The Music of Pakistan includes diverse elements ranging from music from various parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and modern-day Western popular music influences. With these multiple influences, a distinctive Pakistani music has emerged.
The ghazal is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain.
Qawwali is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent, and notably popular in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan; in Hyderabad, Delhi and other parts of India, especially North India; as well as the Dhaka and Chittagong Divisions of Bangladesh.
The Sabri Brothers were a musical band from Pakistan who were performers of Sufi qawwali music and were closely connected to the Chishti Order. They are considered as one of the greatest Sufi qawwali singers of all times. The Sabri Brothers were led by Ghulam Farid Sabri and his brother Maqbool Ahmed Sabri. They are often referred to as Shahenshah-e-Qawwali and are also known as the roving ambassadors of Pakistan. The band was initially founded by Maqbool Ahmed Sabri at the age of 11 years and was known as Bacha Qawwal Party. His elder brother Ghulam Farid Sabri joined after insistence from their father. He became the leader of the group and the band soon became known as the Sabri Brothers. They were the first-ever qawwali artists to perform qawwali in United States and other Western countries; they were also the first-ever Asian artists to perform at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1975.
Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri, known popularly as Bulleh Shah and Bulleya, was a Punjabi philosopher and Sufi poet during 17th-century Punjab. His ancestors had migrated from Bukhara in the 14th/15th century AD. His first spiritual teacher was Shah Inayat Qadiri, a Sufi murshid of Lahore. He was a mystic poet and is universally regarded as "The Father of Punjabi Enlightenment". He lived and was buried in Kasur.
Abida Parveen is a Pakistani singer, composer and musician of Sufi music. She is also a painter and entrepreneur. Parveen is one of the highest paid singers in Pakistan. Her singing and music has earned her many accolades, and she has been dubbed as the 'Queen of Sufi music'.
Ustad Ghulam Ali is a Pakistani ghazal singer of the Patiala Gharana. He has also been a prominent playback singer in Bollywood. Ghulam Ali was a disciple of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Ali was also trained by Bade Ghulam Ali's younger brothers – Barkat Ali Khan and Mubarak Ali Khan.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is a Pakistani Singer, primarily of Qawwali, a devotional music of the Muslim Sufis. Khan is one of the biggest and highest paid singers in Pakistan. He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, son of Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan and grandson of Qawwali singer Fateh Ali Khan. In addition to Qawwali, he also performs ghazals and other light music. He is also popular as a playback singer in Hindi cinema and the Pakistan film industry.
Sufi music refers to the devotional music of the Sufis, inspired by the works of Sufi poets like Rumi, Hafiz, Bulleh Shah, Amir Khusrow, and Khwaja Ghulam Farid.
Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan is a Pakistani pop and classical singer, songwriter, and composer belonging to the Patiala Gharana tradition of music. He was the lead vocalist of the Pakistani pop rock band Fuzön until 2006 and is a prominent playback singer in the Indian film industry. The youngest son of noted classical vocalist Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, Ali started his musical training at the age of four under the tutelage of his uncle, Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan, who was widely regarded as the foremost exponent of Hindustani classical music in Pakistan.
Ustad Muhammad Juman was a Sindhi musician and classical singer from Pakistan, whose impact on Sindhi music is still pervasive.
Pakistani folk music refers to the local genre of folk music that originates from Pakistan.
Sanam Marvi is a Pakistani folk and sufi singer. She sings in Sindhi, Punjabi, and Balochi languages.
Chhaap Tilak Sab Chheeni, is a Ghazal written and composed by Amir Khusro, a 14th-century Sufi mystic, in popular Western Indian language Braj Bhasha. Due to the resonance of its melody and mystical lyrics, it is frequently heard in Qawwali concerts across South Asia. Chaapp Tilak Sab Chheeni is considered as Amir Khusru‘s most known Kalam which is basically a penned version of his imagination of devotion and the joy of oneness with the eternal one.
Dama Dam Mast Qalandar is a spiritual Sufi qawwali written in the honour of the most revered Sufi saint of Sindh, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (1177–1274) of Sehwan Sharif. The original poem was initially written by the 13th-century Sufi poet Amir Khusrow, then further modified by Bulleh Shah in the 18th century.
Tere Ishq Nachaya is a Punjabi Sufi song composed by 18th-century mystic-poet Baba Bulle Shah. It is a popular song performed by Sufi and qawwali singers, including Abida Parveen and also featured in Sufi music album, Sufi –Ishq Bada Bedardi.
Ishq Khuda is a 2013 Pakistani Punjabi-language romantic film directed by Shahzad Rafique and produced by Shafquat Chaudhry. It stars Shaan Shahid, Meera, Saima, Ahsan Khan, Humaima Malick, Wiam Dahmani and Shafqat Cheema. The film was released on 9 August 2013 and was declared a commercial success.
Shani Arshad is a Pakistani film music director, songwriter, TV jingle composer, playback singer and record producer. He has composed music for various television serials and films including Actor in Law, Na Maloom Afraad, Load Wedding, Teefa in Trouble, and The Donkey King. Shani Arshad, as a music composer, has made 13 super hit films background score and has directed 11 musical compositions in Coke Studio (Pakistan). Shani Arshad also made orchestral music with Hungarian orchestra "Budapest Film Orchestra" for the film The Donkey King.
Shehr-e-Zaat is a 2012 Pakistani spiritual romantic drama serial based on the novella of the same name by Umera Ahmad. It is directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, and produced by Momina Duraid and Abdullah Kadwani. It stars Mahira Khan, Mikaal Zulfiqar and Mohib Mirza in the leads..
Muh Dikhai: Unveiling The Songs Of Eternal Love is the third solo studio album by Pakistani classical and pop singer, songwriter, and composer Shafqat Amanat Ali. It was released in India on March 20, 2015 by the Times Music label.
