Arooj Aftab

Winner of the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance, Arooj Aftab combines tradition and innovation to create “spellbinding music” (The Guardian). The Pakistani-American singer, composer and producer fuses genres. She draws on everything from jazz, to minimalism, to Pakistani semi-classical.
 
Coming to Wellington this summer, Aftab will perform tracks from her critically acclaimed album ‘Vulture Prince’. Audiences will also get a taste of new music from her upcoming album. ‘Vulture Prince’ showcases her velvety and hauntingly beautiful vocals. Singing almost entirely in Urdu, she will be accompanied by acclaimed bassist Petros Klampanis and virtuoso guitarist Gyan Riley.
 
Aftab has performed at Coachella, Primavera Sound, and Glastonbury. She’s also nominated in two categories for the 2024 Grammy Awards. Her single ‘Mohabba’ earned her a Grammy and was named one of the best songs of 2021 by Time and The New York Times.
 
Arooj Aftab’s performance is part of the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. Held every second year, the 2024 festival runs from 23 February to 17 March. The festival features free and ticketed events including dance, music, theatre, visual arts, literature and more.