Shafqat Amanat Ali - The Official Site

About

Shafqat Amanat Ali – the Rockstar Ustad (A term coined by Bollywood music director Salim Merchant) is the biggest singing sensation to hit the subcontinent in recent times. The singer, writer, composer is the son of the legendary Pakistani singer Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, making him a part of the 9 generation old Patiala Gharana.

He has been a student of the classical music tradition of India and Pakistan since age four. He was inspired towards music by his father, his uncle Ustad Fateh Ali Khan sahib as well as Roshanara Begum, to name a few. He was role of honour from the Music Society of Government College, Lahore and has been honoured by the President's Pride of Performance in Pakistan on 14th August, 2007, making him the 6th in line from his family to receive this honour.

Shafqat’s voice represents a unique blend of classical gayaki and contemporary panache. The soul in his powerful voice has the rare ability, which can carry the listener to the peaks of ecstasy and the depths of pain within moments. This very versatility makes him a vocalist par excellence. As the soulful voice traverses a gamut of emotions, the sheer perfection of his gayaki leaves the listener spellbound.

A walk through Shafqat Amanat Ali’s journey

Shafqat Amanat Ali was the lead vocalist of the popular Pakistani band – Fuzon. Their first album ‘Saagar’ was a big hit, which features a common strain of rock melodies blended with classical and folk vocals. The opening track Aakhon Ke Saagar gave rise to their popularity within Pakistan and India. Tracks such as Akhiyan, Tere Bina and Khamaaj (Mora Saiyan) among others (most of which were composed by Shafqat for the band), became instant favourites with fans as they were played on TV and FM stations across Pakistan and India. The songs - "Mora Saiyan" and "Tere Bina" are also featured in Nagesh Kukunoor's Hyderabad Blues 2. Fuzon was the first band to release their debut album Saagar concurrently in both Pakistan and India.

Shafqat Amanat Ali became a name one recognised beyond Fuzon, when he sang the chartbuster Mitwa, for Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. The song became an instant hit and left India wanting more of this power-packed voice. He was also the voice behind the critically acclaimed song Yeh Hausla from the movie Dor, directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. No wonder then, that Shafqat Amanat Ali is extremely popular and highly respected among music lovers and critics alike. His command over the classical idiom and modern music has made him a name to reckon with!!

More About Shafqat Amanat Ali

Shafqat has more recently sung for movies such as Jo Dikhte Ho (Kya Dilli Kya Lahore), Manchala (Hasee Toh Phasee), Allah Wariyan (Yaariyan), Teri Jhuki Nazar (Murder 3), Tu Hi Mera (Jannat 2), Phir Le Aaya Dil (Barfi), Zindagi Se Chura Ke (Raaz 3), Hello (Track – Caravan), the chartbusters Tum Mile Rock Version (Tum Mile), Tere Naina (My Name is Khan), Bin Tere (I Hate Luv Stories), Shukriya Zindagi for Nagesh Kukunur’s Aashayein, the chartbuster Kyun Main Jagoon for Patiala House, Chhayee Hai Tanhai for Love Breakups Zindagi, Dildara for RaOne, Poore Se Zara Sa Kam Hai from Mausam, Darmiyan from Jodi Breakers among many others.

First Solo Album – Tabeer

Shafqat Amanat Ali launched his debut solo album in 2008 after his superhit first album Sagar with Fuzon. The album Tabeer released by Music Today made it to all the leading charts (Music World, Planet M, Rhythm House, Crossword, Landmark etc) when it was launched with a 3-city event in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The 9-track album has received rave reviews across all media from critics and music lovers.

Second Solo Album – Kyun Dooriyan

Kyun Dooriyan, launched in March 2010 was on the charts for over 26 weeks. Featuring an exciting array of high-energy rock tracks and stunning romantic ballads, the lyrics spanning different languages, the haunting compositions and the striking sound canvass align together to complete the unique musical fabric in this album.

