Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is, simply put, one of the greatest voices the world has ever produced. As the Shahanshah-e-Qawwali, he took Sufi devotional music far beyond South Asia, collaborating with Peter Gabriel and Western artists while never diluting his roots. What moves me is that you don't need to understand the words; his voice reaches the soul directly. Japan honored him with the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in 1996, recognition he richly deserved. Losing him at just 48 in 1997 robbed music of decades more genius. Every time I listen, I'm reminded that singing, at its highest, is prayer made audible.

Name (English)

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Name (Japanese)

ヌスラト・ファテー・アリー・ハーン

Reading

ぬすらと・ふぁてー・ありー・はーん

Born

October 13, 1948 – August 16, 1997

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Libra / Rat

Origin

Faisalabad, Faisalabad District, Pakistan

Occupation

singer / composer / music educator / storyteller / recording artist

Awards & achievements

• Pride of Performance
• Nigar Awards
• 1996 Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize
• Lux Style Awards

• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nusrat%20Fateh%20Ali%20Khan
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%8C%E3%82%B9%E3%83%A9%E3%83%88%E3%83%BB%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%83%86%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%8F%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q299073

Tags

• Faisalabad District
• singer
• composer
• music educator

Last updated

2026-06-17

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.