Arooj Aftab

Arooj Aftab is a Pakistani singer, composer, and producer. She works across various musical idioms, including jazz and minimalism.

Early life and education

Aftab was born on 11 March 1985 to Pakistani parents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Her family returned to their native Lahore when she was approximately 10 years old. She taught herself how to play the guitar during her youth. Aftab developed her singing style by listening to artists such as Billie Holiday, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Mariah Carey, and Begum Akhtar.

Access to Western online platforms remained difficult in Pakistan at that time. Despite these challenges, she used the Internet in the early 2000s to promote her music. Her renditions of "Mera Pyaar" and "Hallelujah" went viral and helped launch the Pakistani indie scene. In 2005, Aftab moved to the United States at age 19. She earned a degree in music production and engineering from the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

She relocated to New York in 2010. Since her graduation, she has lived in the city and participated in the local jazz and "new music" scenes. During this period, she also began working as an editor and scoring films.

Career

Aftab was included in the "100 Composers Under 40" selection by NPR and WQXR-FM's Q2 in April 2011. She released her first album, Bird Under Water, independently in 2014. In March 2015, David Honigmann of the Financial Times gave the album four out of five stars. She later worked as an editor on the documentary Armed With Faith in 2017 and won a 2018 Emmy Award for this work.

Her second studio album, Siren Islands, arrived on June 12, 2018, via New Amsterdam Records. NPR included this album in their list of favorite electronic and dance music from that year. The New York Times also recognized the song "Island No. 2" as one of the 25 best classical music tracks of 2018. In mid-July 2018, NPR ranked her song "Lullaby" at number 150 on their list of the 200 greatest songs by 21st-century women.

Aftab contributed vocals to Residente's Latin Grammy-winning single "Antes Que El Mundo Se Acabe" in 2020. That same year, she composed music for the Student Academy Award-winning film Bittu. Her third album, Vulture Prince, was released on April 23, 2021, through New Amsterdam Records. This project discusses themes of people and relationships while remaining dedicated to her brother, Maher.

The album received significant acclaim from Pitchfork, NPR, and Al Jazeera. Barack Obama selected "Mohabbat" for his 2021 summer playlist. While the Los Angeles Times included Vulture Prince on its list of 15 deserving albums, de Volkskrant named it the best album of 2021. She signed with Verve Records in late 2021.

Aftab performs at venues such as the Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art. She has appeared at international festivals including Coachella, Glastonbury, and the Montreal Jazz Festival. In May 2024, she was announced as a curator for the Dutch festival Le Guess Who?. Her 2026 contributions include a track for the compilation album Help (2) to support War Child.

Personal life

In October 2023, Aftab signed the Artists4Ceasefire open letter addressed to Joe Biden. She called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages. In 2023, she also partnered with the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation to raise funds for animal rescue efforts in Karachi.

She spoke at the Global Citizens' Women of Influence panel in 2022 alongside Pharrell Williams and Gayle King. In 2024, she joined the Global Citizen action platform to help end extreme poverty. During this event, she performed her song "Diya Hai" from her 2022 album Vulture Prince.

Awards and recognition

Aftab won the Best Global Music Performance award for "Mohabbat" at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in April 2022. This achievement made her the first Pakistani artist to win a Grammy Award. In 2023, she became the first Pakistani artist to perform at the Grammy ceremony.

On the 75th independence day of Pakistan, President Arif Alvi presented Aftab with the Pride of Performance Award. This is considered Pakistan's most prestigious award for excellence in music and art.