Music icon Arooj Aftab secures Grammy nominations for fourth consecutive year

Her single Raat Ki Rani nominated for Best Global Music Performance, while Night Reign for Best Alternative Jazz Album

Pakistani-American singer Arooj Aftab has received Grammy nominations for the 2025 awards ceremony, marking her fourth consecutive year being recognised by the Recording Academy.

Her single Raat Ki Rani is in the running for Best Global Music Performance, while her album Night Reign has earned a nomination for Best Alternative Jazz Album. This category honours vocal or instrumental albums where new alternative jazz recordings comprise more than 75% of the playing time.

"OMG YES!!! This will be the fourth year in a row that the @recordingacademy and industry peers have celebrated my music with these accolades, and IT FEELS SO GOOD,” Aftab shared on Instagram, expressing her gratitude for the recognition.

“Thank you thank you thank youuuuu and keep spinning Night Reign, we are just getting started,” she added.

Aftab, 39, became the first Pakistani to win a Grammy in 2022, claiming the Best Global Music Performance award for her song Mohabbat. She was also a two-time nominee for the 2024 Grammy Awards.

Known for blending ancient Sufi traditions with folk and jazz, Aftab has garnered global acclaim for her unique style. Originally from Pakistan, she has been based in New York for the last 15 years after moving to the US at age 19 to study at Berklee College of Music.

She grew up in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan before settling in the US Her 2021 album, Vulture Prince, which she dedicated to her late brother, brought her to international fame, following earlier successes with Bird Under Water and Siren Islands in the mid-2010s.