Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab won her first ever Grammy in the Best Global Performance category, and she is also the first Pakistani woman to receive the prestigious trophy. The award was presented to the artist for her song "Mohabbat".
Aftab was also nominated for Best new Artist.
The official Twitter account of the Grammys posted, "@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.”
Aftab is Brooklyn-based and has been slowly and consistently gaining global attention for her unique blend of music which combines ancient Sufi traditions with inflections of folk, jazz and minimalism. Aftab was born in Saudi Arabia, and spent her teenage in Lahore before moving to Boston to study musical production and engineering. She studied at the Berklee School of Music.
Aftab released her first album 'Bird Under Water' in 2014.
Her Grammy-winning track 'Mohabbat' also made its way to former US President Barack Obama's annual summer playlist. Aftab 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. In the days leading up to the Grammys, Aftab praised her fellow artists nominated for Best New Artist, a crop that includes favourite 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 told AFP.
