Born on October 13, 1967, in Nagpur, Maharashtra, nationally acclaimed Indian artist Altaf Raja is primarily a singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis. With professional Qawwali parents, he was destined for the tradition and began training at the age of 15. His breakthrough came in 1997 with the release of his debut album for Venus, Tum To Thehre Pardesi. That same year he landed a cameo in the Indian Hindi-language action film Shapath, also singing on the soundtrack for another action film, Yamraaj, the following year. After playing himself again in 1999 comedy Mother, he set about releasing his second studio album for Venus, Mujhe Apna Bana Lo, with a second LP, Aaj Ki Raat Na Ja Pardesi, following later on in 1999. During the early '00s he continued to work as a playback singer and release albums, including Harrjaiie, a collection of eight stirring tracks covering everything from rain to heartbreak. The 2010s saw him release several albums, including 2015's BumGola with Raj Mittal for Zee Music Company, and in 2021 he released Saath Kya Nibhaoge with Tony Kakkar.
