Meet the First Pakistani to Win a Grammy Award

Arooj Aftab took home the Grammy for Best Global Music Performance for her song “Mohabbat,” a track off of her breakthrough album Vulture Prince last Sunday making her the first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy. She was also nominated in the Best New Artist category.

The New York based singer has been gaining global attention for her music, which fuses ancient Sufi traditions with jazz, folk and minimalism. And aside from her music, Aftab is also paving the way for other Pakistani artists.

In March, Aftab joined Spotify’s EQUAL program, which fosters equity for women in the audio space, as its March ambassador for Pakistan – a feat that landed her on a billboard in Times Square. As part of the platform’s Best New Artist series, she released dual Spotify Singles, including a cover of Rosalía’s “Di Mi Nombre” and a rendition of “Baghon Main.”

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In an interview with Sky News, said she hopes the “patriarchy” and “nonsense” around Pakistani female artists will start to “dismantle and fade away” and that there is nothing holding other artists back from success.

During her speech at the 64th Grammys ceremony, she said: “The industry itself has been doing a lot more to be fair and also to actually listen to [non-mainstream] music.

She is truly a Get it Girl! If you want to enjoy one of her performances, here are her tour dates:

Upcoming Live Dates:

Sat 09-Apr-22 – Iowa, IA @ Mission Creek Festival

Sun 10-Apr-22 – Minneapolis, MN @ Parkway Theatre

Mon 11-Apr-22 Chicago, IL @ Constellation (SOLD OUT)

Fri 15-Apr-22 Indio, CA @ Coachella Festival

Mon 18-Apr-22 Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theatre

Fri 22-Apr-22 Indio, CA @ Coachella Festival

Sun 01-May-22 New York, NY @ Knockdown Centre

Sat 16-Jul-22 Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival

Fri 22-Jul-22 Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival

Sat 27-Aug-22 Pasadena, CA @ This Ain’t No Pic Nic Festival

Sun 28-Aug-22 Seattle, WA @ THING Festival

Sat 03-Sep-22 Denver, CO @ Here & There Festival, Mission Ballroom