Zila Khan is a world-renowned singer, music entrepreneur, actor, and philanthropist. She is a respected advocate of Gender Equality, and is a successor of a premier Hindustani Classical Gharana that spans seven generations, making her an ambassador of Indian Heritage and Culture.
The daughter of Sitar Maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan, she is one of the finest Sufi Singers in the world and is known for her wide repertoire and command over various music styles. She was the first artist to perform a Sufi-Jazz concert (at the Jazz-Utsav Festival). More recently, she completed her tour of the ‘Rumi Yatra’ in America – a live concert tour which she conceptualised around Rumi’s poetry combined with songs from Indian Sufi poets.
Whether it's Indian Classical, World Music, Indo-Jazz Fusion, Traditional Ghazal, or Sufi music, Zila Khan's mastery of traditional musicianship and her aesthetically woven fusion concerts are a rage with audiences especially in India, America, and Europe where she performs regularly at most major venues and festivals.
Besides being a singer, Zila Khan is also a music entrepreneur and oversees the curation of multiple music properties. She started India’s first music & comedy festival that is solely headlined by female artists. She also curates’ festivals that endeavour to conserve traditional music.
UstadGah Foundation, a not- for-profit organization, was started by Zila Khan in 2008. The organisation mentors & empowers underprivileged children who are musically talented, with the aim to help them develop meaningful careers and sustain themselves professionally & academically through music. There are currently more than a dozen UstadGah students who are performing artists, besides also having academic degrees, carrying Indian classical tradition forward in today’s music scenario.
As an actor, Zila Khan has played a supporting role alongside Deepika Padukone in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali Bollywood blockbuster Bajirao Mastani. She was the lead in a grand musical play by Teamwork written by Namita Gokhale, called Gods Graves & Grandmother, and currently essays the lead role in Lillete Dubey’s theatrical play Gauhar, which has been receiving acclaim from audience and critics around the world.
Zila Khan is one of the select artists who has featured in the Incredible India advertisement campaign for the Tourism Ministry of India. She was conferred the Incredible India Award by the Ministry of Tourism. A recipient of the Ghalib Award, she is the performer of choice at various Presidential and Prime Ministerial level receptions for state dignitaries.
In 2009, Zila Khan created a title called UstadMa to assign to female artists and address them in a professional manner, similar to how male artists are referred to as Ustad / Pandit. Before then, there was no title for female artists, and the same was reserved only for the men from the music industry, while women were addressed based on their marital status, i.e. Srimati / Kumari / Begum, which did not celebrate their professional artistry or position. Zila Khan periodically felicitates great female artists with this title to spread awareness of the importance of addressing all artists correctly and with equal respect.
Zila Khan is a highly respected supporter of Gender Equality, Women's Rights, and the Protection of Cultural Heritage, often giving Talks on the same.
Zila Khan has also made a historical Documentary called Spirit To Soul on her father the legend Ustad Vilayat Khan.