Ravi Smits
Arooj Aftab
Profile
Arooj Aftab is a Grammy Award–winning artist whose work occupies a singular space in contemporary music, blending jazz, minimalism, South Asian musical traditions, and avant-pop. Declared “the coolest rock star in the world right now” by Uncut, she is a highly acclaimed artist and one of the most distinctive voices of our time.
Her breakthrough album, Vulture Prince, ushered Aftab into the cultural zeitgeist with widespread critical acclaim, earning a Grammy win for the song “Mohabbat” and appearing on Barack Obama’s 2021 Summer Playlist. In 2024, she released her fourth solo album, Night Reign, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Jazz Album, while its lead single, “Raat Ki Rani,” was nominated for Best Global Music Performance.
Aftab has performed at major international festivals including Primavera Sound, Glastonbury, and Coachella, and has collaborated with ensembles such as the Metropole Orkest. She has appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Later… with Jools Holland, and has been praised by The New York Times, The Guardian, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and The Financial Times.