Brooklyn-based Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab achieved a historic feat this Sunday that will be remembered for times to come. The artist won her first Grammy for her song Mohabbat in the Best Global Performance category, making her the first Pakistani ever to win the prestigious trophy.
Clad in deep purple and black at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, Arooj was also up for Best New Artist.
“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 “Mohabbat” wins Best Global Music Performance at the 2022 #GRAMMYs.
Aftab is the first Pakistani woman to win a GRAMMY and is also nominated for Best New Artist. 👏 https://t.co/kpqljYmSdy
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) April 3, 2022
After receiving the award, she said, “I think I’m gonna faint. Wow, thank you so much. I feel like this category in itself has been so insane like Burna Boy, Wizkid, Femi Kuti, Angélique Kidjo… this should be called yacht party category. I made [this record] about everything that broke me and put me back together. Thank you for listening to it and making it yours.”
Here is a glimpse of her winning speech:
BEST GLOBAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE.
That is Pakistan’s @arooj_aftab accepting her first Grammy award tonight.
What a moment.
💚🇵🇰
— Change of Pace (@ChangeofPace414) April 3, 2022
“It is just so incredible. It is a proud moment for me and the music industry as well to have this type of limitless unapologetic inclusion. I think, all the nominees in the best new artist category are the 10 strong of us. It is just so beautiful, feels like a great day for music,” Arooj told Variety, right after the event.
Her journey
Arooj moved to the US in 2005 to study music at the Berklee College of Music. She released her first album Bird Under Water in 2014. The 37-year-old has been steadily gaining global attention for her work that fuses ancient Sufi traditions with inflections of folk, jazz, and minimalism.
Born to Pakistani parents in Saudi Arabia, Arooj spent her teenage years in Lahore before relocating to Boston to study musical production and engineering at the prestigious Berklee School of Music.
Her first big breakthrough was when her work for the documentary Armed With Faith won an Emmy Award in 2019.
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. The song is based on famous poetry by Hafeez Hoshiarpuri.
The album is based on themes of relationships, lost moments, and nostalgia. It was hailed as a ‘heartbreaking, exquisite document of the journey from grief to acceptance,’ by Pitchfork, an American digital music publication. Besides the album was also ranked sixth on Rolling Stone’s Best Music of 2021 list.
Read: Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab lights up Times Square
Arooj 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. Speaking to AFP in the days leading up to the Grammys, Arooj praised her fellow artists nominated for Best New Artist, a crop that includes Olivia Rodrigo along with rappers Saweetie and The Kid Laroi. “We’re all so cool — the group itself is kind of like a win,” she had said.
Earlier in March 2022, she was featured on Times Square Billboard as Spotify’s Ambassador for EQUAL Pakistan. As per Spotify’s statement, the popular streaming service’s initiative, EQUAL, aims to celebrate women creators by giving them a platform to share their content with the world. Arooj also sang Mehram alongside Asfar Hussain in Coke Studio Season 14.
Reactions on the historic win
Pakistani celebs are overwhelmed with emotions following Arooj’s win at the Grammys. Many took to social media to send their love, wishes and prayers.
Congratulations @arooj_aftab. You have made us all proud. More power to you 😊🙏🏻#AroojAftab #GrammyAwards
— Rohail Hyatt (@rohailhyatt) April 4, 2022
So so proud! Shine on you crazy star @arooj_aftab ✨🇵🇰🕊 https://t.co/Dgn4rZ5RY6
— Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) April 3, 2022
Such a wonderful news for the industry. @arooj_aftab proves her mettle. The entire world is recognising our country’s talent. Congratulations. Proud moment for all Pakistanis #GrammyAwards pic.twitter.com/k8Uz8FQdXQ
— Adnan Siddiqui (@adnanactor) April 4, 2022
In this chaotic world, I’m very happy to wake up to the most beautiful news, @arooj_aftab has won her first Grammy 🥺🥰 so proud of you. Keep making us proud you rock star!
— Hadiqa Kiani (@Hadiqa_Kiani) April 4, 2022
Wow ! This is amazing. @arooj_aftab Having witnessed your journey since back in the day, your perseverance and pursuit for knowledge in your field gives us great joy and a sense of pride. May you keep shining. Bohat si duyaayein.
The news we should see all over national media. https://t.co/w5AlDKDmq8
— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) April 3, 2022
Only joy in my heart for her. She is the blueprint ufff https://t.co/J0jgej5iVZ
— Natasha Noorani (@rukhsanakartoos) April 3, 2022
Huge win – not just first female to win a Grammy from #Pakistan – but first Pakistani to win a #Grammy!! Congratulations @arooj_aftab ♥️ https://t.co/IMyehjyWe7
— Bakhtawar B-Zardari (@BakhtawarBZ) April 4, 2022
Listen to the winning song here:
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