Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, nephew of late music maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, has said that he doesn't require permission to sing his uncle's famous songs. His comments come shortly after the Nusrat's daughter held a press conference claiming to own all the rights to his qawwalis.
The Tere Mast Mast Do Nain hit maker was recently asked if he required permission to sing qawwalis originally made famous by his uncle. To this, Rahat replied, "I am the successor (janasheen) and adopted son of my ustad and uncle. Why would I need any permission?"
According to Rahat, asking for permission to re-sing a song has never been done in the Fateh Ali clan. "This has never been the scenario in history and the legacy of our family, which has a rich heritage of over 600 years in the field of qawwali and Sufi music," he told the media. "When my father Ustad Farrekh Fateh Ali Khan and uncle Nusrat recited kalams of my grandfather Ustad Fateh Ali Khan and other members of our family, no permissions were required. We are a family and everything belongs to us as a family."
He added, "I've kept the family tradition alive since I was made the successor by Uncle Nusrat over 20 years ago. I have performed at the Noble Peace Prize ceremony where, in fact, I was the headline performer. I've also performed at the UN General Assembly. It's my families name and legacy which I'm carrying and as a tradition, tomorrow my brother and son will carry it."
"I have one of the best teams and management, who have taken the name of our family globally at a time when qawwali and Sufi music was nearly forgotten. I have a world tour this year," the singer went on to say. "I hope this clarifies any ambiguities and the fact that I do not need any permission to sing what belongs to my family and me."
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Guitarist and music producer Salman Ahmed also lent his support to Rahat. "There have been many golden voices such as Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Jagjit Singh and many more. But at times they are forgotten as no one is there to keep it alive," he said. "However, Rahat has kept the flame of this family alive by relentlessly performing across the globe. It is because of him that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is remembered."
Just last week, in a press conference held at the Lahore Press Club, Nusrat's daughter Nida shared plans of taking action against people who have used her father's song without permission.
"After my father's death, I possess the rights to his music. I will be taking strict action against the people who are using them and will also be taking them to court," Nida had said.
When asked if she was also taking action against Rahat, she explained, "I am not going against him; he's a brother to me. I'm only taking action against the people who have misused my father's music and claimed it as their own."
According to Nida, Indian musicians plagiarising Nusrat's work will also be held accountable and served a legal notice. On providing details of the notices sent to production houses in both Pakistan and India, Nida revealed she will be holding another conference in the near future to address all such concerns.
