The rise of the ‘Grammy Girl’

Staying true to her name, Arooj Aftab is shining on the sky of the music with all her singing talents and a deep mellifluous voice. She has all the merit to be referred to as the ‘Grammy Girl,’ being the first singer from Pakistan to have twice taken the stage of one of the most prestigious awards in the music world. The U.S.-based Pakistani artiste might have missed out this year another Grammy award to her credit, but Arooj Aftab performed her nominated song, Udhero Na, alongside Anoushka Shankar in the 2023 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 65th Grammy Awards.

Sharing the experience with people on her Instagram handle, Arooj Aftab wrote: “Every day I wake up in a new dream, and each dream seems to get more and more beautiful than the last. Every day I wake up and it’s all actually real too. So thank you to the hand on my shoulder, the touch of the celestial, for protecting me and guiding me to these places.”

She further said, “Music is often referred to as a healer, a balm over a wound, a spiritual practice, but it is also an instigator of change. The two of us, Anoushka Shankar and I, standing on the Recording Academy stage together, performing Udhero Na, I think the power of art did say f word to politics that night.”

The singer set the tone for the night with her grammy-nominated track and haunting vocals. The song may not have won Aftab her second Academy Award but her meditative voice and range, accompanied by the British-Indian sitar player’s mastery over the instrument, sure did win hearts.

The Brooklyn-based star has on numerous occasions made Pakistan proud since winning last year for Mohabbat. Even before that, Aftab had a loud and loyal fanbase in Pakistan. Her iteration of Hafeez Hoshiarpuri’s 1921 composition racked up several million streams before earning a coveted place in Barack Obama’s 2021 summer playlist and eventually winning at the Academy Awards.

Aftab was also the only artist to have won a Grammy for Best Global Music Performance before Sunday, considering the category was introduced last year, beating out the likes of Burna Boy, Yo-Yo Ma, and Wizkid.

This time, however, Aftab was nominated for one Grammy Award for Udhero Na, once again in the Best Global Music Performance category. The year before, she also took home the inaugural award for Best Global Music Performance with Mohabbat, along with her Best New Artist nomination. Shankar, on the other hand, has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards to date.