Arooj Aftab

Whiskey (Mahogany Session)

Ashburn

“The night,” Arooj Aftab confesses, “is my biggest source of inspiration.” By trial or intuition she’s come to understand that these still moments of cover uniquely enable healing, desire, shelter, love—each essential elements of life and living, of intimate relation to one another. Perhaps because its darkness loosens inhibitions or invites new ways of being, enticing all to leave the day as honestly as they entered it, night welcomes play and searching. So too does Aftab’s voice, its reach and intensity complimenting the sun’s departure. Night Reign (Verve, 2024) is a perfumed, public garden of renewal, peaking the senses with each composition, each turn of phrase, each modulation. Stepping away from, though never forgetting, the grief and loss that animated her Grammy Award-winning track “Mohabbat” and album Vulture Prince (Verve/New Amsterdam, 2021), on which she faced what can too quickly and easily be taken away, Aftab appears here with original music and in yet another form: as bard of everyday possibility, quietude, and life-altering romance.  

The majesty of this intrepid work is her voice in ample conspiracy toward a jagged world made softer—promising, even—by tones and tales conceived with others. “I want to make music with and for everybody,” Aftab confidently declares. Night Reign is that chance and its triumph. Join and be made anew.

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some favorite pakistani female musicians from across the spectrum. cover art: madame noor jehan by _digink_

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My Night

To anybody reading this, I pray that whatever you constantly stressing about gets better. May the dark thoughts, the overthinking, and the doubt exit your mind may clarity replace peace and calmness fill your life.🌼

Didn&#39;t read any article or saw any insta story. This just came in my YouTube suggestions. Happy about my taste in music.

Didn't read any article or saw any insta story. This just came in my YouTube suggestions. Happy about my taste in music.

Listening while sitting on a park bench, watching river ice melt, hearing geese honk, at sunset...the first day it feels like spring. This song is the perfect accompaniment.

It&#39;s 6.10 am in Dhaka. Suddenly woke up from sleep and had my prayers. Now, listening to this magical music. A great morning indeed!

It's 6.10 am in Dhaka. Suddenly woke up from sleep and had my prayers. Now, listening to this magical music. A great morning indeed!

First Pakistani and female artist to win a Grammy for this. Feeling so proud and also ashamed because I didn&#39;t know until now

First Pakistani and female artist to win a Grammy for this. Feeling so proud and also ashamed because I didn't know until now

First Female Artist from Pakistan to win Grammy. Love from India 🇮🇳🇮🇳

First Female Artist from Pakistan to win Grammy.
Love from India 🇮🇳🇮🇳

And this masterpiece wins the Grammys. Well deserved. Watching the live grammys right now. Congratulations Arooj. Love from India

Absolutely love how many Indians are here on this post appreciating good music. It&#39;s a shame we are divided by war and hatred towards our neighbours. At least this piece of music brings us together.  ♥️🙏🏽

Absolutely love how many Indians are here on this post appreciating good music. It's a shame we are divided by war and hatred towards our neighbours. At least this piece of music brings us together.  ♥️🙏🏽

I&#39;m here after knowing she won Grammy... Alhumdulillah very proud of her for being representative of Pakistan on such a huge platform 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I'm here after knowing she won Grammy... Alhumdulillah very proud of her for being representative of Pakistan on such a huge platform 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

It&#39;s a gloomy afternoon in Dhaka. suddenly I found this song. Sometimes the atmosphere kicks in and blends with music. Life&#39;s good :)

It's a gloomy afternoon in Dhaka. suddenly I found this song. Sometimes the atmosphere kicks in and blends with music. Life's good :)

so beautiful arooj! happy to be part of it. it brings so much depth to the moment

I can&#39;t explain how lucky I feel to discover this first thing in the morning after waking up. Music has no boundaries and this is a true testament to that. Thank you for making my day

I can't explain how lucky I feel to discover this first thing in the morning after waking up. Music has no boundaries and this is a true testament to that. Thank you for making my day

Just discovered this lovely voice today. I was thrilled to see a collaboration with the amazingly talented Badi Assad, who I have been a fan of since 1995.

She is Grammy nominated for best new artist , proud of you , love from india

I don’t know 🤷🏻‍♂️ why we(media)don’t promote genuine talent! You r superb ❤️

I don’t know 🤷🏻‍♂️ why we(media)don’t promote genuine talent! 

