Arooj Aftab, winner of the Best Global Music Performance award attends the 64th Annual Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony at MGM Grand Marquee Ballroom on 3 April 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Aftab’s song ‘Mohabbat’ sees her win the prestigious award. Image: Emma McIntyre / Getty Images for The Recording Academy / AFP
Arooj Aftab, winner of the Best Global Music Performance award attends the 64th Annual Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony at MGM Grand Marquee Ballroom on 3 April 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Aftab’s song ‘Mohabbat’ sees her win the prestigious award. Image: Emma McIntyre / Getty Images for The Recording Academy / AFP
The Brooklyn-based Pakistani vocalist Arooj Aftab on Sunday scored her first Grammy, winning a prestigious trophy for her song Mohabbat in the Best Global Performance category.
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AROOJ AFTAB IS ‘BEYOND THRILLED’
The 37-year-old – who has lived in New York for some 15 years – has been steadily gaining global attention for her work that fuses ancient Sufi traditions with inflections of folk, jazz and minimalism.
She was also up for the coveted Best New Artist prize, which was presented to winner Olivia Rodrigo during the main Grammy telecast later that Sunday.
“I am beyond thrilled,” the artist told journalists backstage at the pre-gala ceremony, at which the vast majority of awards are handed out. “It feels great.”
“I’ve been very nervous all day. And we’re off to a good start.”
AROOJ AFTAB’S THIRD ALBUM TAKES HER TO THE TOP
Born to Pakistani parents in Saudi Arabia, Aftab spent her teenage years in Lahore before relocating to Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music to study musical production and engineering.
She released her third studio album Vulture Prince to critical acclaim, and gained even more attention after former US President Barack Obama included the track Mohabbat on his 2021 summer favourites list.
Aftab has performed at a number of major New York venues including Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, also opening for Mitski at The Brooklyn Steel in 2018.
AROOJ AFTAB PRAISED THE GRAMMYS BEST NEW ARTISTS SHORTLIST
Speaking to AFP in the days leading up to the Grammys, Aftab praised her fellow artists nominated for Best New Artist, a crop that included Olivia Rodrigo (eventual winner) along with rappers Saweetie and The Kid Laroi.
“We’re all so cool – the group itself is kind of like a win,” she said.
Arooj Aftab
© Agence France-Presse
