‘No one’s going to care about your little beautiful songs’: Arooj Aftab speaks about her new album

Arooj Aftab, the first Pakistani artist to win a Grammy, was once told how “no one’s going to care about your little beautiful songs,” while speaking with Reuters about her new record ‘Night Reign’, which was released on Friday.

“It was so good to win a Grammy, after being such a sensitive, deep-diving and complex artist, working so hard on the tiny intricacies of music,” she told Reuters.

“After being told by the industry and the general vibe and aesthetic of institutions like the Grammys that no one’s going to care about your little beautiful songs.”

In 2022, Aftab became the very first Pakistani musician to win a Grammy Award in the category Best Global Music Performance for her song ‘Mohabbat’.

Arooj Aftab becomes first Pakistani artist to win Grammy

The musician also spoke to Reuters about the “huge, huge impact” winning a grammy had on the Pakistani and South Asian community.

“It’s almost as if I gave them a new horizon, a new dream to chase, whereas they did not even know that was possible,” she said.

In 2022, Aftab also became the first Pakistani artist to be featured on a billboard in Times Square, New York as part of a Spotify campaign.

Last year, she became the first Pakistani musician to perform at the Grammys. She performed the track ‘Udhero Na’ alongside Anoushka Shankar.

Singer Arooj Aftab honoured with ‘Pride of Performance’ award

Last year Aftab was awarded the Pride of Performance award on August 14, in a ceremony in Washington, D.C.