You r superb ❤️

I have spent one year working in Pakistan still resonate in my soul the people and the sounds of that fantastic country.

diya hai dil agar us ko bashar hai kya kahiye hua raqib to ho nama-bar hai kya kahiye he’s human, gave his heart to her, what can I even say the messenger’s become my foe, so let him be this way ye zid ki aaj na aave aur aae bin na rahe qaza se shikva hamen kis qadar hai kya kahiye it surely has to come some day, but insists not today the grievance that I bear ‘gainst death, pray, how do I portray rahe hai yuun gah-o-be-gah ki ku-e-dost ko ab agar na kahiye ki dushman ka ghar hai kya kahiye resides my rival all the time in my beloved’s street thus calling it my foe’s abode, would then be only meet zahe karishma ki yuun de rakkha hai ham ko fareb ki bin kahe hain unhen sab khabar hai kya kahiye tis miracle of beauty that she fools me in this way claims that she knows what’s in my heart, and leaves me naught to say samajh ke karte hain bazar men vo pursish-e-hal ki ye kahe ki sar-e-rahguzar hai kya kahiye she purposely, in the bazaar, seeks after my welfare knowing full well that publicly, my plaints I will not air tumhen nahin hai sar-e-rishta-e-vafa ka khayal hamare haath men kuchh hai magar hai kya kahiye of beginning of faithfulness, you have no least concern there’s something in my fist but say, can you even discern? unhen saval pe zom-e-junun hai kyuun ladiye hamen javab se qat-e-nazar hai kya kahiye why fight with her when she presumes, my pleas to be insane to her replies I pay no heed, as naught I will obtain hasad saza-e-kamal-e-sukhan hai kya kijiye sitam baha-e-mata-e-hunar hai kya kahiye alas! for excellence in verse, envy’s the punishment what can one say, torture’s the price, for one’s accomplisment kaha hai kis ne ki ‘ghalib’ bura nahin lekin sivae is ke ki ashufta-sar hai kya kahiye though there is no one who will say, Gaalib is good, but pray, save for the fact frenzied in love, what else is there to say

diya hai dil agar us ko bashar hai kya kahiye

hua raqib to ho nama-bar hai kya kahiye

he’s human, gave his heart to her, what can I even say

the messenger’s become my foe, so let him be this way

ye zid ki aaj na aave aur aae bin na rahe

qaza se shikva hamen kis qadar hai kya kahiye

it surely has to come some day, but insists not today

the grievance that I bear ‘gainst death, pray, how do I portray

rahe hai yuun gah-o-be-gah ki ku-e-dost ko ab

agar na kahiye ki dushman ka ghar hai kya kahiye

resides my rival all the time in my beloved’s street

thus calling it my foe’s abode, would then be only meet

zahe karishma ki yuun de rakkha hai ham ko fareb

ki bin kahe hain unhen sab khabar hai kya kahiye

tis miracle of beauty that she fools me in this way

claims that she knows what’s in my heart, and leaves me naught to say

samajh ke karte hain bazar men vo pursish-e-hal

ki ye kahe ki sar-e-rahguzar hai kya kahiye

she purposely, in the bazaar, seeks after my welfare

knowing full well that publicly, my plaints I will not air

tumhen nahin hai sar-e-rishta-e-vafa ka khayal

hamare haath men kuchh hai magar hai kya kahiye

of beginning of faithfulness, you have no least concern

there’s something in my fist but say, can you even discern?

unhen saval pe zom-e-junun hai kyuun ladiye

hamen javab se qat-e-nazar hai kya kahiye

why fight with her when she presumes, my pleas to be insane

to her replies I pay no heed, as naught I will obtain

hasad saza-e-kamal-e-sukhan hai kya kijiye

sitam baha-e-mata-e-hunar hai kya kahiye

alas! for excellence in verse, envy’s the punishment

what can one say, torture’s the price, for one’s accomplisment

kaha hai kis ne ki ‘ghalib’ bura nahin lekin

sivae is ke ki ashufta-sar hai kya kahiye

though there is no one who will say, Gaalib is good, but pray,

save for the fact frenzied in love, what else is there to say

Arooj Aftab was interviewed on Cerys Matthew&#39;s fab Sunday show on Bbc6music on Sunday!  Fab to hear her chatting about what Ghazals are, and Cerys played 2 of them.  Well done Arooj for getting up 7.00am in Brooklyn to do interview!!

