Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

Early life

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

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.

His son Shahzaman Fateh Ali Khan is also a Qawwali singer, and a 2025 performance went viral as netizens compared his voice to that of Nusrat's.

Career

Rahat performed publicly for the first time, when he was nine, on 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".

In 2011, after his release from a high-profile Customs case in India, Rahat was touring the US where one of his promoters, Chitresh Srivastava, died in a car crash. 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.

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. He is also touring with Leo Twins from Nescafé Basement regularly.

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 that he doesn't need anyone's permission to sing his songs.

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. 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. In 2008, he sang the song "Teri Ore" for the movie Singh Is Kinng alongside Shreya Ghoshal.

Television

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

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. He performed Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's most memorable qawwali "Tumhe Dillagi" and "Mast Qalandar", and he also sang "Aao Parhao" there.

Musical shows

Coke Studio

Rahat has appeared in five editions of the Pakistani musical show Coke Studio.

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

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. 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.

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

MTV Unplugged

Rahat had appeared in MTV Unplugged (India) in 2016.

Personal life

Within his household, Rahat is affectionately known as 'Tipu'. Rahat had a father-son like relationship with his uncle, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Rahat accompanied his uncle, Nusrat, on his tours since age 5, and was selected by him to lead the touring party after his demise. Rahat was also very close to his mother, who died in 2005, as Rahat could not afford money for her treatment. His career however took off after her death. Rahat later admitted in interviews that India had been "kinder" to him. In 2011, Rahat and his entourage were held by the Indian Customs for undeclared goods. In 2013, Rahat himself penned his first song Sab Jhoote () after being "fed up" with his own management and the music industry. In 2018, Rahat was at the center of a public rift among the members of the Fateh Ali Khan family regarding song rights. In 2024, after ousting his long time manager and promoter Salman Ahmed, Rahat appointed his in-laws. The same year, Rahat was embroiled in another controversy after appearing to assault one of his house help, for which he later publicly apologized.

In 2001, Rahat married Nida with whom he has 2 daughters, Maheen and Filza, and a son, Shahzaman.

Discography

Main article: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan discography

Awards and nominations

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

References

References

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3. (14 July 2017). "You can't listen to them if you can't afford them…". [[The Express Tribune]].
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13. (2023-02-10). "'Mann Ki Lagan' was written by Amjad Islam Amjad".
14. Gupta, Priya. (24 Jan 2015). "I still cry remembering Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab: Rahat". [[Times of India]].
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19. (2021-01-05). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan overwhelmed as 'Zaroori tha' crosses 1bn views". The Times of India.
20. (10 November 2019). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan enthrals audience with magic of fusion in US, UK concerts".
21. (4 June 2018). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan: Don't need permission to sing Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Qawwalis".
22. "James Horner, Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan* – The Four Feathers".
23. (1 February 2016). "Soulful Rahat Fateh Ali leaves behind an evening to remember". [[Gulf Times]].
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27. (22 November 2014). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to perform at Nobel Peace Prize Award ceremony". Pakistan Today.
28. (7 December 2014). "Rahat to sing 'Aao Parhao' anthem at Nobel Peace Prize Concert". [[The Express Tribune]].
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35. (8 October 2018). "'Afreen Afreen' becomes first Pakistani song to cross 200 million views".
36. Images Staff. (6 August 2016). "Amjad Sabri, Rahat Fateh, Abida Parveen kick-start Cokestudio 9 with an emotional tribute".
37. (12 February 2017). "MTV Unplugged Season 5 Episode 6 (All Songs) – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan". [[MTV Unplugged (India)]].
38. "कपिल ने गाया राहत फ़तेह अली ख़ान का गाना (Season 1)". youtube.com.
39. Muzaffar, Erum Noor. (9 Aug 2019). "'I am all in favour of education for women' –– Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan".
40. (5 June 2018). ""I do not need permission to sing what belongs to my family and me."".
41. Iqbal, Noushin. (10 Aug 2016). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan: 'My uncle was the Voice'". [[The Guardian]].
42. (24 Jan 2024). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan parts ways with promoter, hands over control to wife and brother-in-law; promoter says, 'I managed his 3 marriages and children'". [[The Times of India]].
43. (1 Feb 2024). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan breaks silence on viral assault video; King Charles' Trust severs ties with Pakistani singer". [[India Times]].
44. Hasan, Fatima. (24 Dec 2025). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's daughter Maheen breaks silence on wedding backlash".