Ustad Khyal Muhammad (, born 1946) is a

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

singer from

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He has appeared regularly on television, usually singing ghazals and in movies.

Career

Khyal Mohammad belongs to the

Afridi The Afrīdī ( ''Aprīdai'', plur. ''Aprīdī''; ) are a Pashtun tribe present mostly in tribal areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The Afridis are most dominant in the Spin Ghar range west of Peshawar in Tribal areas of modern-day Khyb ...

tribe of Pushtuns. He is originally from Tirah in Khyber Tribal District. He was born in

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

on 5 January 1946 to a musical family. His brother Saif Ul-Maluk was a popular singer in the 1960s, who often performed on Radio Peshawar. Saif introduced him to the radio station, where he first performed in 1958, aged 13. However, for the next ten years he mainly restricted himself to playing instruments such as the

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

and

harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

. In the late 1960s he began singing and recording ghazals, traditional Pashto poems, a daring gamble since the music scene at that time was dominated by folk music. His style soon became popular in Peshawar and the NWFP. After establishing his name on the local radio, in 1973–74 Khyal Mohammad appeared in his first movie, ''Dara-i-Khyber'', one of the first " Pollywood" Pashto movies. This gave his career a kick-start, and since then he has appeared in many other movies. As his popularity continued to grow, he often toured in Afghanistan, Europe, the UAR and the USA. Over the years he has recorded a volume of music, and has also appeared as a playback singer in many movies, winning many awards. He has been called the

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

of Pashto music.

Musical style

Khyal Muhammad renders ghazal songs in a traditional manner, choosing pieces that combine mysticism, romance and philosophy, usually with an undertone of melancholy. His voice has impressive range, but is always fully under control. Radio, television and movie producers have paid tribute to his professionalism and ability to produce flawless performances with minimal rehearsal. Zahoor Khan Zaiby, a Pakhtoon composer of Balochi and Sindhi tunes, says "Lala is an expert at harnessing the mood of the moment and the poetry through his voice. The songs from his films are considered Pashto anthems." One of his album is named as "Sawee Daghuna"

Awards

In 1991, Khyal was given the ''National Film Award'' for playback singer. Khyal Muhammad has received a

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

presidential award, two National Awards and a gold medal from

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

presented by Madame

Noor Jehan Noor Jehan (21 September 192623 December 2000) was a Pakistani playback singer and actress who worked in both British India and later in Pakistan's cinema of Pakistan, cinema. Her career lasted over six decades, during which she recorded 10,00 ...

. In April 2009, Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti presented a cheque for Rs one million to Khyal Muhammad on behalf of the provincial government for his services to Pushto music and ghazals. On 1 November 2016, he was awarded with the Mir Bacha Khan medal by Afghan government in a gathering at Nishtar Hall Peshawar. In 2022 Radio Pakistan, Peshawar conferred Khyal Muhammad with the 'Mehdi Hassan diamond jubilee independence award'.

References

External links

Sample videos on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad, Khyal 1946 births Living people Pakistani playback singers Pakistani male singers Pashto-language singers Pashtun male singers Musicians from Peshawar Pakistani ghazal singers Recipients of the Pride of Performance