Someone once said “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” Fittingly, that quote embodies the drive and passion for spreading music that Nawaz Khan possesses.
The fifteen-year-old student of the Al Ghazali Islamic Academy has been singing for over eight years now and is intent on leaving an undeniable legacy. Though still young and untrained, Nawaz’s voice has the ability to move crowds to tears and invoke a sense of self-introspection.
Though initially taught to sing qaseedas, a form of Islamic poetry, Nawaz is very fond of the soul of qawaalis and envisions a future where he is allowed to make his mark in the music world. When he was 7, Nawaz’s father introduced him to Islamic poetry in the form of qaseeda and he was first taught to sing “nabiyo kay Sardar Muhammad.”
That initial qaseeda would later forge an unbreakable bond with Nawaz’s love for music. However, as he was being taught by his father, Nawaz did not take a liking to the hours of practice so it was initially something he showed little interest in. However, after hearing of Pakistani singer Atif Aslam, Nawaz immediately realised his calling.
He became engrossed in the music that Atif made and started his own journey. He decided to pay more attention to his music and the hours and hours of learning complicated lyrics, harmonizing and controlling his pitch seemed not enough for him. He was focusing most of his spare time to watching youtube videos and teaching himself the intricacies of the various qaseedas, Sufis and qawwalis.
“Although my father was the person who taught me my first qaseeda and got me in the whole singing thing he is not a singer. In fact, I am the first person in my family that has taken up singing and it is something that I now enjoy. I cannot see myself doing anything else other than having a career in singing,” he said.
Still a student, everything Nawaz know about singing is what he taught himself. There are times when he would have to choose whether academics or music take precedence and more than often it is the latter. However, he still performs well in school and is somewhat saddened that music does not form part of his academic studies.
“School is good for me and after I finish I plan to take music training. Atif Aslam is my role model and like him, I want to make my name known in Bollywood. I know I can accomplish that I will do that because I will work hard to get where I want to be. It is my dream and I will achieve it.”
The devout Muslim was taught the Quran at a very young age and says that he uses it to guide his everyday life. He uses the teachings of the holy book to navigate the challenges he is faced with daily.
Thus far, Nawaz has participated in a number of qaseeda competition both locally and regionally. He has certainly placed his name out there as a force to be reckoned with and someone who is passionate about what he does. He credits his success to his parents Abdul Hamid and Nalima Nesha everyone who has been his supporter from day one.
“Singing is relaxing for me. When I sing I forget everything else and I go to place where it is just me and the music, a place where I am peaceful and happy. I sing from my heart and I am sure people realise that I have the potential to go very far.”
