# Khatija Rahman

Khatija Rahman (born 29 December 1995) is a music composer and singer from Chennai, India.

## Life and career

She made her playback debut in the acclaimed 2010 sci-fi action feature Enthiran, singing the title track in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi alongside musical legends including her father A. R. Rahman and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. Khatija has also collaborated with iconic Irish band U2 on their 2019 single "Ahimsa", which showcased the power of non-violence; she performed this track for U2's 2019 Joshua Tree Tour in Mumbai.
Her debut album, ‘Kuhu Kuhu’ (2023), is a collection of melodic renditions that pay tribute to music luminary Lata Mangeshkar. Maintaining the songs’ original essence, this all-acoustic album also features the remarkable Firdaus Orchestra — an esteemed all-female ensemble from the U.A.E. The music video for the lead single of ‘Kuhu Kuhu’, “Piya Tose”, is particularly special as it presents a visual emblem of global representation and collaboration. Khatija also made a stellar debut as a music composer in 2023 with the film Minmini. The lead single, “Iru Perum Nadhigal”, is a mellifluous track about self-love and healing.
Khatija’s debut single, “Farishton” (2020), was a meditative and mesmerising invocation of solidarity and cultural harmony. Composed and produced by AR Rahman, with lyrics by celebrated songwriter Munna Shaokath Ali, “Farishton” was Khatija’s appeal for a healed world. The music video for the single was recognized at multiple global film festivals and received an honourable mention at the 2021 Los Angeles Film Awards.
Her Coke Studio Tamil single “Sagavaasi” with Arivu too was met with widespread praise. She has also displayed a vast vocal range in film songs such as “Chinnanjiru (Marumurai)” from Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023), “Pranama Pranama” from Nayakudu (2023), “Tum Bhi Raahi (Reprise)” from Mili (2022), “Rock A Bye Baby” from Mimi (2021) and “Kaayam” from Iravin Nizhal (2022).
An important voice of her generation, Khatija was also a featured artist on Grammy Award-winning composer and environmentalist Ricky Kej’s 2020 song “Iltaja,” a track that embodies the message and importance of sustainability. Khatija has also sung on Rahman’s powerful 2022 Tamizh anthem “Moopilla Thamizhe Thaaye” alongside myriad incredible artists.

## Discography
### Film songs

| Year | Song | Film | Composer | Lyricist | Co-singer(s) | Language | Notes |
| 2010 | "Puthiya Manidha" | Enthiran | A. R. Rahman | Vairamuthu | A. R. Rahman, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Tamil | |
| 2010 | "O Maramanishi" | Robo (dubbed-language from Enthiran) | A. R. Rahman | Suddala Ashok Teja | A. R. Rahman, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Srinivas | Telugu | |
| 2010 | "O Naye Insaan" | Robot (dubbed-language from Enthiran) | A. R. Rahman | Swanand Kirkire | A. R. Rahman, Srinivas | Hindi | |
| 2021 | "Rock A Bye Baby" | Mimi | A. R. Rahman | Amitabh Bhattacharya | Julia Gartha | Hindi | |
| 2021 | "Rihaayi De" | Mimi | A. R. Rahman | Amitabh Bhattacharya | A. R. Rahman | Hindi | Backing vocals |
| 2022 | "Kaayam" | Iravin Nizhal | A. R. Rahman | R. Parthiban | Soundarya Bala Nandakumar, Veena Murali, Deepthi Suresh, Sowmya, Elfe Choir | Tamil | |
| 2022 | "Tum Bhi Raahi (Reprise)" | Mili | A. R. Rahman | Javed Akhtar | Solo | Hindi | |
| 2023 | "Chinnanjiru (Marumurai)" | Ponniyin Selvan: II | A. R. Rahman | Ilango Krishnan | A. R. Rahman | Tamil | |
| 2023 | "Minnanchula Vennelaa (Reprise)" | Ponniyin Selvan: II | A. R. Rahman | Ramajogayya Sastry | A. R. Rahman | Telugu | |
| 2023 | "Mera Aasmaan Jal Gaya (Reprise)" | Ponniyin Selvan: II | A. R. Rahman | Gulzar | A. R. Rahman | Hindi | |
| 2023 | "Pranama Pranama" | Nayakudu (Dubbed from Maamannan) | A. R. Rahman | Rakendu Mouli | Vijay Yesudas | Telugu | |
| 2023 | "Niraye" | Philip's | Hesham Abdul Wahab | Anu Elizabeth Jose | Hesham Abdul Wahab | Malayalam | |
| 2023 | "Vizhigal Seraa" | Philip's | Hesham Abdul Wahab | Sangeeth Ravindran | Hesham Abdul Wahab | Malayalam | |
| 2024 | "Anbalane" | Lal Salaam | A. R. Rahman | Yugabharathi | Deva, Deepthi Suresh | Tamil | Backing vocals |
| 2024 | "Ulagam Oru Naal" | Maidaan | A. R. Rahman | Snehan | Shridhar Ramesh | Tamil | |
| 2024 | "Thaaraa Gaganamlo" | Maidaan | A. R. Rahman | Saraswathi Putra, Ramajogayya Sastry | Sarath Santosh | Telugu | |
| 2024 | "Maanja Nee" | Ayalaan | A. R. Rahman | Sivakarthikeyan, A. R. Rahman, thoughtsfornow | A. R. Rahman, A. R. Ameen | Tamil | Backing vocals |
| 2024 | "The Silent Sovereignty" | Ponniyin Selvan: II | A. R. Rahman | | | | Backing vocals |

