Ejaz Sher Ali Khan is a Pakistani singer and harmonium player who takes an innovative approach to qawwali while honouring the roots of its tradition. His father and uncle are the legendary qawwals Mehr Ali Khan and Sher Ali Khan, who are considered cultural torchbearers of the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Pakistan
Country of Origin: Pakistan
Domain of expertise: Performance
AKMA Cycle Year: Cycle 2019
Status: Finalist
ABOUT
Ejaz Sher Ali Khan is a Pakistani singer and harmonium player who takes an innovative approach to qawwali while honouring the roots of its tradition. His father and uncle are the legendary qawwals Mehr Ali Khan and Sher Ali Khan, who are considered cultural torchbearers of the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Kha
Ejaz Sher Ali Khan is a Pakistani singer and harmonium player who takes an innovative approach to qawwali while honouring the roots of its tradition. His father and uncle are the legendary qawwals Mehr Ali Khan and Sher Ali Khan, who are considered cultural torchbearers of the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
From an early age, Ejaz Sher Ali accompanied them on worldwide tours as an apprentice qawwal. His own international debut concert, in 2016, was at Konya’s Mystic Music Festival. Currently Ejaz Sher Ali serves as lead vocalist of the band RocQawali, a group that fuses the sounds of Sufi music with Western indie rock-and-roll. Based in Denmark, RocQawali has released albums produced by famous artists such as Mark Howard, who worked with qawwali legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and iconic Western artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and U2.
Rocqawali performed at the Danish embassy in 2014, and was nominated for the Danish Music Award in 2013 and 2015. The band has also performed at major jazz festivals, universities, clubs, and on television, has given tours in Pakistan and Russia, and has performed for and taught children from underprivileged backgrounds. In addition to his work as a member of RocQawali, Khan has released several solo videos and songs, and has taught music to students in Pakistan and abroad.