Shahid Abbas Khan is best known for his ability to sing a wide range of styles including classical raga, ghazals, popular songs and cross-genre projects. His unique skills and versatility enables him to perform in ensemble type projects with notational-based music as well as situations that require improvisational elements.
Born and bred in London, Shahid comes from a family of renowned musicians and classical singers from the Patiala Gharana based in Pakistan. He started singing at the age of three and from the age of ten started receiving singing lessons from Pandit Vishwa Prakash and Rauf Mehndi. Shahid’s Guru from the age of 16 was and remains Ustad Hussain Baksh Gulu. Shahid’s biggest influence has been Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Since winning the 2002 UK Asian Starsearch competition, Shahid has been mentored by Kuljit Bhamra and he has appeared in many of Kuljit’s projects including Bhangra Latina (Queen Elizabeth Hall), Hollywood to Bollywood with the BBC Concert Orchestra (at The Royal Festival Hall), Hands On (Pyrotechnics Theatre Projects), Chutney in the Street! (Street Theatre) and Mantra (touring internationally with the Orlando Consort choir and singing in Latin, Portuguese, Arabic, Punjabi & Hindi). He has also appeared as a featured guest with club band Engine-Earz.
Shahid also appeared on stage in the hit musical Bend It Like Beckham – The Musical at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End. The show was nominated for five Olivier Awards and won the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical, topped Time Out’s Best West End Musical poll and won the Curtain Up Best Cast Recording Album of 2015.
Shahid and his four-piece band are managed exclusively by Kuljit Bhamra and Matters Musical.