Arooj Aftab was interviewed on Cerys Matthew's fab Sunday show on Bbc6music on Sunday!  Fab to hear her chatting about what Ghazals are, and Cerys played 2 of them.  Well done Arooj for getting up 7.00am in Brooklyn to do interview!!

Listening to Arooj is like taking a walk in wilderness.

To experience this almost anywhere, anytime is kind of a blessing. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23gratitude">#gratitude</a>

To experience this almost anywhere, anytime is kind of a blessing. 
#gratitude

The rain stopped here an hour ago.. I completed a focused session of word editing, and opened up for a song to break my vision.. by the blessing of the passing rain gods, this arrived on my screen, and my eyes have been raining ever since..

The rain stopped here an hour ago.. 
I completed a focused session of word editing, and opened up for a song to break my vision.. 
by the blessing of the passing rain gods, this arrived on my screen, 
and my eyes have been raining ever since..

I want to do a technical analysis of this piece. It&#39;s very rare to find musicians using silence as an instrument. In this piece, you can feel the silence. Silence is used to create a feeling of fear in the initial part of the song (till Cajon solo). A feeling of uncertainty. Coupled with the reverb on Arooj&#39;s mic its gives a feel as if the lover is sitting alone in a room (any closed space, space closed in their minds) and crying for their love. The Cajon creeps into the piece to signify the growing internal struggles of the lover. These emotions are complex and build up slowly. The same hit a crescendo when the Cajon moves to the solo part. The solo signifies the stage of turmoil. These intense internal struggles lead to a stage of despair. Silence is again important to create despair - as Arooj explains that the lover can&#39;t even send their love a message. The silence is haunting now. You just don&#39;t need mature musicians or storytellers to do this. You need intellectuals. Arooj - You are a living legend :)

I want to do a technical analysis of this piece.

It's very rare to find musicians using silence as an instrument. In this piece, you can feel the silence. Silence is used to create a feeling of fear in the initial part of the song (till Cajon solo). A feeling of uncertainty. Coupled with the reverb on Arooj's mic its gives a feel as if the lover is sitting alone in a room (any closed space, space closed in their minds) and crying for their love.

The Cajon creeps into the piece to signify the growing internal struggles of the lover. These emotions are complex and build up slowly. The same hit a crescendo when the Cajon moves to the solo part. The solo signifies the stage of turmoil. These intense internal struggles lead to a stage of despair.

Silence is again important to create despair - as Arooj explains that the lover can't even send their love a message. The silence is haunting now. 

You just don't need mature musicians or storytellers to do this. You need intellectuals. Arooj - You are a living legend :)

You are an inner space alien who will eventually return to the deep inner dimensions from where you emerged to grace our planet earth for a bit.

I took the night off.  I was playing a game.  I took a break.  On the news I saw she won a Grammy.  They said she may have created a new genre.  I knew I had to hear this.  I am 2 songs in, spellbound and enchanted.  I will listen to more.

The universe has time and again been forcing me to stop. Stand still. Feel. This makes me do everything all at once. God bless you. I wonder how lovers felt when one counterpart travelled to the unknown, with no modern day channels of communication. How do lovers part when death takes one of them. I wonder how it feels to let yourself go to the deeper realms of life. Darker. Inescapable. The depth of your voice takes me there. Beautiful.

The universe has time and again been forcing me to stop. Stand still. Feel. This makes me do everything all at once. God bless you. I wonder how lovers felt when one counterpart travelled to the unknown, with no modern day channels of communication. How do lovers part when death takes one of them. I wonder how it feels to let yourself go to the deeper realms of life. Darker. Inescapable. 
The depth of your voice takes me there. Beautiful.

Ohhh Pura hil jata hu songs sunke Rona ata h dard bad jata h Dil K pta nahi ku I love your songs more songs 🙏🙏🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

Thanks, guy coughing, for killin the vibe!

