Riffat Sultana
Qawwali & Sufi Vocalist · San Francisco Bay Area
Riffat Sultana is a Pakistani-American vocalist whose voice carries the devotional fire of the Sufi tradition and the warmth of South Asian folk song. She is the daughter of the legendary Ustad Salamat Ali Khan — one of the great masters of the Sham Chaurasi Gharana — and grew up inside that living lineage of classical vocalists, absorbing raga and the discipline of khayal from childhood.
Rather than remain solely within the classical form, Riffat carried that training outward — into Sufi kalam, qawwali, and the folk songs of Punjab and Sindh — bringing their ecstatic, prayerful spirit to listeners far beyond the subcontinent. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she has become one of the most distinctive South Asian voices in American world music, with a repertoire that moves between longing and devotion, intimacy and trance.
With her signing to X DOT 25 Music, Riffat continues a family tradition that spans generations — now on a new label, and soon on a new stage. Her first two releases for the label, Entezar and Melodies of the Soul, arrive in October 2026.
Full biography and credits coming soon.
