Perhat Khaliq, also known as Perhat, is a Chinese Uyghur pop-rock composer and musician best known for his performances on the Chinese reality talent showThe Voice of China in 2014.
Personal life
Perhat Khaliq grew up in an industrial area in Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where his father worked as an electrical welder and his mother a worker in a plastic factory. Perhat taught himself to play guitar from the age of six and by the time he turned 13, he was spending most evenings hanging outside bars, listening to the live music from the smoky interiors. In 1997, he founded his first band with all three members playing guitars. The next year, a bass player and a drummer were added. However, the band separated two years later. In 2000, he entered the Xinjiang Arts University to major in fine arts and started composing his own music trying out various music styles.
Career
In 2006, Perhat founded his current band Qetiq with his wife, cousin and some friends. He earned a living performing with his band in pubs in Ürümqi. In 2014, his participation in the reality showThe Voice of China attracted much public attention. It also shed light and changed the perception of China's minority Uyghur community. The band released their first Uyghur language album Qetiq: Rock from Taklamakan Desert recorded during their trip to Europe in Morgenland Festival Osnabrück, 2010. A documentary film was made, "Qetiq, Rock'n Urumchi" by Mukaddas Mijit about their first historical concert in Morgenland Festival Osnabrück In 2015, he and his band Qetiq embarked on their first China tour performing in 22 major cities in 40 days. In May 2015, he received the prestigious Dutch's Prince Claus Awards for "breathing new life into traditional Uyghur forms". At the 2015 Prince Claus Awards, Ong Keng Sen, was very impressed with his performances and invited Perhat to perform in Singapore. He and his band gave a stellar performance at the 2016 SIFA pre-festival O.P.E.N. on June 23, 2016, which is also their Asian premiere outside of China.
