Biography

Arooj Aftab emigrated to the United States from Pakistan in 2005 to study at Berklee College of Music, completing a degree in Music Production and Engineering. In 2011 she was named as one of National Public Radio's Top 100 young composers, and made the New York Times' list of best 2012 concerts. In 2021 her Vulture Prince album was met with critical acclaim from The Guardian, Time Magazine, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times. President Barack Obama included album single "Mohabbat" on his official Summer Playlist, and her performance of the song "Mehram" for Coke Studio Pakistan has garnered over 11 million views. In 2022 the composer and singer Aftab joined Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as the second Pakistani to be nominated for a Grammy, in the Best New Artist and Best Global Music Performance categories. She became the first Pakistani to win, taking home the 2021 award for Best Global Music Performance. Aftab has since been invited to perform at major international music festivals including Coachella, Glastonbury, Primavera Sound Barcelona, Roskilde Festival, and Montreal Jazz Festival. Earlier this year she marked the end of Ramadan by speaking alongside President Biden and the First Lady at the White House's Eid al-Fitr celebration. Aftab is signed to Universal Music Group, and is working on the follow-up to Vulture Prince. She resides in New York City.