On Tuesday, the Grammy nominations were revealed. One name that has appeared on the nomination that has made Pakistanis proud is of a vocalist, music composer, and producer, Arooj Aftab.
Other nominees include Olivia Rodrigo, FINNEAS, The Kid LAROI, and Jimmie Allen. There are a total of 10 nominees, but music fans want to know more about an unfamiliar name on the list that has quickly taken over social media.
In July this year, Aftab made it to the 44th president of the United States, Barak Obama’s summer playlist with her song Mohabbat, the same song for which she has been nominated for the Grammy’s.
By getting nominated, Arooj Aftab has become the first Pakistani to be nominated for the Best New Artist, described as a “category that recognizes an artist whose release achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.”
The 64th Grammy Awards will be held on January 31, 2022.
Arooj is a 36-year-old Brooklyn-based singer who was born in Saudi Arabia and grew up in Pakistan. She moved to New York after graduating from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She has three solo albums to her credit up to date.
At the beginning of the year, Arooj released Vulture Prince, her album, which has earned quite a reputation among people ever since it first came out. She is known to bring forward Rumi and Mirza Ghalib’s poetry together with electronic samples and jazz. She was awarded by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for her additional vocals in Antes Que El Mundo Se Acabe (Residente).
While growing up, Arooj listened to Billie Holiday, Mariah Carey, and Begum Akhtar. She also taught herself to play guitar. She first started promoting her music when she was in Pakistan. Her popular covers include Amir Zaki’s Mera Pyar and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.
Many celebrities have congratulated Arooj on her latest achievement.
Yes!!! Our very own @arooj_aftab has made music history by being nominated by the @RecordingAcad for Best New Artist! This is a very proud moment for our nation.
To celebrate, listen to Arooj’s tracks on her YouTube page right here https://t.co/dfPOalSOr2
— Hadiqa Kiani (@Hadiqa_Kiani) November 23, 2021
@arooj_aftab just got TWO GRAMMY NOMINATIONS!!! Shut up about everything else and celebrate this immediately ♥️🧿✨🥳🤩
Also.. if you haven’t heard her intoxicating, magnum opus #VulturePrince do yourselves a favour! Keep a tissue box handy 😭#GRAMMYs #BestNewArtist
— MEESHA SHAFI (@itsmeeshashafi) November 24, 2021
BIG CONGRATS @arooj_aftab for becoming the first ever Pakistani to be nominated for best New artist for the 2022 @RecordingAcad GRAMMY award. This is truly incredible news. So so proud and happy. 🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰
— Fakhr-e-Alam (@falamb3) November 23, 2021
Earlier on, Aftab has won several music awards. She received her first Latin Grammy in the best rap or hip-hop category last year. She was honored with a Student Academy Award for composing music for Bittu, a short film.
Pakistani Singer Arooj Aftab Appears on Obama’s 2021 Summer Playlist. Read the full story here:
In today’s news, talented Pakistani singer and composer Arooj Aftab’s ‘Mohabbat’ made it to Barack Obama’s summer playlist. He is the former President of the United States of America. Obama’s summer playlist comprises 38 songs in total. The list includes big artists such as Rihanna, The Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, Bob Dylan, Bruno Mars, among many others.
Pakistani Singer Arooj Aftab Appears on Obama’s 2021 Summer Playlist
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