Rahat brings Sufi magic

Sufi devotional music singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will be in Singapore on Oct 5 for a musical concert. It promises to showcase his mastery of the Sufi devotional music genre. He is a virtuoso of the Sufi devotional music form of qawwali, having learnt from his late uncle Nusrat Fahet Ali Khan.

Rahat's concert will be held at the Star Theatre, known for its acoustic magnificence. It is being held after a gap of two years. Rahat will be accompanied by his musical troupe and will perform his trademark blend of qawwali, along with modern tunes to spread the message of love, peace and harmony.

Expect everything, from catchy pop music to romantic ballads, from his two-hour concert.

He began training under his uncle at a very young age and was even performing for audiences. At age three, he had already taken to singing, showing great promise and training under his uncle. Although originally trained in the classical qawwali genre of music, which originated more than 700 years ago, over the years he has blended more modern tunes from Bollywood. To date, he has produced over 50 albums and appeared on the soundtrack to 75 films in Bollywood and worldwide.

In addition to innumerable Bollywood films, Rahat has worked with his uncle in a collaboration with Eddie Veder of Pearl Jam.

In 2002, he worked on the soundtrack of The Four Feathers in collaboration with the American composer of orchestral and film music, James Horner.

Rahat collaborated with The Derek Trucks Band on the song Maki Madni for Trucks' album, Joyful Noise. He has contributed to a number of Hollywood feature films including Dead Man Walking and Mel Gibson's Apocalypto.

In 2012 he toured the UK and performed at the Wembley Arena and Manchester Arena to packed crowds. His popularity transcends language and border barriers. He has also been a judge at a couple of singing reality shows.

His honours and awards for singing include Filmfare Awards, Star Screen, Mirchi Music, IIFA, Apsara Awards as well as Best International Act at the UK Asian Music Awards 2010 (UK AMAs).

His two-hour concert in Singapore on Oct 5 will begin at 7pm at the Star Theatre. Tickets are priced from $60 to $250 and can be purchased from SISTIC.

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