S. Ghilzai
October 28, 2018
Nazir Khara (نذیر خارا) is a well-known and respected member within the Afghan music industry, both as a singer and song-writer. Khara was born in 1978, in the Bibi Mahro area of Kabul, and developed his skills in music, which he always had a knack and inclination for, by attending The Music Institute in Kabul. Upon graduating, Khara studied Indian Classical Music through additional classes outside of his formal studies.
Like many Afghan artists, Nazir Khara had to leave Afghanistan because of the instability and war in the country. In 1996, he moved to the Netherlands. However, after the Taliban government was removed from power, and a new government was established, he returned to Afghanistan to teach a new generation of Afghans about music.
By 2005, Khara had single-handedly established the Education Centre for Music in Kabul, wherein students have a plethora of courses to choose from- from singing and vocal lessons, to composition of songs, musical arrangement, and instruction of music.
Khara mostly sings but plays most percussion instruments with ease, be it the tabla or the Western drum kit. Like many Afghans, he is multilingual- speaking (and singing in) Dari, Pashto, English, and Dutch. He is currently working on The Voice Afghanistan, before as a judge (Season 3), and now as a coach (starting Season 5) to discover new talent, and guide them in perfecting their craft (to then hopefully win the entire competition). In 2010, Nazir Khara’s team won second place, led by Sharif Deedar.
Both musician and teacher, Nazir Khara seems to be in the Afghan music scene for the long haul.
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