Sonny Mehta is the lead vocalist, composer and arranger for Riyaaz Qawwali, with training in classical music (Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet) under Pt. Suman Ghosh, Pt. Ravi Kant, Mrs. Anita Slawek, Mr. Dilawar Singh and Sri Chandrakantha Courtney. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Jagjit Singh and his grandfather have been Sonny’s greatest musical influences.
Riyaaz Qawwali formed in the winter of 2006 under the leadership of Sonny Mehta. Soon after, the group decided to venture out from their usual repertoire of more classical compositions to attempt performing qawwali. Besides Qawwali, Sonny enjoys dabbling in photography and poetry.
Qawwali is an amazing genre of music, with lively rhythmic cycles, gripping melodies and a unique approach to adding improvisational poetry. Hence, it is no wonder that since that winter, this genre has gripped the attention of each musician that has joined the group. It is the party’s goal to re-familiarize audiences in the United States with this unique musical style.
More than 700 years since Amir Khusro composed the famous qaul ‘Man Kunto Maula’, Riyaaz Qawwali envisions modernizing the genre for today's audience, while staying true to the ethos of qawwali. In this regard Riyaaz idolizes Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who took semi-classical qawwali to new heights of popularity in both the Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet as well as the World Music circles through the 1980s and the 1990s.
Riyaaz Qawwali hopes to take this niche tradition of Sufiana Kalaam and expand its reaches by introducing newer poets to traditional compositions and modernizing the sound while keeping authentic elements, all in efforts to reach new audiences.
The songs which constitute the qawwali repertoire are mostly in Urdu and Punjabi (almost equally divided between the two), although there are several songs in Brajbhasha and Persian. The poetry is implicitly understood to be spiritual in its meaning and the central themes are love, devotion and longing (for the Divine).
Besides Qawwali, Sonny enjoys dabbling in photography and poetry.
You tube links:
Tere Ishq Nachaya - Riyaaz Qawwali: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqx9MQlYbjs
Man Kunto Maula - Riyaaz Qawwali: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LR9rcnZ918
Chaap Tilak - Riyaaz Qawwali : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qZZ3hCEq7U