BEFORE she won a Grammy, musician Arooj Aftab was a household name in Pakistan for her song Mohabbat, which was on former US president Barack Obama’s summer 2021 playlist. This is also the song that won Ms Aftab international acclaim over the weekend, as she received her first Grammy in the category of Best Global Performance. Though hardly a new name to avid music fans who have listened to her ever since she broke through the ranks of Pakistan’s indie scene in the early 2000s, Ms Aftab was also nominated for the Best New Artist category. Through this award, Ms Aftab has renewed interest in the blend of South Asian classical and other music genres. Her recognition by the global music community paves the way for other Pakistani musicians, and especially women, hoping to make their mark in the world. Ms Aftab has three albums to her credit, her meditative renditions breathing new life into ghazals and Sufi works. Though her work is heavily inspired by South Asian music, thanks to a childhood spent in Lahore, a touch of reggae and jazz demonstrate how music transcends boundaries.

In some ways, Ms Aftab’s music is a reflection of her own diverse background. She was born in Saudi Arabia but spent her teenage years in Lahore making waves on the local indie music landscape. She went on to study jazz, music production and engineering at a prestigious institute in Boston. Her winning the Grammy award itself underscores the fact that cultures and societies are fluid and no number of barriers can stop people from assimilating and learning from each other. There are many who will not agree with her style of music — and that is okay. Her achievement, in fact, goes beyond personal preferences and perhaps should be viewed in the light of how the old melds with the new, and how musical traditions dovetail in a celebration of individual expression. In a world wracked by divisions, such music can have a powerful message.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2022