RAWALPINDI – Singer Arooj Aftab has become the first Pakistani to be nominated in the best new artist category for the Grammy Awards 2021.
Aftab, who was featured in former US president Barack Obama’s summer playlist earlier this year, has been living in the US for nearly two decades.
Nominations for the 64th annual Grammy Awards were announced on Tuesday night while the star-studded show will be held in Los Angeles on January 31.
Besides Pakistani artist, singer Jimmie Allen, American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, rapper Saweetie, rapper Baby Keem, singer Finneas, British band Glass Animals, Korean-American indie rock group Japanese Breakfast, Australian breakout star The Kid Laroi, and British singer Arlo Parks have been nominated for this category.
https://twitter.com/RecordingAcad/status/1463213034692702210
She also bagged a nomination for Best Global Performance.
The 36-year-old made the headlines in 2018, when the National Public Radio (NPR) listed her “Lullaby” as one of the 200 Greatest Songs by 21st Century Women+ and the New York Times celebrated her “Island No 2” among the Best Classical Music Tracks of 2018.
Pakistani celebrities and social media users have congratulated Arooj Aftab over her nomination.
BIG CONGRATS @arooj_aftab for becoming the first ever Pakistani to be nominated for best New artist for the 2022 @RecordingAcad GRAMMY award. This is truly incredible news. So so proud and happy. 🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰
— Fakhr-e-Alam S.I & S.E (@falamb3) November 23, 2021
Yes!!! Our very own @arooj_aftab has made music history by being nominated by the @RecordingAcad for Best New Artist! This is a very proud moment for our nation.
To celebrate, listen to Arooj’s tracks on her YouTube page right here https://t.co/dfPOalSOr2
— Hadiqa Kiani (@Hadiqa_Kiani) November 23, 2021
