Sukhawat Ali Khan

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Sukhawat Ali Khan, son of Indian-Pakistani vocalist Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and nephew of Nazakat Ali Khan[1], is a Qawwali singer in the Sham Chorasi tradition[2], as well as a performer of North Indian and Pakistani classical music and related folk music[3]. He began singing and playing the harmonium at age seven[4] and has performed around the world.[5] He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area[6] where he performs in the world-fusion ensemble Shabaz (formerly the Ali Khan Band) with his sister Riffat Salamat and her husband Richard Michos[7].

About his heritage and music, Ali Khan has said:

Each song I do has classical thought behind it and I know how to sing it properly, but my style comes from my life too. I spent time in New York. I go to clubs. I like the hip hop beat, Latin, rave. ... There's a performing energy there that I also feel. It's the same kind of energy a good Qawwali singer has, and we can really express it freely in America.

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