### Non-film songs

| Year | Song | Album | Composer | Lyricist | Co-singer(s) | Language |
| 2019 | "Ahimsa" | Single | U2, A. R. Rahman | Traditional | U2, A. R. Rahman | English and Tamil |
| 2020 | "Farishton" | Single | A. R. Rahman | Munna Shaokath Ali | | Urdu |
| 2020 | "Farishtha" | Single | A. R. Rahman | Mashook Rahman | | Tamil |
| 2020 | "EK" | Iltaja | Ricky Kej | IP Singh, Lonnie Park, Dominic D'Cruz, Ricky Kej | Varijashree Venugopal, Manoj George, Arun Kumar, Aparna Ramakrishnan | Hindi |
| 2020 | "The 99 Names" | Single | Sami Yusuf | Chorus | Sami Yusuf, Raihanah, Isshrathquadhre, Raheema Rahman | Arabic |
| 2020 | "Hum Haar Nahin Maanenge" | Single | A. R. Rahman | Prasoon Joshi | A. R. Rahman, Clinton Cerejo, Mohit Chauhan, Mika Singh, Harshdeep Kaur, Jonita Gandhi, Neeti Mohan, Javed Ali, Sid Sriram, Shruti Haasan, Shashaa Tirupati, Abhay Jodhpurkar | Hindi |
| 2021 | "Amna Bibi" | Sing A Lullaby | Traditional | Traditional | Gurupriya Atreya, Vedanth Bharadwaj | Hindi |
| 2022 | "Moopilla Thamizhe Thaaye" | Single | A. R. Rahman | Thamarai | A. R. Rahman, Saindhavi Prakash, A. R. Ameen, Amina Rafiq, Gabriella Sellus, Poovaiyar, Rakshita Suresh, Niranjana Ramanan, Aparna Harikumar, Nakul Abhyankar | Tamil |
| 2023 | "Sagavaasi" | Coke Studio Tamil (Season 1) | Arivu | Arivu | Arivu | Tamil |
| 2024 | "Woman of Power" | Single | Sterlin Nithya | Lavita Lobo | Lavita Lobo, Sterlin Nithya | English |
| 2025 | "Engal Thamizhe" | Indie track | Vilva | Vilva | Vilva | Tamil |

