drink. There's also a zero-sugar version of Marshmello's new Coke, and both come in sleek black and white cans that feature the artist himself on the label.

The drink will be available in the United States in early July before it's released internationally in select countries. When the limited-edition Coke launches worldwide, fans will also get a chance to take part in a Twitch livestream, where they'll be able to control Marshmello and will have access meta merch. Beginning July 29, they'll be able to scan a QR code to listen to Marshmello's new song, "Numb" while creating their own piece of digital artwork.

Making a marshmallow-flavored Coke would've made perfect sense, but Marshmello rejected the idea from the beginning. Marshmello shared this with Billboard: "Everybody's like, 'You're going to do a marshmallow flavor?'" The artist continued, "That's why I really didn't want to do it, so we just started messing around with different flavors. We had a million flavors in front of us. We homed in on strawberry and watermelon and that was that."

Marshmello shared with the publication that Cherry Coke is his favorite type, and therefore he wanted to create something with the same balance of flavors. It apparently took months of going back and forth between in-person and virtual meetings, and additional two days spent at the Coca-Cola headquarters. During those meetings, according to Coca-Cola, Marshmello would doodle on whiteboards, brainstorm with Coca-Cola creatives, and taste-test different creations. Ultimately, Marshmello decided to break the mold, telling Billboard, "I chose strawberry and watermelon just because you wouldn't think that would come from me."