With her Coachella debut, Arooj Aftab continues to add another feather to her cap

Arooj Aftab, a Pakistani singer residing in Brooklyn, has put another feather to her crown with a performance at the highly regarded Coachella music festival.

She performed a show focusing on her beautiful Urdu poetry amid the California desert, making history as the first Pakistani to perform at the famous event.

The language barrier is no longer an issue for Aftab: “This is a door that has been opened.”

The 37-year-old, who just recorded a rendition of Rosalia’s “Di mi nombre” by Spanish flamenco revisionist Rosalia, sees a revolution in popular music, with musicians openly crossing genre and boundary lines.

“There’s a shift going on in the music business,” she told AFP on the Coachella grounds, where she gave a touching performance of her work, which mixes ancient Sufi traditions with folk, jazz, and minimalism.

“The musicians and the audience are both making music, and the public are listening to it with a lot of mental freedom. Less genre-genre, less border-border, less genre-genre, less genre-genre, less genre-genre, less “she said

“It’s so open and free, and it’s really, really lovely.”

She recognises the Latinx community for making significant progress in this area, including Rosalia, Becky G, Karol G, J. Balvin, and Bad Bunny as key players.

“The trap movement undoubtedly impacted the way people listen,” Aftab added, alluding to the development of Southern US hip hop that subsequently merged with reggaeton in Latin America.

She went on to say that the rise of Latin music on US airways, particularly on streaming platforms, “opened a great opening in the minds of listeners in America.”

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“Now kids listen to music they don’t understand, and that’s OK!” They are enthralled. That’s a significant move.”

Aftab claims that the openness has given her greater freedom with her own compositions, allowing her to release music based on emotions without restriction.

“It´s a personal music,” she stated. “It’s not a case of’my nation, my country,’ but rather global music. It’s all we experience and all the individuals we meet.”

“Music has everything that makes my heart sing.”

– ‘A high’ –

With three studio albums under her belt, Aftab made history by being the first Pakistani solo vocalist to win a Grammy, in the Best Global Performance category, for her song “Mohabbat.”

She was also nominated for the coveted Best New Artist award, which went to pop star Olivia Rodrigo, as predicted.

Aftab, on the other hand, is relishing the moment of honour, reminiscing about her professional achievements as well as her two appearances at the prestigious Coachella festival.

“It feels absolutely fantastic,” the singer remarked. “It’s a high — it’s a high point in my career.” “I’ve been preparing for this moment and thinking whether it will arrive or not.”

“And it worked! Which is incredible.”

She’s also excited to be performing in front of live crowds again, with Coachella returning after a three-year hiatus due to the epidemic.

The 2022 Coachella poster, which features performers from all over the world, is a reflection of music’s globalisation and genre flexibility.

That’s a significant gain for Aftab: “This is definitely a door that’s opened.”

“And I’m definitely going to leave the door open.”