### Albums

| Year | Album | Song | Composer | Lyricist | Co-singer(s) | Language |
| 2023 | Kuhu Kuhu | "Piya Tose Naina Lage Re" | Sachin Dev Burman | Shailendra | Firdaus Orchestra | Hindi |
| 2023 | Kuhu Kuhu | "Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha" | Raja Mehdi Ali Khan | Madan Mohan | Firdaus Orchestra | Hindi |
| 2023 | Kuhu Kuhu | "O Sajana Barkha Bahar" | Salil Chowdhury | Shailendra | Firdaus Orchestra | Hindi |
| 2023 | Kuhu Kuhu | "Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyalia" | P. Adinarayana Rao | Bharat Vyas | Firdaus Orchestra, Sarthak Kalyani | Hindi |
| 2023 | Kuhu Kuhu | "Bekas Pe Karam Keejiye" | Naushad | Shakeel Badayuni | Firdaus Orchestra | Hindi |

### Compositions

| Year | Film | Song | Singer(s) | Lyricist | Director | Language |
| 2024 | Minmini | "Iru Perum Nadhigal" | Shakthisree Gopalan | Halitha Shameem | Halitha Shameem | Tamil |
| 2024 | Minmini | "Minmini Nee" | Sarthak Kalyani, Sireesha Bhagavatula | Halitha Shameem | Halitha Shameem | Tamil |
| 2024 | Minmini | "Uyirai" | Suryansh | Halitha Shameem | Halitha Shameem | Tamil |
| 2024 | Minmini | "Jananam" | Khatija Rahman, Sireesha Bhagavatula | Halitha Shameem | Halitha Shameem | Tamil |
| TBA | Lioness | | | | Kajri Babbar | English |

### Voice-overs

| Year | Film | Actor | Director | Writer | Language | Notes | Ref. |
| 2021 | 99 Songs | Edilsy Vargas | Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy | Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy, A. R. Rahman | Tamil | For Tamil version | |

## Live performances

| Title | Date | Venue | Performed song(s) | Shows | Attendance |
| The Joshua Tree Tour 2019 | 15 December 2019 | DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai | Ahimsa | 1 | 42,590 |
| World Children's Day Concert at Expo 2020 | 21 November 2021 | Al Wasl Plaza, Dubai | – | 1 | – |
| Wings of Love: The AR Rahman Sufi Experience | 19 March 2023 | Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai | – | 1 | – |
| TEDxGateway Opening Act Performance | 4 June 2023 | NCPA, Mumbai | – | 1 | – |
| Marakkuma Nenjam Concert | 10 September 2023 | Adityaram Palace City, Chennai | – | 1 | 45,000 |
| South Side Story | 31 August – 1 September 2024 | Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi | – | 2 | – |

## Talks and speeches

Rahman has also spoken at distinguished platforms such as the UEF World Summit and TEFCON in recent years.
| Date | Conference | Theme | Organizer | Venue |
| 5 December 2020 | UEF World Summit | Entrepreneur Success Stories | United Economic Forum (UEF) | Chennai |
| 22 October 2021 | TEDx Talks | Art, Diversity and Activism in the Digital Age | TedxYouth@LMGC | La Martinière Girls' College, Lucknow |
| 1 July 2022 | TEFCON | The Impact of Soft Power in the Knowledge Economy | Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) | St. John's University (New York City) |
| 13 August 2022 | International Youth Conference | Gift of Kindness | Heartfulness, UNESCO MGIEP, AICTE | Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad |
| 26 May 2024 | HER Story | Empowerment and Inspiration | MediaOne TV | De Montfort University, Academic City, Dubai |

## Honours and awards

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Awarded by | Result |
| 2017 | Trailblazer Award | - | - | Bhumi NGO | Won |
| 2020 | Trend Setter Award | - | - | Global Women Inspiration Awards and Conclave | Won |
| 2020 | Empowering Woman Award | - | - | One Life NGO | Won |
| 2021 | Coastal Star Award | - | - | Rotary Club of Chennai Coastal | Won |
| 2024 | IMW Indian Award | Best Debut Music Director of the Year | Minmini | Indian Media Works | Won |
| 2024 | M. S. Viswanathan Award | Sensational Debut Award | Minmini | V4 Entertainers, Cinema Factory | Won |
| 2025 | Devi Awards | For remarkable contributions to music and art | - | The New Indian Express | Won |