This is certainly true of Chhote Babu Qawwal, whose sound is much closer to Baul music than to the qawwali of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, for example. Also, the sound of the regional language qawwali can be totally different from that of mainstream qawwali. There is also qawwali in some regional languages (e.g., Chhote Babu Qawwal sings in Bengali), but the regional language tradition is relatively obscure. The songs which constitute the qawwali repertoire are mostly in Urdu and Punjabi (almost equally divided between the two), although there are several songs in Persian, Brajbhasha and Siraiki. Other famous Qawwali singers include Pakistan's Sabri Brothers, Bahauddin Qutbuddin and Aziz Mian. Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, largely due to several releases on the Real World label, followed by live appearances at WOMAD festivals. Originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines or dargahs throughout South Asia, it has also gained mainstream popularity. It is a musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years. Qawwali ( Nastaʿlīq: قوّالی Gurmukhī: ਕ਼ੱਵਾਲੀ Devanāgarī: क़व्वाली Eastern Nagari: ক়ব্বালী) is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi and other parts of India. Vocals, harmonium, tabla, dholak, sarangi, clapping Persian and Indian subcontinent traditional music Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.
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