Third Solo Album – Muh Dikhai

Muh Dikhai is Shafqat Amanat Ali’s much-awaited album after the super success of his albums “Tabeer” and “Kyun Dooriyan”. The album released by Times Music in 2015 is a beautiful mélange of Shafqat’s inimitable and versatile style of fusing various genres to create timeless melodies and songs.

The album does not remain confined to any particular genre as it includes a couple of Sufi tracks by Hazrat Amir Khusrau and Professor Mohan Singh, a semi-classical track, a ghazal originally composed by his father late Ustad Amanat Ali Khan saheb and recreated by Shafqat in a unique style for the first time. The album has been a chart-buster and the ghazal “Dil Dharhaknay Ka Sabab Yaad Aaya” features legendary Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah in the video. Among other songs are also melodious love songs, which traverse all genres from Pop to rock and ballads.

Reality Show – ZEE TV ME’s Asia’s Singing Superstar

The Rockstar Ustad was the judge on the UAE based reality music show “Asia’s Singing Superstar” along with Shankar Mahadevan from India to mentor the contestants who participated in the show from India, Pakistan and UAE. The ZEE TV reality show which ran for 3 months from November 2015 to February 2016 rated as the Number 1 show of UAE as per official ratings and was aired across the world for 3 months including UAE, USA, UK and Pakistan. Shafqat is the face of the reality show from Pakistan for all upcoming seasons.

The Music

Shafqat has been breaking boundaries and setting new trends in music ever since he broke through the scene with his first album in 2002. The album which he had composed and written with the objective of ‘sugar-coating’ Classical music to make it more accessible and appealing for the youth worldwide, became an instant rage and has gone on to become one of the most iconic Indie collections ever. His genius at creating music, which is almost beautifully unpredictable every time makes, him an artiste who traverses genres, age groups and styles seemlessly. He is one of the rare musicians who is equally adept at singing as he is at composing and song writing. There is a certain classic feel to his music inspite of it being absolutely popular. His collaborations with legends in India, Pakistan and overseas have been most appreciated by music lovers, fans and critics across the globe be it for MTV Unplugged, Coke Studio Pakistan and India as well as other collaborative individual projects. His in-depth knowledge and prowess of Classical music and a simultaneous ease in merging it with any other style makes him hugely versatile and appealing to fans from disparate sections.

His Gharana

Shafqat Amanat Ali belongs to the Patiala Gharana of gayaki. Considered to be an offshoot of the Delhi Gharana, Patiala Gharana is one of the most eminent gharanas of vocal music. History often credits the famous duo Alliya-Phattu for establishing this gharana but the man responsible for this achievement is Miyan Kalluji who provided preliminary training to his son Ali Baksh Alliya (Alliya) and his friend Fateh Ali Khan (Phattu).

This illustrious tradition and legacy of khayal gayaki continued with General Ali Baksh’s son Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan, who had three sons – Ustad Amanat Ali Khan (late), Ustad Fateh Ali Khan and Ustad Hamid Ali Khan, and now their sons take the legacy forward. This gharana produced some of the finest music exponents of our times inclusind Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Ustad Hamid Ali Khan, Asad Amanat Ali and Shafqat Amanat Ali.

Awards

Shafqat’s list of awards includes the prestigious Pride of Performance presented to him by the President of Pakistan on 14th August, 2007, making him the 6th in line from his family to receive this honour. His other awards include the Lux Award for best debut for his album Saagar and Global Indian Film Awards for Best Playback Male for Mitwa.

Nominations

Filmfare - Mitwa (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna), Dildara (Ra One) and Bin Tere (I Hate Luv Storys)
IIFA - Bin Tere (I Hate Luv Storys)
GIMA – Bin Tere (I Hate Luv Storys)
Big Star Entertainment Awards – Tere Naina (My Name Is Khan)
Zee Cine Awards – Dildara (Ra One), Tu Hi Mera (Jannat 2)