Shishir Parkhie

In the artist’s words: Describe one of your earliest musical memories in detail. My earliest musical memory is sitting with a tabla at the age of three, instinctively responding to rhythm before I could understand music. That early bond with sound and emotion shaped my lifelong journey with ghazals. What are your top 3 all-time favorite albums on Apple Music, and why? Why did you choose these three albums in particular? Begum Akhtar, Mallika-E-Ghazal Chitra Singh, Come Alive in a Live Concert with Chitra Singh and Jagjit Singh Mehdi Hassan, Exclusive Classical Ghazals by Mehdi Hassan They shaped my musical foundation—Jagjit Singh Ji’s intimate expression, Begum Akhtar’s emotional truth, and Mehdi Hassan’s classical discipline together define how I understand and present ghazals today. Find a song of yours on Apple Music that you love and tell us what makes it special. Tell us why you chose this song. “Aa Chandni Bhi” I love Aa Chandni Bhi from my album Roomaniyat. It earned my first GIMA nomination in the Best Ghazal Album category, alongside the legendary Jagjit Singh Ji. Written by Bashir Badr—my favourite poet—it remains a mehfil favourite. What’s one of the most memorable moments in your career so far? One of the most memorable moments of my career was receiving my first nomination at the Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) Awards. It affirmed my belief that sincere poetry and thoughtfully composed ghazals always find their audience. Is there anything left on your bucket list as an artist or band? I would love to create more original ghazals that bring timeless Urdu poetry to younger listeners, and to take the ghazal tradition to new global audiences while staying rooted in its classical soul.