Lauded for her mesmerizing vocals, UstadeMaa Zila Khan has been called “the Sufi legend of the new millennium.” She is a daughter and disciple of the late maestro sitarist Ustad Vilayat Khan, and was the first woman in the Khan family – whose musical lineage goes back seven generations – to sing in public.
A leading Sufi vocalist in India, she performs in the Imdadkhani gharana (tradition) of her admired family. In addition to Sufi songs, she has a commanding style in classical ragas and has revived the ancient style of ghazals (semi-classical songs).
With her elegant voice and extensive classical training, Zila Khan elevates Sufi song – powerful, soulful, and jubilant – to that of high art. With a voice that spans 3 ½ octaves, she sings in Urdu, Persian and Arabic, the languages of the great Sufi mystical poets of the past such as Hazrat Amir Khusrau and Jalaluddin Rumi.
Zila Khan sings of secular love transformed into divine love, of longing for the unattainable, of being at one with God, and of the ecstasy of the soul immersed in beauty. While an understanding of the nuances of language assuredly enhances the experience, her art can be appreciated for the pure beauty and rhythmic intricacy of her voice. It is the same art that brought millions of Americans and Europeans to experience qawwali through the powerful voice of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Zila Khan began her music studies at a time when women were rarely allowed to perform outside their home, and credits her father for wanting her to be “heard by everybody.” In a public ceremony, he made her his gandabandh shagird (formal student), enabling her to carry his name forward as one of his successors. She is now regarded as a national treasure in India and has gained worldwide fame, performing at many distinguished venues and events, including Lincoln Center, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and the Commonwealth Games in India (2010).
In 2006, she made an award-winning documentary, Spirit to Soul, on the life and music of her celebrated father’s life, and, in 2008, she established the Ustadgah school, where she is currently teaching. She is a member of various Indian delegations, supporting projects on gender equality, education for the underprivileged, and empowerment of women.
Her recordings include Secrets of the Divine, which features compositions by Ms. Khan; Sar Masti, which features lyrics by the great Sufi Hazrat Amir Khusrau; and her CD, Zila – The Girl Child (HMV Saregama), in which she researched, composed, and sang the words of Hazrat Rabia Al Basri, the first female Sufi mystic (717-801 CE).
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.