Arooj Aftab

Arooj Aftab (born March 11, 1985) is a Brooklyn based Pakistani vocalist, music composer and producer who works mainly in the minimalist, jazz and neo-Sufi idioms.

Arooj Aftab
Arooj Aftab at Le Poisson Rouge/Photograph by Vishesh Sharma
Background information
Born (1985-03-11) March 11, 1985
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
OriginBrooklyn, New York, United States
GenresJazz Minimalist Neo-Sufi
Occupation(s)Composer, Vocalist, Producer
LabelsNew Amsterdam Records
Websitewww.aroojaftabmusic.com

Aftab is nominated for the Best New Artist and Best Global Music Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

Early life and education

Hailing from Lahore, Pakistan,[1] Arooj Aftab taught herself to play the guitar and started developing her voice through deep listening to various musicians such as Begum Akhtar, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Billie Holiday, and Mariah Carey.[2] In the early 2000s, Aftab was one of the first musicians to use the internet to promote her music in Pakistan --- her renditions of "Hallelujah" and "Mera Pyaar" went viral and largely inaugurated the Pakistani indie scene.[2]

Aftab moved to the United States in 2005, earned a degree in Music Production and Engineering and Jazz Composition at the Berklee College of Music. She moved to New York in 2009 and has lived there since.

Career

Her first album Bird Under Water was released independently in 2014, and was celebrated by many publications including The Wire[3] and The Huffington Post.[4] It also gained her a spot on NPR's list of 200 Greatest Songs by 21st Century Women,[5] and NPR's 100 composers under 40.[6]

Her second album Siren Islands was released on June 12, 2018, with New Amsterdam Records. The New York Times slotted it in The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2018.[7] NPR included it in their Best Electronic/Dance of 2018[8] list.

The composer-performer's third studio album, Vulture Prince, was released on April 23, 2021, with New Amsterdam Records. Vulture Prince tells the stories of people, relationships, and moments lost, and the album is dedicated to the memory of her younger brother, Maher.[9] Vulture Prince received praise from music publications such as NPR Music,[10] NPR Classical,[11] BBC Radio,[12] Pitchfork Magazine,[13] The New York Times,[14] I Care If You Listen,[9] Paste Magazine[15] and Al Jazeera.[16] Arooj's song Mohabbat from this album was listed by Barack Obama as one of his summer playlist favourites for 2021.[1]

Collaborations

Arooj has collaborated with world renowned artists such as Meshell Ndegeocello, Badi Assad, Jace Clayton, Vijay Iyer, Rafiq Bhatia, Shahzad Ismaily, Leo Genovese, Toshi Reagon, Maeve Gilchrist, Petros Klampanis, Magda Giannikou and Gyan Riley.

Performances

Arooj has performed her music at major venues such as the Lincoln Center,[17] Andy Warhol Museum,[18] Haus der Kulturen der Welt,[19] Le Poisson Rouge, and the Museum of Modern Art.[20] She has also performed at festivals such as The Big Ears Festival,[21] The Ecstatic Music Festival,[22] and the San Francisco Jazz Festival.[23] In 2018 she performed at The Kitchen NYC,[24] and has opened for Mitski at The Brooklyn Steel.[25]

Discography

Albums

Other works
  • Composer, Sound Designer and Implementer for Backbone[26] by Eggnut Games
  • Sang the title song Insaaf for the film Talvar, written by Gulzar and composed by Vishal Bhardwaj[27]
  • Sang an old traditional Bandish of Raag Bhairavi Raske Bhare Tore Nain for the film Dobara Phir Se by Mehreen Jabbar
  • Composed and sang the song De Libbe with Daso for Tale and Tone Records[28]
  • Featured singer on Climbing Poetree's album Intrinsic[29]
  • Music Director for the film Without Shepherds by Cary McClelland[30]
  • Composed and sang on the album The Julius Eastman Memory Depot by Jace Clayton[31]

Awards and nominations
  • 2022 Grammy Award nominee Best New Artist and Best Global Music Performance for "Mohabbat."[32]
  • 2020 Student Academy Award as Composer on short film "Bittu" by Karishma Dev Dube[33][34]
  • Composer in 93rd Oscar's Shortlist Live Action Short Film, Bittu[35]

References
  1. "Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab makes it to Barack Obama's Summer Playlist". Dawn. July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  2. "Sadia Shirazi on Arooj Aftab". www.artforum.com. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  3. Arnold, Howard Mandel,Matt Krefting,Emily Bick,Abi Bliss,Frances Morgan,Clive Bell,Adam Harper,Jacob. "The Wire 375". The Wire Magazine - Adventures In Modern Music. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  4. Rao, Mallika (June 15, 2015). "Here's How You Make 13th Century Islamic Music Sound Fresh". HuffPost. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  5. "The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+ (160-141)". NPR.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  6. "The Mix: 100 Composers Under 40".
  7. Tommasini, Anthony; Barone, Joshua; Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna da; Allen, David; Walls, Seth Colter; Woolfe, Zachary (December 13, 2018). "The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2018". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  8. "Our Favorite Electronic & Dance Music of 2018". NPR.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  9. IF YOU LISTEN, I. CARE (April 15, 2021). "Video Premiere: "Diya Hai" Performed by Arooj Aftab and Badi Assad". I CARE IF YOU LISTEN. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  10. "On 'Vulture Prince,' Arooj Aftab Finds New Meaning In Familiar Words". NPR.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  11. "New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On April 23 : All Songs Considered". NPR.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  12. "BBC Radio 6 Music - Cerys Matthews". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  13. "Arooj Aftab - Albums, Songs, and News". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  14. Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Russonello, Giovanni (April 23, 2021). "Weezer's Rock 'n' Roll Nostalgia Trip, and 10 More New Songs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  15. "The 10 Albums We're Most Excited About in April". pastemagazine.com. March 29, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  16. "Pakistan-born 'neo-Sufi' singer breaks free from music traditions". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  17. "Jesús Carmona & Arooj Aftab". www.lincolncenter.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  18. "Sound Series: Jace Clayton – The Julius Eastman Memorial Dinner". The Andy Warhol Museum. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  19. Welt, Haus der Kulturen der (May 31, 2017). "Arooj Aftab". HKW. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  20. "Summer Thursdays: Arooj Aftab | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  21. "Big Ears Festival - BIG EARS EXPANDS 2020 LINEUP". Big Ears Festival. November 12, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  22. "Ecstatic Music Festival: Thums Up & Arooj Aftab". tickets.kaufmanmusiccenter.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  23. "Vijay Iyer & Thums Up". www.sfjazz.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  24. "The Kitchen: Vijay Iyer: The What of the World". thekitchen.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  25. "Mitski, Arooj Aftab @ Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn on 12/03/2018". Oh My Rockness. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  26. "Backbone: Prologue - Mid-summer 2020 Update - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. July 15, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  27. Editors, BollySpice (September 6, 2015). "'Insaaf' from Talvar – a superb collaboration by Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar". BollySpice.com - The latest movies, interviews in Bollywood. Retrieved April 25, 2021.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  28. "De Libbe from Tale & Tone on Beatport". www.beatport.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  29. "For the Courageous, by Climbing PoeTree". Climbing PoeTree. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  30. "FILMMAKERS | Without Shepherds". www.withoutshepherds.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  31. "Jace Clayton: The Julius Eastman Memory Depot". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  32. "2022 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Nominations List". Grammys.com. November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  33. "THE TEAM". bittu. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  34. "FESTIVALS & AWARDS". bittu. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  35. "93RD OSCARS® SHORTLISTS IN NINE AWARD CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. February 9, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
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