Arooj Aftab is a singer and composer based in Brooklyn. She grew up in Saudi Arabia, but her family is from Pakistan. And earlier this year, she made history by becoming the first Pakistani artist to win a Grammy. Her song, “Mohabbat” won the Best Global Music Performance Grammy, and she was nominated for Best New Artist. “Mohabbat” was first released on her 2021 album, Vulture Prince, but it’s been a part of Arooj’s life for a long time. In this episode, she tells the story of how the song was first born, and how it lived with her and evolved over the years before she finally recorded it.
You can buy or stream “Mohabbat” here.
Illustration by Carlos Lerma.
For a transcript of this episode, click here.
footnotes
Maeve Gilchrist, harpist
Gyan Riley, guitarist
Shahzad Ismaily, synth
Jamey Haddad, drummer
Nadje Noordhuis, flugelhorn
Mehdi Hassan – “Mohabbat Karne Wale Kam Na Honge”
Mehdi Hassan
Hafeez Hoshiarpuri
