The distinguished Vilcek Award for Creative Promise in Music was given this month to Brooklyn-based singer Arooj Aftab, who in 2022 became the first Pakistani artist to win a Grammy.
The Vilcek Foundation develops an appreciation for the humanities and sciences while bringing attention to the contributions made by immigrants to the United States. The Foundation supports immigrant scientists and artists at all stages of their careers by offering prizes. For her “expressive songs and compositions that mix a range of inspirations from semi-classical Pakistani music and Urdu poetry to jazz harmonies and experimental music,” Arooj Aftab was awarded the Vilcek Award for Creative Potential in Music, according to the Foundation’s website.
In addition to being nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award for Best New Artist and winning a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Global Performance, her fusion of antiquated traditions and modern flair has gained her widespread attention. Aftab won a significant award for her song “Mohabbat” in the Best Worldwide Performance category at the Grammy Awards in April of last year, marking the first time she had achieved this feat. She is also the first Pakistani woman to ever receive a Grammy nomination. For the second year in a row, she was also a nominee for Best Global Music Performance this year.
The 37-year-old, who has spent around 15 years in New York, is rapidly earning recognition on a global scale for her music, which combines ancient Sufi traditions with folk, jazz, and minimalism inflections. Aftab, who was raised by Pakistani parents in Saudi Arabia, spent her teenage years in Lahore before moving to Boston to enroll at the famed Berklee School of Music to study music engineering and production.
WATCH: Arooj Aftab Performance at the 2023 Grammy’s, win hearts of subcontinent and beyond
She earned additional recognition after former US president Barack Obama selected “Mohabbat” on his list of summertime songs to listen to in 2021. She released her third studio album, “Vulture Prince,” to critical praise.
