There is a famous musician, Peter Gabriel, who has used my voice in the movie, ‘The Last Temptation of Christ.’ He used my song in the background.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANThere is a famous musician, Peter Gabriel, who has used my voice in the movie, ‘The Last Temptation of Christ.’ He used my song in the background.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANMy father gave me formal education in raagdari. He died in Lahore in 1964 when I was 13. I was in the tenth year of school, and my father’s brother took me into the qawwali ensemble and started giving me formal education in qawwali.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANAs the times change, people change, and so do their tastes, so I try to understand what the public wants, what they require. I have tried to make the music a bit easier for them to understand.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANWhen people start dancing, they dance like they don’t know they are doing it.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANThere are two languages that I love: Farsi and Panjabi. Because the depth of Sufi thought in these two languages cannot be found in any other language.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANI am not a Sufi, but I follow the Sufi.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANIn my opinion, being an all-rounder is good. It is not right that I should be content with qawwali and ignore other forms, since I am basically trained in classical singing. We should be masters of all forms of singing.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANI like to experiment with my voice, besides music.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANIt is not necessary that the scion of a singing family, even if he sings, can excel in it. In order to reach his peak he has to work very, very hard.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANYes, I tried to change the classical style in a way that people who don’t understand it can enjoy.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANI do listen to other music though, and try to pick up what is good.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANYou’ve got to sing from the depths of the heart. Without heart, you cannot be a Qawwal.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANThere should be change – the West should understand our music and culture, and vice versa. With such collaboration, artists can come closer to each other and come to know each other.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANI was just studying with my father, a very difficult task for me since he was a great, great Qawwali singer.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANPeople listened to Farsi texts, and to the great texts of our Baba Bulleh Shah, Khwaja Ghulam Farid, Mian Mohammad Bakhsh Jehlmi. People do listen to it these days, but much less than in those days.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHANFrom childhood, I had been instructed in the tablaa by my father, along with the astaais and antaraas specific to our Gharana.
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN