Faiz Karizi ( fa, فيض كاريزی) (born 1953) is a popular

Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

singer. He is ranked as the most prolific

folkloric Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...

singer of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and has been referred to as that country's “King of Folklore Music.” Now based out of Sweden, he often tours

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and most recently Australia for performances.

Background

Faiz was born in 1953 on Kariz of

Bamyan Province Bamyan Province ( prs, ولایت بامیان) also spelled Bamiyan, Bāmīān or Bāmyān is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the central highlands of the Afghanistan. The terrain in Bamyan is mountainous or semi-m ...

. During his

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

years he participated in social activities, prompting him to enter the music scene of those gatherings. He was reportedly a very avid learner of music and when he started singing, he was able to make a wide following among his schoolmates during this time. With the encouragement of his peers and also his instructors, he was urged to sing

professionally A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

as a folk singer. Thus began a journey of fame for the graduate. He sings in Dari, Hazaragi and sometimes in

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...

Fame

Faiz first appeared on Afghanistan's national television in 1978. He quickly became a renowned singer, his fame paralleling the initial and quick rising popularity of his high school years. During this time he started recording various albums, most of them of his live performances. He became so popular that by the early to mid 80s, he was ranked as the most popular singer in that country. Although most of his songs were folkloric in nature and some renditions of other pop songs, he eclipsed all other singers for public adulation. By late 80s, he became a

household name Household name may refer to: * Household Name (album), ''Household Name'' (album), a studio album by Momma (band), Momma * a popular brand, see brand awareness * a popular person, see celebrity * a term misused to exaggerate a product, see promoti ...

and the first choice wedding singer. During his rise, he regularly performed with

Beltoon Momin Khan Biltoon ( ps, مومن خان بیلتون; fa, بلتون), also known as his honorific title Ustad Beltoon, was an Afghan Pashtun singer from Kabul Province, Afghanistan. He was born in Chakari village of Khaki Jabbar District, Kabu ...

and Hamidullah Charikari, amongst others. After a brief period in Peshawar, Pakistan, he emigrated to Europe and now resides permanently in Sweden, continuing his

music career A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...

in exile, alongside his sons who form part of his backing musical party.

External links

Fazi Karizi’s Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karizi, Faiz 1953 births Living people Afghan musicians People from Kabul Afghan Tajik people Afghan male singers Persian-language singers Afghan emigrants to Sweden Afghan expatriates in Sweden 20th-century Afghan male singers 21st-century Afghan male singers