Brooklyn-based musician makes history with Grammy Award win

The Recording Academy took to Instagram with the post that reads, "The first ever Grammy Pakistani Grammy winner is Arooj Aftab."

News 12 Staff

Apr 11, 2022, 2:05 AM

Updated 911 days ago

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A Brooklyn musician made history at last Sunday's Grammy Awards and brought home the prestigious golden trophy.
Arooj Aftab won in the Best Global Performance category. The Recording Academy took to Instagram with the post that reads, "The first ever Grammy Pakistani Grammy winner is Arooj Aftab."
"Walking up to that stage, I thought I was going to pass out. But I was able to pull through and accept the award and say some things. And it feels just really beautiful, really," Aftab said. "It’s the highest accolade of music in the world, so it’s always there in peripheral. It’s always been there in my mind. But I’ve always tried not to focus on it. It’s so exclusive and like they just don’t give it to people. They just don’t give it to people."
The Pakistani vocalist who was nominated twice, is now a part of an elite club. She scored the win for the song "Mohabbat," off of her third studio album, Vulture Prince.
"I’ve been trying to write 'Mohabbat' for many years. One of its first iterations was in 2010, and so I finally took the time to get it right and I put it out," Aftab explained.
The songstress was even featured on former President Barack Obama's "Summer Favorites Playlist."
"Him putting my song on his playlist definitely changed things for me for sure. So many people took notice. I’m so grateful for that," she said.
The singer has already inspired thousands with her momentous win. Her talents have taken her from performances at the Lincoln Center to Brooklyn Steel and will soon add yet another high-profile stage to her credits.
"I’m playing at Coachella in a couple weeks. Really excited about that. A bunch of touring happening. Three or four months of touring and once I’m done with that, I’m going to start writing my new record," Aftab said.