Abida Parveen, a Pakistani Sufi singer is one of the foremost exponents of Sufi music, considered the finest Sufi vocalists of the modern era.
Sanam Marvi, another Pakistani singer has recently gained recognition for her Sufi vocal performances.
Asrar Shah a
Lahore based Sufi singer who gained popularity in
Coke Studio Pakistan and now is owner of his music producing company Soul Speaks.
A. R. Rahman, the Oscar-winning Indian musician, has several compositions which draw inspiration from the Sufi genre; examples are the
filmi qawwalis
Piya Haji Ali in the film
Fiza,
Khwaja Mere Khwaja in the film
Jodhaa Akbar,
Arziyan in the film
Delhi 6 ,
Kun Faya Kun in the film
Rockstar and
Maula Wa Salim in the film
O Kadhal Kanmani. He has performed many Sufi concerts in
The Sufi Rout at
Delhi. He performed
Light Upon Light in
Dubai with
Sami Yusuf. Bengali singer
Lalan Fakir and Bangladesh's national poet
Kazi Nazrul Islam scored several Sufi songs.
Junoon, a band from Pakistan, created the genre of
Sufi rock/Sufi Folk Rock by combining elements of modern
hard rock and traditional folk music with Sufi poetry. In 2005,
Rabbi Shergill released a Sufi rock song called "
Bulla Ki Jaana," which became a chart-topper in India and Pakistan.
Madonna, on her 1994 record
Bedtime Stories, sings a song called "
Bedtime Story" that discusses achieving a high unconsciousness level. The video for the song shows an ecstatic Sufi ritual with many dervishes dancing, Arabic calligraphy and some other Sufi elements. In her 1998 song "Bittersweet", she recites Rumi's poem by the same name. In her 2001 Drowned World Tour, Madonna sang the song "Secret" showing rituals from many religions, including a Sufi dance. Singer/songwriter
Loreena McKennitt's record
The Mask and Mirror (1994) has a song called "The Mystic's Dream" that is influenced by Sufi music and poetry. The band
mewithoutYou has made references to Sufi parables, including the name of their album ''
It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright'' (2009).
Tori Amos makes a reference to Sufis in her song "Cruel".
Mercan Dede is a Turkish composer who incorporates
Sufism into his music and performances. Shohreh Moavenian is an Iranian singer who sings
Rumi's poems. She has produced two albums by the title "Molana & Shora 1 and 2" in which she incorporates elements of pop and traditional Persian music. ==See also==