Karam Abbas Khan’s subtle, sophisticated and seemingly uncomplicated classic melodies trace back to the ‘Gwalior gharana’, famous for its repertoire of khayal singing. Trained by the late Ustad Ahmed Ali Khan, his father and mentor, a mighty force reverberates through his voice that started getting coached at the young age of ten-year old.

Although Karam still possess the signature qualities of the genre – trained in raag Darbari, Rageshri, Aiman, Abhogi et al – there are hints that he sometimes attempts to expand within it. He is a recipient of the Nigar Filmi Award in 2002 and has earned the honor as one of the few Pakistanis to take center stage at the Royal Albert Hall, London in 2005.

Karam’s debut in Coke Studio, Season 8, is both massive and soft around its edges. The beautifully complex layering of his classical vocals in raag Bhimpalasi merging with Mai Dhai’s psychedelic folk anthem are sounds of a duet that’ll stay around for a long, long time.