An artist, Aaftab feels building a base is a necessity for a successful career in art. He has been working in both fields, music and art, for the past 10 years and still wants to learn more.

Aaftab Khan is a singer and portrait artist from Ahmedabad.

Aaftab belongs to a small village where he completed his schooling. He says it was natural for him to be attracted to music, as his father was also fond of singing. When he was in the seventh grade, he participated in and won many singing competitions at his school. He also used to sketch. His father recognised his talent and encouraged him to follow his passion. He started taking classes for music and drawing to learn the basics. After completing the 12th grade, he moved to Ahmedabad for his further studies and joined the C.A. College of Fine Arts.

Sharing about his journey, Aaftab says during his college years he auditioned for ‘Indian Idol’ and got selected for the second round, but in the next round in Mumbai he got rejected. Nevertheless, he feels lucky to have met Sonu Nigam there, who advised him that only with continuous practice and proper training can one survive in the music industry. He made about 2500 sketches for his college activities after returning from auditions and had the opportunity to meet and work with the famous painter M.F. Hussain.

Talking about his achievements, Aaftab says he has performed many solo shows and featured his paintings in exhibitions. He is also recognised by the Just Dial platform as one of the top 12 artists. He has also gifted portraits to many celebrities.

Sharing about his mistakes, Aaftab says he feels that, constantly fluctuating from sketching to singing, he did not give proper attention to one field which was a mistake.

He regrets not taking proper training in music and advises all the youngsters who want to make a career in music or art to take proper training from a teacher to complete the basics first. He advises budding artists to take small steps towards your targets, and be disciplined.

In his spare time, Aaftab likes to go on outings, play outdoor games, clean his house, and watch movies. He says he likes to spend time with his 3-year-old daughter.

Aaftab’s life mantra is to never get demotivated in life, and if you are stressed, share it with that one person you trust the most. Enjoy life and concentrate on what you are doing, Aaftab says.