The first Pakistani artist ever to win a Grammy award has said the recognition makes her truly feel part of the music industry and that she hopes to inspire change.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News following her win, Arooj Aftab 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.
The New-York based singer has been gaining global attention for her music, which fuses ancient Sufi traditions with jazz, folk and minimalism. She picked up the Grammy for best global performance and was also nominated in the best new artist category – up against teen star Olivia Rodrigo and British singer Arlo Parks.
Vulture Prince, Aftab’s third studio album, was released in 2021 to critical acclaim. But it was when former US President Barack Obama included the track Mohabbat on his 2021 summer favourites list that it gained even more attention.
The track, which means love or affection, was recorded entirely in Urdu and is nearly eight minutes long, describing the pain of separation from a loved one.
Speaking about her win and making history 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.
“Award ceremonies and their criterias are all strange, but this is where it’s at. The Grammys is the highest echelon of the industry and it does make me feel like, wow, somehow, one way or another, I’m a part of it now.
“It felt really crazy and great winning. I was very proud of the record I made and to me personally I felt like it did the things that I wanted to do musically. The Grammys itself are this romantic conception for non-mainstream musicians like myself and it’s always there in the periphery, so this is a huge honour.”
Speaking about the issues female Pakistani artists face, the 37-year-old said that while she herself has not been on the receiving end of derogatory comments, there is still an issue in Pakistan.
“I hope it goes away for everyone,” she said. “For all women who are trying to do what they want to do. I hope that the patriarchy starts to dismantle and fade away and all this nonsense goes away. I hope strong women with these beautiful visions and dreams get to do what they have to do without any nonsense.”
Aftab is the first female Pakistani musician to be nominated for a Grammy; Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was nominated in 1996, but he didn’t win.
She will also become the first Pakistani artist to ever perform at Coachella this year.
Representation is incredibly important in the industry, she said.
“We need to have that out there for people to see. I’m happy to be an inspiration because it feels like an extremely personal win for me. They say ‘when you see people who look like you attaining certain things and you feel like you can do it too’, I’m happy playing that role.”
Speaking about others following in her footsteps, she said: “The music industry in Pakistan is really thriving right now. It’s in our DNA: poetry, dance, music, romance, Sufism – it’s chock full in our bones and our bodies, in our essence. There’s no escaping the amount of creativity. I don’t think there’s anything holding anyone back.”