Imran Khan (Punjabi:عمران خان; born 28 May 1984) is a Dutch-Pakistani singer, rapper and songwriter. He performs songs in both English and Punjabi. He first became known in 2007 after the release of his first single "Ni Nachleh", and was signed toPrestige Records later that year. His second single, "Amplifier", was released in 2009. His debut studio album,Unforgettable, was released on 27 July 2009 via Prestige Records. His song "Satisfya", released in 2013, is his most-viewedYouTube video with over 944 million views.
Khan started his music career in his late teens.[3] After Prestige Records released his debut single "Ni Nachleh",[4][5] he continued his career by performing in several countries.[6]
Khan's second single, "Amplifier", was released on 12 July 2009. It has received over 813 million views on YouTube.[7] His next single, "Bewafa", was released on 30 August 2009; as of May 2022, its music video had been viewed more than 300 million times on YouTube.[8]
In July 2009, Khan released his debut album,Unforgettable. It includes famous singles like "Amplifier", "Bewafa", "Pata Chalgea", and a remix of "Ni Nachleh".[9] It was nominated for Best Album at the 2010UK Asian Music Awards but did not win.[10]
In 2011, Khan departed Prestige Records to start his own label IK Records.[10] He released the single "Satisfya" on 9 May 2013.[11][12] The music video shows Khan driving a yellowLamborghini Aventador and sitting with a cheetah. The video was directed byDavid Zennie, and has over 946 million views as of January 2025.
Khan made his Bollywood debut as a singer for the Hindi filmTevar (2015). As of 2016, the song had over 2 million YouTube views.[13]
Khan released a single titled "Imaginary" on 8 June 2015, and shot the video withDavid Zennie atAkon's house in Los Angeles.[14] The video has received 122 million views till January 2025.[15] Khan came out with another song, "Hattrick", which received 2 million views in a month and as of late 2021 had 37 million+ views.[16]
On 28 September 2018, Khan released a new single, "Knightridah".[17] In 2021, he released two singles, "M.O.B." on 14 May, featuring J.J. Esko; and "They Don't Like It" on 28 September.[18][19] On February 2, 2022, Khan released "On My Way" (featuring Meez).[20] As of October 2024, his YouTube channel has accumulated over 2.9 billion views.[21]
Unforgettable is Khan's debut album, released on 27 July 2009 via Prestige Records.[9] It was produced by Eren E and Hakan Ozan. It contains 15 tracks. The album was nominated for the "Best Album" award at theUK Asian Music Awards 2010[22] and won "Best Album" at the 2010 Brit Asia TV Music Awards.[23]
Nominated for four awards at the 2010UK Asian Music Awards: "Best Album", "Best Video" for "Amplifier", "Best Male Act" and "Best Desi Act",[22] winning "Best Desi Act"[30]
Won "Male Musical Artist of the Year" at the 2010 Anokhi Magazine Awards[31]
Won "Best Urban Asian Single" at the 2013 Brit Asia TV Music Awards for "Satisfya"[32]
Won three awards in 2015 from Pakistani Music and Media Awards (PMMA) for best songwriter, best video (for "Imaginary") and best song (for "Imaginary")[33]
Won three awards at the 2015 Brit Asia TV Music Awards: "Best Urban Asian Act", "Best Music Video" for "Imaginary" and "Best UK Single" for "Imaginary"[34]
