Mehdi Hassan

Bio

Mehdi Hassan (1927–2012) was a Pakistani ghazal and playback singer widely regarded as one of the greatest voices in South Asian classical and light-classical music. Born in Rajasthan and later based in Karachi, he trained in classical music under his father Ustad Azeem Khan and uncle Ustad Ismail Khan before rising to prominence in the 1960s with radio and film recordings. His rich baritone and command of both classical forms and the poetic ghazal earned him the title "Shahenshah-e-Ghazal." Over a career spanning five decades he recorded hundreds of songs for Pakistani and Indian films as well as numerous non-film ghazal albums, influencing generations of singers across the subcontinent.