Khushbakht Niyozov was born in the Shugnan district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan in 1986. A master of the Afghan/Badakhshani rubab, he studied at the Tajik State Institute of the Arts, where he now also teaches music. He is a member of the Badakhshan Ensemble, featured on the Aga Khan Music Initiative’s international performance roster. He also performs with the Pamir Traditional Music Ensemble, a project of the Tajik Ministry of Culture.