Rashid Ali (singer)

Rashid Ali is an Indian singer, guitarist, and composer known for his vocal performances in Bollywood films such as Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na^[1] (for which he sang “Kabhi Kabhi Aditi”).

Rashid was spotted at a concert in London by A. R. Rahman who invited him to be part of his Unity of Light concert. There, he performed a jazz-centric fusion of "Ooh La La La" and he has been a regular feature of Rahman's shows since. He started providing vocals for Rahman for Paarthale Paravasam in 2002. He provided vocals to two songs in the coming-of-age romantic comedy film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, which earned him nominations for best male playback singer in Filmfare, Stardust, Star Screen Awards and Radio Mirchi Awards 2008–2009. His songs include "Call Me Dil" and "Cry Cry" from Jhootha Hi Sahi. He is also a professional guitarist, usually associated with Rahman's film soundtracks. He played guitar and provided vocals for Kabhi Kabhi Aditi, for which he composed the introductory guitar riff, "Ishq Ada Hai", and, most recently, he played the steel-string rhythm guitar for "Call Me Dil" from Jhootha Hi Sahi.

Rashid completed his debut album titled Call Me Rashid, produced by Rahman. The music was composed and arranged by Rashid and Bollywood actress Tabu made her music video debut through this album.^[2] Call Me Rashid was launched by Artist Aloud (Hungama Digital Media) on 28 November 2011. Each song was composed and arranged by Rashid, with Rahman producing under his own label, KM Music. He also provided vocals for "Sun Lo Zara" with Shreya Ghoshal and "Timmy" for Ek Deewana Tha, released on 16 February 2012.^[3]

On 1 November 2012, he performed with Rahman in Bhopal, India, for the anniversary of the formation of Madhya Pradesh. In 2013, Rashid recorded a romantic number for the Raanjhanaa soundtrack, also composed by Rahman. The song is his first duet with Neeti Mohan, entitled "Nazar Laaye". In response to critical acclaim for the song, Rashid produced and released a single featuring Mohan called "Tu Hai" ('Autumn Love').

In November 2014, Rashid launched a series of YouTube videos called 'Rashid's Jam Room' in which he sings and plays guitar, often collaborating with other artists.

In 2015, Rashid collaborated with sitar player and composer Niladri Kumar on an instrumental composition titled "Head to the Heart", a fast-paced original jugalbandi duet of acoustic guitar and sitar.^[4]

Ali was born in Hyderabad, India, and raised in London. His father is a retired businessman and his mother is a ghazal singer who trained with Ghulam Mustafa Khan.^[1]

• Rashid Ali at IMDb