Urvah Khan Live at Revival Bar (Photoset)
Photos by Shannen Frost & Jesse Read
Urvah Khan performing live at Revival Bar during Canadian Music Week! Khan rocked the place, controlling the crowd with a punk rock attitude, the powerful force of her unique take on rock n roll music and a tonne of stage presence. Urvah Khan is a Canadian Pakistani rocker based out of Toronto. Reconciling Muslim tradition with western culture has provided the fuel for Khan’s hybrid form of rock and roll she calls “Scrap” as in “Rock is dead. We rebuilt this from the Scraps.” Khan shared the stage with Bif Naked, Delyn Grey & Siobamm, in a showchase that proved without a doubt how much Canadian women rock!
Bio: Urvah Khan was born in Karachi, Pakistan and arrived in Canada with her family as a teenager. The daunting task of fitting into North American culture as a non-conforming foreigner was at times overwhelming, but this backdrop shaped Khan’s path as an artist and ignited her desire to provide safe performance environments for artists who share a similar experience.
Khan currently resides in Toronto, and over her ten years as an independent artist has gained a worldwide following through her performances there, her hometown of Karachi, and Rock hotspots Los Angeles and London, UK. Her unique story and musical style has reached millions online, been recognized by BBC, CBC, Noisey/Vice, and heard on Sports Center LA during their coverage of the Winter X Games. She is admired everywhere for her fierce onstage performances that turn heads and demand attention.
After a short visit to her country of birth in early 2016, Khan decided to change focus and introduce her style of rock music; “Scrap Rock,” to a Pakistani audience. “We have a complicated relationship,” says Khan when asked about her home country and the response she has received thus far. “I’m just here to share my story and my freedom with as many listeners as possible.” Believing that rock is to be re-born in the east, and building on the success of her debut Pakistani performance in 2017, Khan dedicated her 5th studio album ‘Muhajir’ (2020), sung in her mother tongue Urdu/ Hindi, to her Pakistani supporters.
Khan also founded and curates ‘Scrapfest,’ her multicultural, immigrant friendly performance series showcasing alternative artists with varied geopolitical backgrounds and a common outsider perspective. www.Scrapfest.live are the official presenters of www.MuslimPrideTo.com 2021. A virtual event featuring various Queer + Trans Muslim musicians, drag acts, poets, filmmakers & discussion panels taking place in June/July 2021.
With 28 music videos and millions of online views, Khan has begun working on her sixth studio album, ‘YYZ- KHI’ set to release in 2022. The future looks bright for this scrappy lil’ brown gal on a mission to find her place in the world!
