Arooj Aftab, a renowned singer, and Pakistan’s first-ever Grammy winner returned to the Grammy Premiere Ceremony this past Sunday and gave a performance on its stage, marking another first for a Pakistani.
She sang their heartbreaking song, Udhero Na while standing next to Anoushka Shankar to kick off the Los Angeles 2023 awards ceremony. With her Grammy-nominated song and eerie vocals, the singer established the mood for the evening.
Something to calm our Monday blues. Here's a beautiful performance of Arooj Aftab on "Udhero Na" at Grammys.#UdheroNa #Grammys pic.twitter.com/uZFMro3zPp
— Pakistani Cinema (@PakistaniCinema) February 6, 2023
Aftab’s meditative voice and range, along with the British-Indian sitar player’s proficiency with the instrument, won hearts even though the song may not have given her a second Academy Award.
Since taking home the prize for Mohabbat last year, the Brooklyn-based star has several times brought honor to Pakistan. Aftab’s Pakistani following was vocal and devoted even before that. Her rendition of Hafeez Hoshiarpuri’s 1921 composition gathered up millions of views before landing a coveted spot on Barack Obama’s 2021 summer playlist and going on to win an Academy Award. Aftab had previously defeated artists like Burna Boy, Yo-Yo Ma, and Wizkid to win the Grammy for Best Global Music Performance, which was a first for the award since it was launched last year.
Only one Grammy Award nomination was given to Udhero Na this time for Aftab in the Best Global Music Performance category. In addition to being nominated for Best New Artist the year before, she also won the first-ever Best Global Music Performance prize with Mohabbat. On the other hand, as of this writing, Shankar has been nominated for nine Grammy awards.
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