Musical forms are kept alive, passed down through familial lineages. One of these is qawwali, the traditional form of sung Sufi poetry. What happens when such an inheritance is amplified tenfold? For qawwali singers Rizwan and Muazzam Ali Khan, the legacy they carry bears extra weight: their late uncle is none other than Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a famed qawwali singer credited for revolutionising the form, increasing its appeal to new listeners, and introducing it to a global audience. His exaltations were especially intense and spirited, uplifted by his soaring vocals and acrobatic vocal improvisations.  

While Nusrat commanded the stage alone, Rizwan and Muazzam often bounce off each other in their performances, playing with call and responses—with the necessary musical flourishes from their ensemble. While in Singapore for A Tapestry of Sacred Music 2026, they gave us a look into what a typical qawwali performance would look like—intimate, acoustic and deeply impactful, beyond the large, amplified performances that Rizwan and Muazzam are now used to.

Special thanks to Camera Rental Centre Singapore and Lotto Carpet Gallery for their support of this video. 

Audio recording & mixing: Ian Lee from PK Records 
Video: Gareth Christopher from PK Records; Edward Tan