30 January 2014 www.bahrainthismonth.com happeningsthismonth A multi-award winning sufi stalwart who has mesmerised million across the world comes to Bahrain with his special brand of music. A spectacular concert is expected as Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and his entourage of 20 musicians takes to the stage on January 10 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre. Even before the official announcement of the event took place, the social media was abuzz with great amount of excitement around the event. The organisers are expecting a great response with the show having already received an unparalleled amount of enquires and bookings. “We have been dealing with 80 to 100 calls a day, which shows the singer’s popularity and the public’s love for him,” says Savio Sumanna of Epic Concepts, the organisers of the show. “We have received messages, calls and e-mails from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and European countries as well.” The singer strikes a special chord with people from the Indian Subcontinent. A Pakistani by birth, he is the nephew of a sufi legend, the late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Under his tutelage, Rahat developed his craft and started touring around the world when he was merely a boy. He rose to being his uncle’s main side singer in the 90s and performed with him on quite a few of his albums. After his death in 1997, Rahat became the main singer in the group. He accompanied Nusrat on the famous soundtrack for the 1995 hit Dead Man Walking and more recently sang for the film Four Feathers. His first big international solo album, Rahat, was produced by Rick Rubin and was released in 2001. He credits his musical finesse and range to his uncle who according Rahat, “created a bouquet of a variety of styles such as qawwali, thumri, ghazal and many more.” Rahat today has a number of soulful melodies, many of them Bollywood chartbusters, under his belt. He is expected to perform many of these at the concert, as well as his inimitable collection of qawwalies, for which he is best known. “Rahat is a world-class performer having sold out arenas all around the globe,” adds Savio. “This is his first performance in Bahrain and the artist is much excited about it. He’s been impressed with the kind of response we have received so far and is looking forward to meeting his fans.” As his name Rahat, which is Urdu for relief, suggests, we hope this encounter with the legend with be a melodic respite for the Kingdom as well. E Call 33 283-939 or email on [email protected]. Known for performances that range from spellbinding qawwalies to soulful sufi renditions, this super star from the Subcontinent makes a musical stop over in the Kingdom. Sufi for the Soul Rahat Fateh Ali Khan When? January 10 | Event? Musical concert | Venue? Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre To listen to a video message from Rahat, scan the QR code below on your mobile device.
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