Some musicians, being incredibly popular owing to their distinctive contribution and charisma, have created a massive following, in the process themselves becoming folk heroes and icons of Sindhi music.

With his distinct style of musical performance, Jalal Chandio has been a prominent folk singer among the rural masses of Sindh over the past three decades. He contributed to and popularised the peculiar tradition and style of singing by using the Yaktaaro (rod-like one-string instrument) and Chappryun (hand clappers), a style that was already popular at Sufi Shrines. Chandio further developed this style and introduced it to the genre of folk music.

Born in 1944 in the village of Moro, District Naushahro Feroze, Jalal Chandio was inclined towards music since an early age. His father sent him to learn tailoring, but young Chandio’s soul drove him towards singing. He would listen to songs on the radio and visit the annual festivals held at saints’ shrines, an integral part of rural Sindhi society and culture.