Sonu Nigam credits Atta Ullah Khan Esakhelvi for his career breakthrough

Singer reflects on Khelvi’s timeless influence on himself and other musicians in the region.

In a recent interview with Bollywood entertainment journalist, Faridoon Sheharyar, renowned playback singer Sonu Nigam revealed that his career gained significant momentum when he delivered his rendition of Acha Sila Diya Tune Mere Pyar Ka, originally by Atta Ullah Khan Esakhelvi. 

Sonu credited his success to the legacy of Esakhelvi. “He is a beautiful soul and holds great importance in my life” said Sonu. He shared how meaningful it was when Esakhelvi himself called him personally to express that he performed the song well. “I was just nineteen at that time. It was very kind of him.” 

This is not the first time Sonu has expressed genuine sentiments for Pakistani artists. In December of 2023, he released a song called Sun Zara, which was criticised shortly after by Omer Nadeem because it closely resembled one of his songs called Aye Khuda, released in 2009. Sonu addressed this by claiming that he was not aware of Nadeem’s earlier work and apologised publicly. He even said that Nadeem sang it way better than he did himself. In response, Nadeem expressed admiration for Sonu and clarified his comments were not a personal attack as he himself was a fan of Sonu’s music. 

A few years prior, in August of 2020, Sonu expressed how deeply moved he was by a performance he saw by Soch the Band and Hadiya Hashmi on Nescafe Basement season 5. Earlier that same year, He met the veteran singer Sajjad Ali, who allowed Sonu’s sister to cover one of his own songs Katna Nai completely free of cost. For this, Sonu expressed his gratitude and commented on the depth of character behind Sajjad’s artistry. 

In a time of heightened cross border tension, Sonu’s remarks about Pakistani artists serve as a reminder of the artistic heritage that both countries share. 

Esakhelvi has yet to comment on this.