Arooj Aftab reflects on Grammys outcome

Singer congratulates fellow nominees

Arooj Aftab took to Instagram to admit defeat at the Grammys in true sportsman spirit. "Well we didn't win, but we had a riot at the Grammys as we always do in style," she wrote.

Arooj's album Night Reign, which was released in May 2024, earned her two Grammy nominations in the categories of Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Global Music Performance for track Raat Ki Rani. No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin by Meshell Ndegeocello won the former category, whereas the latter was awarded to Sheila E for Bemba Colorá.

Championing respect for her fellow nominees and victors, Arooj wrote, "I am in absolute awe of all the nominees and a huge congrats to the giants [Meshell] and [Sheila].

"Thank you for streaming Night Reign, for talking about it in the news, for sharing it with friends, and for coming to the shows! [It] was very inspiring to see the LA music community, [the Recording Academy], and [MusiCares] stand together to rebuild all that was lost in the fires."

Back in November, Arooj took to Instagram to share the news of her nominations. "OMG yes! This will be the fourth year in a row that the [Recording Academy] and industry peeps have celebrated my music with these nominations, and it feels so good. Also, I am nominated alongside literally everyone I love so thank you, thank you, thank you for the beautiful music, and keep spinning Night Reign. We are just getting started."

The 2025 nominations were only a part of the singer's impressive journey. In 2022, she made history as the first Pakistani vocalist to score a Grammy for her track Mohabbat in the Best Global Performance category.

"Thank you so much to everyone who helped me make this record, all of my incredible collaborators for following me and making this music that I made about everything that broke me and put me back together. Thank you for listening to it and making it yours," she spoke after receiving the award.

But Grammy or not, Arooj has been making strides internationally for a while now. In December last year, she marked her debut on US television through her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she performed Raat Ki Rani. The feat transcended the limitations of language and was received as such by international users in the comments section of the YouTube upload.