Rahat Fateh Ali Khan | |
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Background information | |
Native name | راحت فتح علی خان |
Birth name | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan |
Born | 1974 (age 42–43) Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan |
Origin | Pakistan |
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Occupation(s) |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 1985–present |
Associated acts | Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan |
Website | rfakworld |
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (born 1974), is a Pakistani musician, primarily of Qawwali, a devotional music of the Muslim Sufis. He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and son of Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan and also the grandson of Qawwali singer Fateh Ali Khan. In addition to Qawwali, he also performs ghazals and other light music. He is also popular as a playback singer in Bollywood and the Pakistan film industry.
Rahat was born into a family of Qawwals and classical singers in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan 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.
Rahat was chosen by his uncle Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for tutoring in the traditions of Qawwali music and was singing with his uncle and father by the age of three. At the age of seven he began formal training with his uncle; and he performed first time in public when he was nine, at the death anniversary of his grandfather. From age fifteen, he was made an integral part of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's well-known qawwali group. He toured the UK with his uncle in 1985, and performed solo songs in addition to singing with the Qawwali group. At a concert in Birmingham on 27 July 1985, he performed the solo ghazal, "Mukh Tera Sohneya Sharab Nalon Changa Ae". At the concert held at Harrow Leisure Centre in 1985, he performed the solo song, "Gin Gin Taare Lang Gaiyaan Rattaan". He sang Bollywood playback in the 90s and debuted as a playback singer in Bollywood with the movie Paap (2003), featuring the hit song "Mann Ki Lagan". His recent works include Pakistani nationalistic songs such as "Dharti Dharti" and "Hum Pakistan", and songs from Bollywood films. He has performed in Pakistan, India, United Kingdom and other countries. 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.