LAS VEGAS: The Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab made history after winning her first Grammy award in Las Vegas this weekend. Arooj is the first Pakistani woman to win the prestigious trophy, making this a special victory for Pakistan. In the Best Global Performance category, Arooj won an award for her song “Mohabbat”.
“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.”
Since living in New York for more than 15 years, the 37-year-old has gained global recognition for her work that is a combination of ancient Sufi traditions and folk, jazz and minimalism.
BEST GLOBAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE.
— Change of Pace (@ChangeofPace414) April 3, 2022
That is Pakistan’s @arooj_aftab accepting her first Grammy award tonight.
What a moment.
💚🇵🇰
pic.twitter.com/bilnEOsSOM
She’s also up for the coveted Best New Artist prize, which will be presented during the main Grammy telecast later Sunday.
Her teenage years were spent in Lahore with her Pakistani parents before she moved to Boston to study musical production and engineering at Berklee School of Music.
In addition to receiving critical acclaim, her third studio album, Vulture Prince, became even more popular after former US president Barack Obama included the track “Mohabbat” on his 2021 summer favorites list.
In 2018, Aftab performed at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, as well as opening for Mitski at The Brooklyn Steel.
The highest honours in music were postponed from January during a spike in Covid-19 cases and moved from Los Angeles to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Thousands of spectators packed the venue, a contrast to last year’s scaled-down outdoor event.
Winners were chosen by some 11,000 voting members of the Recording Academy.