Yeh Zindagi

For the Pakistani cricketer, see Rahat Ali (cricketer).

Ustad
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
PP
راحت فتح علی خان
Rahat at the 15th IIFA Awards in 2014
Born
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

(1974-12-09) 9 December 1974 (age 49)[1][2]
Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
Occupations
  • Singer
  • musician
Years active1997–present[2]
WorksFull list
ChildrenShahzaman Ali Khan
Parent
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • harmonium
Years active1997–present[2]
Labels

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Punjabi and Urdu: راحت فتح علی خان, Urdu pronunciation: [ɾəɦət̪ fəte(ɦ) əliː xɑːn]; born 9 December 1974)[1] is a Pakistani singer, primarily Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Khan is one of the most popular and highest paid singers in Pakistan.[3][4] He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, son of Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan and grandson of Qawwali singer Fateh Ali Khan. In addition to Qawwali, he also performs ghazals and other light music. He is also well-known as a playback singer in Hindi cinema and the Pakistan film industry.[5]

Early life

Rahat was born into a Punjabi family of Qawwals and classical singers in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.[citation needed][6] He is the son of Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, grandson of Fateh Ali Khan and the nephew of Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.[7]

Rahat displayed an adoration for music from a very young age and was often found to be singing with his uncle and father, as young as three. From an age of seven, he was already being trained by his uncle Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in the art of singing Qawwali.[8][9][self-published source]

Career

Rahat performed publicly for the first time, when he was nine, at the death anniversary of his grandfather. Since he was fifteen, he was an integral part of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's well-known qawwali group and toured the United Kingdom with his uncle in 1985. He also performed solo songs at different concerts, in addition to fulfilling his roles in the Qawwali group. He debuted as a playback singer in Bollywood with the movie Paap (2003), in the song "Mann Ki Lagan".[citation needed]

In April 2012, Rahat toured in the UK, performing at Wembley Arena and the Manchester Arena, playing to a combined audience of over 20,000 people and creating a record of maximum ticket-sales.[10][11]

The song "Zaroori Tha" from the album Back 2 Love (2014) became the first original non-film music video from the Indian subcontinent to cross 100 million views on YouTube after two years, and 200 million views within three years of its release. Eventually it reached a billion views.[12][13][14] He is also touring with Leo Twins[15] from Nescafé Basement on a regular basis.

Soundtracks and collaboration

In a subordinate role with his uncle Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, working in collaboration with Eddie Vedder, of the American rock band, Pearl Jam, Rahat contributed to the soundtrack of the 1995 Hollywood film, Dead Man Walking. In 2002, he worked on the soundtrack of The Four Feathers in collaboration with the American composer of orchestral and film music, James Horner.[16] In 2002, Rahat guested with The Derek Trucks Band on the song "Maki Madni" for Trucks' album, Joyful Noise. In 2006, his vocals were featured on the soundtrack of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto.[citation needed]

Khan in 2013

Television

He judged the show, Chhote Ustaad alongside Sonu Nigam. He was also one of the judges on the singing reality show Junoon, premiered on NDTV Imagine in 2008.[17][18]

Nobel Peace Prize Concert

Rahat became the first Pakistani to perform at any Nobel Prize concert, when he was invited to the concert at 2014 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.[19] He performed Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's most memorable qawwali "Tumhe Dillagi" and "Mast Qalandar", and he also sang "Aao Parhao" there.[20][21]

Musical shows

Coke Studio

Rahat has appeared in five editions of the Pakistani musical show Coke Studio.[22][23][24][25]

He first appeared in season 1, where he collaborated with singer Ali Azmat for the track "Garaj Baras".[citation needed] He then collaborated with Abida Parveen in season 7 for "Chhaap Tilak Sab Chheeni".[25]

In season 9, he sang "Afreen Afreen" along with Momina Mustehsan which has garnered more than 300 million views on YouTube, becoming the first Pakistani song to cross that mark.[26] He collaborated with Amjad Sabri for "Aaj Rang Hai", which was the final performance of the latter, prior to his assassination on 22 June 2016.[27]

