Ustad Rafaqat Ali Khan is a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

singer-songwriter and musician. Trained as a classical singer, he is the son of the classical music singer Nazakat Ali Khan and nephew of

Salamat Ali Khan Salamat Ali Khan (12 December 1934 11 July 2001) was a Pakistani vocalist and touring artist known for his contribution to the Hindustani classical music. Widely regarded as one of the greatest classical singers of the Indian subcontinent, ...

of Sham Chaurasia gharana. He is the cousin of classical music singer

Shafqat Ali Khan Shafqat Ali Khan (born 17 June 1972) is a classical singer of the khyal vocal genre, from Pakistan, belonging to the Sham Chaurasi gharana. The youngest son of Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Shafqat began performing from the age of seven, when he ...

. With his career spanning over two decades, Rafaqat Ali Khan has established himself as a successful artist releasing a total of eleven albums. He also was marked as a playback singer for ''

Krrish ''Krrish'' () is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language superhero action thriller film directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan. The film stars Hrithik Roshan in a dual role, alongside Priyanka Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah, Rekha, Sharat Saxena and Man ...

'', ''

Dhokha ''Dhokha'' () is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Pooja Bhatt and produced by Mukesh Bhatt. The film stars Muzammil Ibrahim and Tulip Joshi. The soundtrack was composed by M. M. Kreem. It revolves around a moderat ...

'' and ''

Youngistaan ''Youngistaan'' () is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romance political film directed by Syed Ahmad Afzal. It stars Jackky Bhagnani, Neha Sharma and Farooq Sheikh. The film is a love story set against the backdrop of Indian politics. It marked the ...

'' earning widespread acclaim for his singing. In 2016, Khan marked his ''

Coke Studio (Pakistan) ''Coke Studio Pakistan'' () is a Pakistani television programme and a part of the international music franchise, Coke Studio, which features studio-recorded music performances by established and emerging artists. It is the longest-running annua ...

'' debut as a featured artist and sang

Tu Kuja Man Kuja "Tu Kuja Man Kuja" ( ) is a qawwali performed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It was composed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan himself and written by Muzaffar Warsi. 2016 version In 2016, the song was covered by Rafaqat Ali Khan and Shiraz Uppal, wit ...

Coke Studio Pakistan (season 9) The ninth season of the Pakistani music television series ''Coke Studio Pakistan'' commenced airing in Pakistan on 13 August 2016, concluded on 24 September 2016 and contained seven episodes. Season 9 aired Fridays (digitally) and Saturdays (te ...

, as a part of the team of Sheraz Uppal (pal).

Early life and career

Rafaqat Ali Khan was born into a musical lineage, the Sham Chaurasia gharana of classical music, to Nazakat Ali Khan. His uncle Salamat Ali Khan was also a singer who sang with his father Nazakat Ali Khan for over half a century. His cousins

, Shujat Ali Khan and Latafat Ali Khan are all classical singers. Rafaqat graduated from

University of Punjab The University of the Punjab (UoP) is a public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South Asia; being the oldest and largest publ ...

in MA

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. Khan started his musical beginnings at very young age and was trained by his father and then uncle. He appeared in television and did shows at Radio together with his uncle and cousins. He then started singing solo and did shows in countries like

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, UK, United States,

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

, Canada, Australia, the Middle East, and many European countries. Rafaqat Ali Khan also performed at the All Pakistan Music Conference event in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

in 2016. Rafaqat Ali works was featured on the

Rishi Rich Rishpal Singh Rekhi ( Punjabi: ਰਿਸ਼ਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਰੈਖੀ, born 30 June 1976), better known by his stage name Rishi Rich, is a British-Indian music producer based in London. He began his career in the Asian Underground sce ...

's album ''The Project'' and he has recorded a song with

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

. Rafaqat Ali Khan is also known as a successful playback singer in films ''

'', ''

'', ''Silence Please... The Dressing Room'', ''

'' and received Mirchi Music Awards for Song Representing Sufi Tradition at

Mirchi Music Awards ''Mirchi Music Awards'' are presented annually by ''Radio Mirchi'' to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film music industry of India. The awards, given in seventeen different categories, were i ...

. His debut was as a featured artist by singing

with

, under Sheraz Uppal.

Filmography

Films

* ''

'' * ''

Awarapan ''Awarapan'' () is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language action crime film directed by Mohit Suri and written by Shagufta Rafique, from a story by Mahesh Bhatt and produced by Mukesh Bhatt. An uncredited remake of the South Korean film ''A Bittersweet ...

'' * ''Silence Please... The Dressing Room'' * ''

Discography

* Nishaan * Maa * Chand Se Chehre * Rahat & Rafaqat * Yaadan Teriyan * Charkha Gal Karda * Allah Tera Shukriya

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Rafaqat Ali Pakistani classical singers Pakistani classical musicians Living people Singers from Lahore Year of birth missing (living people) Vocal gharanas Classical music in Pakistan