LAS VEGAS: The Brooklyn-based Pakistani vocalist Arooj Aftab on Sunday scored her first Grammy, winning a prestigious trophy for her song “Mohabbat” in the Best Global Performance category.
The 37-year-old — who has lived in New York for some 15 years — has been steadily gaining global attention for her work that fuses ancient Sufi traditions with inflections of folk, jazz and minimalism.
She s also up for the coveted Best New Artist prize, which will be presented during the main Grammy telecast later Sunday.
“I am beyond thrilled,” the artist told journalists backstage at the pre-gala ceremony, at which the vast majority of awards are handed out. “It feels great.”
“I ve been very nervous all day. And we re off to a good start.”
Born to Pakistani parents in Saudi Arabia, Aftab spent her teenage years in Lahore before relocating to Boston s prestigious Berklee School of Music to study musical production and engineering.