It wud have been a sacrilege if I had skipped this song.. Kudos to youtube algorithm. followed her on Insta, Spotify, Youtube. love her... and Congratulations for the mention in Obama&#39;s playlist. &lt;3

It wud have been a sacrilege if I had skipped this song.. Kudos to youtube algorithm. followed her on Insta, Spotify, Youtube. love her... and Congratulations for the mention in Obama's playlist. <3

you have made me fall in love with Sufi songs.. Amazing music

Night Reign Complete Collection

'Love in Exile' Complete Collection Playlist

Love in Exile Complete Collection

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From the full-length album VULTURE PRINCE on New Amsterdam Records.
http://smarturl.it/VulturePrince

Follow on Instagram @aroojaftabmusic 
Lyrics and meaning: https://genius.com/Arooj-aftab-mohabbat-lyrics

Poetry by Hafeez Hoshiarpuri
Written and Produced by Arooj Aftab
Mixing Engineer Joshua Valleau
Mastering Engineer Damon Whittemore
Synthesizer Shahzad Ismaily
Vocals Arooj Aftab
Flugelhorn Nadje Noordhuis
Harp Maeve Gilchrist
Guitar Gyan Riley
Percussion Jamey Haddad
Release Date March 17, 2021


Mohabbat karne waale kam na hoñge
Mohabbat karne waale kam na hoñge
Terī mehfil meñ lekin ham na hoñge

Zamāne bhar ke ġham yā ek terā ġham
Zamāne bhar ke ġham yā ek terā ġham
Ye ġham hogā to kitne ġham na hoñge
Terī mehfil meñ lekin ham na hoñge

Agar tū ittifāqan mil bhī jaa.e
Agar tū ittifāqan mil bhī jaa.e
Terī furqat ke sadme kam na hoñge
Terī mehfil meñ lekin ham na hoñge

Mohabbat karne waale kam na hoñge
Mohabbat karne waalе kam na hoñge
Terī mehfil mеñ ham na hoñge

Arooj Aftab - Mohabbat

From the full-length album "VULTURE PRINCE", Available April 23, 2021 on New Amsterdam Records.
Pre-Order / Stream / Download: http://smarturl.it/VulturePrince

Shot by Lesley Steele and Jesse Selleck at Banyan Recording Studio NYC 
Edited and Mixed by Jesse Selleck

Arooj Aftab - Diya Hai (Feat. Badi Assad)

Live at Creative Alliance Baltimore, presented by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art

Arooj Aftab - Na Ja Balam (w Kenji Herbert and Veeru Shan)

Oct 5th 2010 Berklee Performance Center Boston, MA
with Bhrigu Sahni, Jorn Bielfeldt, Mario Carrillo and Bharati Palivela

Rebuild Pakistan: An initiative by Arooj Aftab & friends featuring exclusive music, videos and live shows to promote a vision of peace and healing for Pakistan - Inspiring a global community to rebuild perspective on Pakistan, and urging the people of Pakistan to actively engage in rebuilding their homeland.

Arooj Aftab - Aey Na Balam

Curated by vocalist and composer Arooj Aftab, SAUVE (South Asian Union Voltage Experiment) is an annual new music festival, a platform for collaborative and experimental new works in the electronic, modular, synthwave, and dream-scape genres. 

Watch the full show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYs7ME2IJKg

South Asian Union Voltage Experiment 2020 Clip - Arooj Aftab feat. Jace Clayton

Arooj Aftab's debut album was written and recorded in a brooklyn brownstone where local artists of all disciplines came through in an open house, installation kind of vibe. Listen to Bird Under Water now! https://aroojaftab.bandcamp.com/album/bird-under-water

Making Bird Under Water

A Night with #aroojaftab & #pennbadgley - full video out now!

Retiring songs to make way for new set lists. What are cool 2 years it’s been playing Mohabbat live!

Arooj Aftab  and Hernan Romero Live 2 | Babys All Right

Arooj Aftab and Petros Klampanis

Arooj Aftab and Hernan Romero Live 1 | Babys All Right NYC

Morocco's First Female Rapper/Emcee Soultana invites me up for a little tune.

Rumi poem:
Last night my Beloved was like the Moon, so Beautiful.
Was even brighter than the Sun... last night my Beloved was like the Moon, so Beautiful

Arooj Aftab

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