Pakistani-American singer Arooj Aftab now has another prestigious award to showcase her stellar career besides her Grammy. The Pride of Performance award – a bestowed honour to recognize notable achievements of citizens – was granted to the singer/producer to mark the success of her music career.
On the 77th Independence Day of Pakistan, the President, Dr. Arif Alvi, held a ceremony in Washington for the distribution of 253 awards to critically acclaimed Pakistani and foreign nationals. While individuals received awards for their contributions to multiple different fields, Aftab herself was honoured with the highest literary award for displaying excellence in the field of art and music. She shared pictures on her Instagram celebrating her win.
According to The Truth International, Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan – who actually awarded her the prize – commended Aftab’s hand in bridging the gap between the two nations through her music and stated that international relations between the two states are largely influenced by perception. He is specifically known to have added, “Pakistanis love music. There are no restrictions on music.”
Aftab also made history as the very first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy award for the Best Global Music Performance of Mohabbat, which was her own rendition of Mehdi Hassan’s ghazal. However, her second album in its entirety is one that deserves to be recognized as well.
It seems that creating music for the Pakistani as well as Western ear is something Aftab has consciously been working towards. While speaking with Vogue India about her second album, she said, “I feel like I was able to combine my various backgrounds – and I don’t mean to say ‘Oh, it’s a fusion of Western and South Asian Music’ because that’s not what it is. It’s on a different level. And you see that with how this particular album and its sound have resonated, in a much way, with more mainstream American audiences. It sits somewhere right in the middle of everybody’s ears. And that is good.”
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