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.
Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan was among the foremost Khyal vocalists in Pakistan, and a leading exponent of the Patiala Gharana tradition of music. He was the younger of the legendary singing duo Amanat Ali and Fateh Ali, who enjoyed immense prestige and success across the subcontinent and beyond until the sudden and unexpected death of Ustad Amanat Ali Khan in 1974. For his contributions to classical music, Fateh Ali was honoured with the highest national literary award of Pakistan — the Pride of Performance — by the President of Pakistan in 1969.
Iqbal Bano was a Pakistani singer who specialized in ghazal. She is popularly known by her honorific title Malika-e-Ghazal(The Queen of Ghazal) in both Pakistan and India. She was known for her semi-classical Urdu ghazal songs and classical thumris, but also sang easy-listening numbers in the 1950s films. In 1974, she became the recipient of the Pride of Performance award.
Ustad Amanat Ali Khan was a Pakistani classical vocalist from the Patiala gharana tradition of music and is widely regarded as one of the finest classical and ghazal singers of all time. Together with his younger brother, Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan, he formed a famed singing duo that garnered widespread popularity across the Indian subcontinent. For his contributions to classical music, Amanat Ali was honoured with the highest national literary award of Pakistan – the Pride of Performance – by the President of Pakistan in 1969. Khan was especially noted for khayal, thumri, and ghazal styles of singing and has been described as "the maestro of the Patiala gharana." He stands with singing icons like Mehdi Hassan and Ahmed Rushdi, having left behind a legacy of hundreds of classical and semi-classical songs.
Ghulam Hassan Shaggan was a Pakistani classical music singer of the Gwalior Gharana from the Hindustani classical music genre. Ustad Ghulam Hassan Shaggan was the recipient of numerous awards including the Pride of Performance (1988) and Sitara-e-Imtiaz (2000) from the Government of Pakistan.
The All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) is a volunteer organization founded in 1959 for the promotion of classical arts in Pakistan and continues to preserve and promote Pakistani classical and folk music and dance. It hosts a concert of music every month and a 5 day annual festival in Lahore, Pakistan typically in the last weekend of October. It has a chapter in Karachi as well. Ever since its inception, it has been a constant source of inspiration for thousands of music lovers nationwide.
Ustad Muhammad Juman was a Sindhi musician and classical singer from Pakistan, whose impact on Sindhi music is still pervasive.
Shaukat Ali, also known as Shaukat Ali Khan, was a Pakistani folk singer.
Allah Rakha, also referred to by the title Ustad, was a Pakistani sarangi player and often performed with music groups on Pakistan Television. Among the music instruments of the Indian sub-continent, sarangi is a complex and difficult to play stringed instrument. According to Allah Rakha's obituary in The News International newspaper, "It should not be forgotten that to play the sarangi well is a feat in itself; it requires decades of dedicated application."
Coke Studio is a Pakistani television programme and international music franchise which features studio-recorded music performances by established and emerging artists. It is the longest-running annual television music show in Pakistan, running annually since 2008.
Ustad Rais Khan was a Pakistani sitarist. At his peak he was regarded as one of the greatest sitar players of all time. He continued performing till his last days. He moved from India to Pakistan in 1986, where he took up Pakistani citizenship.
Fariha Pervez is a Pakistani pop singer-songwriter, and a music producer.
Badar uz Zaman was a Pakistani classical singer. He contributed to Pakistani Classical Music by promoting and re-interpreting compositions of the sub-continent's Muslim composers. Zaman performed with his brother, Ustad Qamar-uz-Zaman, carrying forward the Pakistan's own "Kasur Gharana" traditions of the art of Khayal music. Classical singers typically represent Indian Gharanas of Music.
Ustad Barkat Ali Khan was a Pakistani classical singer, younger brother of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and elder brother of Mubarak Ali Khan, and belonged to the Patiala gharana of music.
Amjad Parvez was a Pakistani engineer, writer, and singer.
Sahir Ali Bagga is a Pakistani singer, music director and composer from Lahore, who composes music for Lollywood and other independent singers.
Mian Shaukat Hussain was a Pakistani tabla player who belonged to the Punjab gharana of tabla-playing music artists.
The Barabri Party Pakistan, a political party founded in 2017 by musician/singer, political activist, social worker and intellectual Jawad Ahmad. The party's name, Barabri, is an Urdu word meaning 'equality' because the fundamental underlying philosophy of the party is equitable distribution of resources and equality of access to opportunities for all citizens of Pakistan regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality or gender.
Sharafat Ali Khan was a Pakistani classical singer. He used to sing in various Hindustani classical genres such as thumri, kafi, khayal and ghazal throughout his career.