He appeared in Coke Studio Pakistan (season 10) where he performed "Sayonee" with Ali Noor and a solo number called Rangreza.[23] Rahat's latest appearance in Coke Studio was in Coke Studio 2020 where he performed "Dil Tarpe" featuring Zara Madani.[22]

MTV Unplugged

Rahat had appeared in MTV Unplugged (India) in 2016.[28]

Discography

Main article: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan discography

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

Controversy

In 2018, the daughter of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan said she intended to take legal action against copyright infringement of singers who sing her father's songs. To this Rahat responded saying he was the adopted successor of Nusrat and doesn't need anyone's permission to sing his songs.[29]

In January 2019, Khan was accused of smuggling foreign currency and summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of Government of India.[30]

In January 2024, a video emerged of Khan beating and berating a domestic servant, over an alleged ‘sanctified’ bottle of water.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. #CokeStudio7. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Muzaffar, Erum Noor. "'I am all in favour of education for women' –– Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  3. ^ "You can't listen to them if you can't afford them…". The Express Tribune. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  4. ^ Iqbal, Nosheen; @nosheeniqbal (10 August 2016). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan: 'My uncle was the Voice'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  5. ^ Pallavi Jassi (20 April 2008). "Sufi sublime". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012.
  6. ^ Asghar, Toheed (17 January 2023). "Hereditary lineage of Chak 248, BIsmillahpur, Faisalabad, Pakistan" (Interview). Interviewed by Yousuf Toheed Asghar.
  7. ^ "Prince of Qawwalis". Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  8. ^ al., Sarina Singh ... et (2008). Pakistan & the Karakoram Highway (7th ed.). Footscray, Vic.: Lonely Planet. ISBN 9781741045420.
  9. ^ M. Sheikh, A. Sheikh (2012). Who's Who: Music in Pakistan. Xlibris Corporation, 2012. ISBN 9781469191591.
  10. ^ "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan smashes BO sales at Wembley Stadium". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  11. ^ "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan". cokestudio.com.pk. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  12. ^ "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's Zaroori Tha reaches 100 mn club". Radio and Music. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  13. ^ "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's 'Zaroori Tha' music video crosses 200 million". Radio and Music. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  14. ^ "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan overwhelmed as 'Zaroori tha' crosses 1bn views". The Times of India. 5 January 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan enthrals audience with magic of fusion in US, UK concerts". Daily Times. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  16. ^ "James Horner, Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan* – The Four Feathers". Discogs. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  17. ^ "Annu Kapoor host Junoon Kuchh Kar Dikhaane Ka". 2 May 2008. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  18. ^ "Ustaad Fateh Ali Khan to perform at the IIFA Magic of the Movies & Technical Awards". IIFA. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  19. ^ "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to perform at Nobel Peace Prize Award ceremony". Pakistan Today. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  20. ^ "Rahat to sing 'Aao Parhao' anthem at Nobel Peace Prize Concert". The Express Tribune. 7 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  21. ^ "USTAD RAHAT FATEH ALI KHAN – 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Concert Artist". Nobel Peace Prize Concert. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  22. ^ a b Studio, Coke. "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Season 2020 Artist". Coke Studio. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Artists - Season 10 - Coke Studio Pakistan". www.cokestudio.com.pk. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Artists - Season 9 - Coke Studio Pakistan". www.cokestudio.com.pk. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  25. ^ a b "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Artists - Season 7 - Coke Studio Pakistan". www.cokestudio.com.pk. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  26. ^ "'Afreen Afreen' becomes first Pakistani song to cross 200 million views". The Express Tribune. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  27. ^ Images Staff (6 August 2016). "Amjad Sabri, Rahat Fateh, Abida Parveen kick-start Cokestudio 9 with an emotional tribute". Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  28. ^ "MTV Unplugged Season 5 Episode 6 (All Songs) – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan". MTV Unplugged (India). 12 February 2017. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017 – via YouTube.
  29. ^ "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan: Don't need permission to sing Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Qawwalis". The Indian Express. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  30. ^ "Pakistani Singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Accused of Smuggling Foreign Currency, ED Issues Notice". News18. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  31. ^ Dawn.com (27 January 2024). "Legendary singer Rahat issues apology, owns video of beating 'student' after online furor". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 28 January 2024.

External links