2015 Prince Claus Laureate Perhat Kaliq

A film about Prince Claus Fund Laureate Perhat Khaliq shown during the 2015 Prince Claus Awards at the Royal Palace Amsterdam. (Produced by Brenninkmeijer & Isaacs)

On 2 December 2015, Perhat Khaliq received the Prince Claus Award from Honorary Chairman of the Prince Claus Fund HRH Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands. www.princeclausfund.org

From the 2015 Prince Claus Award Committee Report:

Perhat Khaliq (1982, Ürümchi) is a charismatic singer-songwriter and guitarist whose music comes straight from the heart. He sincerely expresses deep human values and emotions in an authentic voicethat resonates with people’s inner beliefs. Khaliq’s music fuses traditional Uyghur music with rock and blues styles, and his poetic lyrics, mostly in the Uyghur language, have strong personal and local relevance. A self-taught musician from the Autonomous Uyghur Province of Xinjiang, Khaliq earns a living playing with his band in bars in his home city. In August 2014, watched by an audience of many millions, he was runner-up in the Voice of China contest playing an acoustic guitar and one of his own songs. Singing passionately in his gravelly voice, his performance spoke deeply to people of all ages who are tired of facile music and the commercialisation of life. Taking his personal social impact beyond his music, a stunning moment for the massive Voice of China audience was Khaliq’s choice not to have his hand raised in victory showing that in the Uyghur ethos respect and friendship are more valued than the individual triumph so promoted in many societies. Ethnic differences fall away in the face of the direct human connection Khaliq makes with his compelling music and gracious character, bridging fissures in the complex multi-ethnic Chinese landscape. Perhat Khaliq is awarded for his skilled, expressive vocals, poetic lyrics and outstanding musical performance; for breathing new life into traditional Uyghur musical forms, both conserving and extending this unique cultural heritage; for bringing his music beyond his community and demonstrating that music can be used to communicate authentically with millions of people; and for bridging cultural differences, touching people’s hearts and minds.