Ustad Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (born 1974 in Faisalabad, Punjab[1], Pakistan) is a Pakistani musician, and primarily a singer of Qawwali mainly in the Punjabi language, a devotional music of the Sufis (a mystical tradition within Islam). He is the nephew of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.[1] In addition to Qawwali, he also performs ghazals and other light music. He has toured extensively and performed in Pakistan, India and all around the world.
Early life and training
Rahat was born in 1974 in Faisalabad into a family of traditional musicians. The son of Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, he was trained by his uncle Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in the art of classical music and Qawwali.[3]
Career
Rahat's first public performance was at the age of ten or eleven, when he toured the U.K. with his uncle in 1985, and performed solo songs in addition to singing with the Qawwali party.[4] At a concert in Birmingham on July 27, 1985, he performed the solo ghazal, Mukh Tera Sohneya Sharab Nalon Changa Ae. At a concert at the Harrow Leisure Centre in 1985, he performed the solo song, Gin Gin Taare Lang Gaiyaan Rattaan.
Paap (2004), featuring the hit song, Mann Ki Lagan, marked his debut as a Bollywood playback singer. He has become popular in India because of his Bollywood film songs.
Soundtracks and international contributions
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 Four Feathers in collaboration with the American composer of orchestral and film music, James Horner.[6] Also in 2002, Rahat guested with The Derek Trucks Band on the song Maki Madni for Trucks' album, Joyful Noise.
More recently, his vocals were featured on the soundtrack of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto.
His recent works include Pakistani nationalistic songs such as Dharti Dharti and Hum Pakistan, and songs from Bollywood films.