Xaço, his brother Abraham, and sisters Manuşak and Xezal survived the massacre, as a soldier spared them dues to them being orphaned.
[3] At a young age, he began taking a liking for music and would sing old Kurdish folk songs that were passed on through generations.
After Syria gained its independence,[3] he and his family migrated to Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and settled in Yerevan in 1946.
Xaço later became one of the greatest singers of Dengbêj music,[7] a form of singing that often tells a story.
Xaço was best known for singing and recording the traditional songs "Ay lo mîro", "Adullê", "Çume Cizîre", "Xim ximê", and "Lê dayikê".