Sanam Marvi’s is a story of a little girl born to the Sufi world. Daughter of the renowned singer Fakir Ghulam Rasool, Sanam began her training at the age of seven performing with her father at Sufi shrines in Sindh and Punjab. Born with a real gift, Sanam was encouraged by her father to strive towards a career in music. Outside the Radio Pakistan building, she would sing for passersby while her father would urge people to hear her sing. It was just a matter of time before Sanam would find a way to make her dream materialize. She debuted at ‘Virsa Heritage’, a program on PTV after which she made her first solo performance at the Jahan-e-Khusrau Sufi musical Festival in 2010. 2010 also saw Sanam’s entry into Coke Studio Season 3 following which she has been featured in Seasons 4 and 5 with her renditions of several Sufi and Folk pieces. She performs Sufi concerts around the world.
Passionate in her mission to perfect her craft, Sanam later trained under Ustad Fateh Ali Khan of the Gwalior Gharana. With Sufi poetry being her primary focus, Sanam finds her essence in performing compositions in Urdu, Sindhi and Seraiki by Baba Bulleh Shah, Baba Sheikh Farid, Alam Lohar, Sachal Sarmast and the Sufi mystic Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.
‘Music is not confined by language. Wherever you go in the world, people will listen to music and always connect with it because it has its own impact and it will always make that impact. Sufi music is a different type of music and I feel that those who listen to Sufi music are a different kind of people. I do want to say that through Coke Studio, our young generation has been able to enjoy Sufi music and connect with it. The Sufi tradition has existed at Dargahs for ages now but because of a platform as this, the music has been able to connect with a lot of people which is, in my opinion, a big achievement.’
Today Sanam is one of the finest singers of the Sufi tradition of this region. It is with great pleasure that Coke Studio welcomes Sanam Marvi back to Season 6.
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