Rahat Fateh Ali Khan considers Karachi an important venue for his performances, and he makes it a point to perform in the city frequently. On his visit to the city last week, he got in touch with Images on Sunday for a thorough update.

The biggest music story of this year is inarguably Rahat’s performance to a packed house at the United Nations General Assembly hall on the eve of Pakistan Day. The concert entitled Sufi Night — Music of Peace was aimed at spreading the message of international peace and harmony on the world stage.

“It was a wonderful experience. Firstly, it was Pakistan Day, which is an important day for every Pakistani, including myself. I could literally feel the spirit of patriotism coursing through me as I performed in front of the packed audience. Secondly, the attendees were so well-reputed. The concert was attended by diplomats, UN officials and representatives of civil society, media and others. It was a great feeling to be able to represent Pakistan on such a platform. Thirdly, I thoroughly enjoyed the performance as an artist. As Dama Dam Mast Qalandar was played out, the entire hall rose up and started singing in unison. I don’t think there has ever been a bigger moment of pride for any artist.”

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan makes Pakistan proud by performing at the United Nations General Assembly on Pakistan Day!

The performance proves that our music plays a vital role in the promotion of a positive image of Pakistan in the global arena. Rahat seconds this notion. “The late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan performed at various international festivals. All such performances project the creative and positive side of Pakistan. Here, I would specially like to request our government to support the cause of music by facilitating musicians to attend various festivals where they can perform free of cost.”

Rahat has now shifted his attention more towards Sufi/classical music. “Everything has a time frame. I think my listeners decide what they want to hear from me. And in recent times, I’ve felt that they want me to do more of Sufi/qawwali music which is eternal.”

Does this mean he will put a stop to film music?

“Of course not! All my other projects will continue alongside.”

He thinks the corporate promotion of music has a very important role to play in Pakistan. “Here, I would especially like to mention Coke Studio and Nescafé Basement as these initiatives have revived and popularised old Pakistani compositions with modern audiences.”

Rahat remains optimistic when it comes to Pakistani music. “I’m very happy with the upward projection of Pakistani music on the international popularity charts. As I’ve just mentioned, CS has done wonders for our music industry and I think each producer has done an astounding job. Hard work always pays off.”

On the issue of social media and music, he sounds quite pragmatic. “It’s an effective way of promoting one’s music. But I’ve also always believed that good music gets promoted no matter what. Our artists must concentrate on their music.”

After Independent films like Ho Mann Jahan, Wrong No, Jawani Phir Nahi Ani etc, Rahat believes that Pakistan’s film industry is following an upward trend. “It’s great to witness good movies defining the success of our film industry. Moreover, he fully agrees with the notion that there should be a fully-equipped world music academy. His concept is pretty interesting: he plans to bring in maestros from all over the world to teach its music students. “It would be a hands-on experience for novices right from the beginning of their careers.” He describes it as “guitar-meets-tabla”.

There is so much to talk about when matters come to Rahat’s future plans. On the collaborative front, he plans to join a Hollywood project which features Madonna and other renowned artists. He also plans on collaborating with Sami Yusuf on a Sufi album. Then, his Just Qawwali concerts will be a part of various international music festivals starting sometime soon. Rahat says plans are already in place for the Coventry Sufi Festival in August, followed by a concert in Manchester and the ‘big one’ at 02 Arena, London.

Finally, when IoS asks him regarding the ‘next big thing’, he replies with a grin, “A performance at the Oscars, maybe!”

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, May 22nd, 2016