The Hazaras are an ethnic group that live primarily in the central, mountainous region of Afghanistan, also known as the Hazarajat. Many Hazaras believe themselves to be of Central Asian descent or to be the ancestors of Chinngis Khan (1162-1227), the founder of the Mongolian Empire who conquered much of Asia during his reign. In the Hazarajat, most Hazaras are Shia Muslim, and their status as a religious minority has led to their marginalization, discrimination, and persecution by other religious and ethnic groups. Hazaras have also repeatedly been the victims of targeted genocide on account of their status as a religious and cultural minority in Afghanistan.

Many different types of songs are played or sung by Hazaras, including lullabies, children's songs, men and women's songs, and can be sung with or without instruments. Songs are composed in Hazaregi, a dialect of Persian spoken primarily by Hazaras, and women play a prominent role in the Hazaras's musical culture. Of particular importance in Hazara musical culture are lullabies, known as lalu or lalai. These lullabies–and many other song types resembling them–are not considered "musiqi" by Hazaras, who, like many others in Afghanistan, consider "musiqi" something that is performed by professional musicians or with musical instruments. Rather, these songs serve functional purposes. Lullabies are sung by both men and women, and can easily be transferred to being played on an instrument such as the dambura or ghichak. Women also perform lullabies on the chang, a type of mouth harp, which is considered a toy instrument or one specifically for women and children. 

Hazara children play several types of play or game songs including akhumchai, peshpuk, and kartugak. These are played by young girls and are centered around making unique vocal sounds. The singing of akhumchai and peshpuk involves bouncing up and down on one's haunches to produce rhythmic sounds. Kartugak, meaning "little throat," involves a singer rhythmically striking their throat with their fingers to produce high pitched, falsetto-like embellishments. Men will sometimes use falsetto when singing the higher pitches of songs, which produces a yodel-like effect when sung in the mountainous regions of the Hazarajat. This type of falsetto is used in song types known as daidu or dayi.

Funeral hymns, known as makhta or chokhara, are performed exclusively by Hazara women. Makhta is a stylized form of weeping or crying that also speaks to how the loss of the deceased has worsened the present context. Makhta and chokhara are also not considered to be musiqi, nor are they performed with instruments. Generally, they are sung by women who are related to the deceased.