Sreelatha Menon/Trissur

Ayisha Abdul Basith may be from Kerala, but today she is loved not just in her state, but across 80 countries, for her Islamic spiritual songs, known as Naat.

The angelic presence and melodious voice of the 20-year-old singer have been drawing admirers since she was 10 years old. Her father’s random posts of her riyaz (practice) on Facebook began to get scores of likes, and he decided to post her songs on YouTube.

Her YouTube channel was started by her parents in 2013, and her song Hasbi Rabbi Jallallah a Naat video, received 80 million views. Today, her YouTube channel has over 37 million subscribers and 583 million views.

Her life took a dramatic turn when she found a mentor in the famous naat artist Sami Yusuf, and she entered into a contract with his company. Ever since then, there has been no looking back.

Ayisha Abdul Basith 

"After listening to Sami Yusuf in 2018, I found his music healing. It made me feel that the spirituality concept I had adopted was my best decision,’’ she says in an old interview. She signed a contract with Sami Yusuf’s company the same year, and there has been no looking back.

"He reassured me that I was on the right path with my selection of songs. He used to tell me that Ayisha, you are not singing but healing the listeners,’’ she says.

For Ayisha, religion has been a source of her empowerment as her spiritual songs have taken her places. She has travelled across the world, and has collaborated with famous musicians like Salim Sulaiman, and has an admirer in A R Rehman himself.

In another radio interview she had given when she was a 16-year-old in her 12th grade, she gave her parents all credit for backing her since she was six.

Ayisha Abdul Basith 

She says her inspiration since childhood has been Sami Yusuf and A R Rahman. Currently, she is part of the Salaam project in collaboration with the famous Bollywood composer Salim Suleiman, known for composing music for more than 100 films, including blockbusters like Qurbaan, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Fashion, Band Baaja Baraat.

Her advice to her peers, especially artists, shows her humility and modesty. "I can't advise as I'm still learning. But I would say be yourself, try being unique with what you are doing.’’

Her voice tears through your silences in a strangely elevating way, album after album, leaving listeners mesmerised. As of date, she has 571K followers on Instagram, and each of her posts gets viewership of 8000 to 37000.

Her songs are mostly prayers, about love and peace, rendered in a soulful voice that is soothing as well as pleasing to the ears.

Ayisha Abdul Basith 

Born in Thalassery, Ayisha now lives in Abu Dhabi, where she is focusing on her music career with the help of her mentor Sami Yusuf. She has so far sung in Arabic, Hindi, and Malayalam.

Her website sums up her desire to spread peace and love in the world through her music.

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It says: "Ayisha is driven by her passion to spread peace and love across the world through her unique soulful singing. Her ardent desire is to produce music that can fill people’s hearts and minds with peace and love. This, she believes, is a sure and strong medium through which a peaceful society may be built.’’