Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab has bagged two Grammy nominations that are scheduled to be held in January next year.
She has been nominated in the categories of ‘Best Global Music Performance’ and ‘Best New Artist.’
Arooj Fatima is a trained singer, composer, and producer with three solo albums. She is also on the playlist of former US President Barack Obama. “Here’s a playlist of songs I’ve been listening to lately—it’s a mix of old and new, household names and emerging artists, and a whole lot in between,” said Barack Obama as he shared his playlist for summer.
WOW! Pakistani singer #AroojAftab gets nominated for a #Grammy in the New Artist Category for an Urdu song!
In July 2021 Arooj made it to President Obama's Summer playlist for her cover of Mohabat (karney waley kam na honge) an original by Mehdi Hasan.https://t.co/jpmiMrZfiU
— Fifi Haroon (@fifiharoon) November 23, 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 S.I & S.E (@falamb3) November 23, 2021
“With so many folks getting together with family and friends, there’s a lot to celebrate this summer,” Obama added further.
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Her album ‘Muhabbat’ has been featured alongside global artists like Rihanna, Bruno Mars, The Rolling Stones, and Jay-Z among others.
Arooj Aftab’s Grammy nomination: A cause for celebrations!
Pakistani celebrities celebrated her nomination in the Grammy Awards. “What fantastic news. Congratulations, Arooj Aftab!” said Osman Khalid Butt on Twitter.
“Big Congrats, Arooj Aftab, for becoming the first-ever Pakistani to be nominated for Best New Artist for the 2022 Grammy Awards. This is truly incredible news,” wrote Fakhr-e-Alam on Twitter.
Singer Meesha Shafi also congratulated Arooj Aftab on Instagram. “WOW! Pakistani singer #AroojAftab gets nominated for a #Grammy in the New Artist Category for an Urdu song!,” wrote Fifi Haroon on Twitter. #AroojAftab is trending on Twitter since Wednesday morning.
What fantastic news.
Congratulations, @arooj_aftab! https://t.co/TLk8gM1rgy— Osman Khalid Butt 🇵🇸 (@aClockworkObi) November 23, 2021
Arooj Aftab hails from Lahore. She produces her works mainly in the minimalist, jazz, and neo-Sufism idioms. She is a self-taught musician who learned music after listening to legendary singer Begum Akhtar. She also listened to Hariprasad Chaurasia, Billie Holiday, and Mariah Carey. She was among the first musicians to promote her music through the internet in early 2000 in Pakistan.
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She moved to the United States of America in 2005 from where she released her first album ‘Bird Under Water’ in March 2015.