Singer Arooj Aftab honoured with ‘Pride of Performance’ award

Arooj Aftab, a Pakistani-American musician, shared on Instagram on Tuesday that he received the Pride of Performance award on August 14 in an event in Washington, D.C.

Arooj Aftab honoured with award: She posted about receiving the award, saying, “Went to DC and picked up my Pride of Performance medal from the President of Pakistan via HS Mahmood Khan. I praised all the elders and ancestors who had paved the road for women in music and stated it was a hopeful day. Pakistani women are a positive force in the country; we are its national treasure, fabric, legacy, and future.

“Civilian medal, the Pride of Performance award, acknowledges citizens’ noteworthy accomplishments.”

A ceremony in Washington to commemorate Pakistan’s 77th Independence Day saw the presentation of 253 awards to Pakistanis and foreigners for their achievements in various sectors.

Masood Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, presented Aftab with the honour.

“Arooj Aftab Receives President’s Pride of Performance Award and Grammy Triumph for ‘Mohabbat’ Song”

The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan presented Ms. Arooj Aftab with the President’s Pride of Performance Award, according to the citation given at the ceremony, “in recognition of her outstanding contribution in promoting Pakistani music tradition in the United States and around the world.”

Aftab made history in 2022 when she won the Grammy for Best Global Music Performance for her song “Mohabbat,” making her the first artist from Pakistan to do so.

She was one of the nominees for the prized honour, along with Yo-Yo Ma, Wizkid, and Burna Boy. She was also a contender for Best New Artist.

Before that, she achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Pakistani artist promoted by Spotify on a billboard in Times Square, New York.

Additionally, Aftab has been in the United States for the past 16 years after briefly residing in Lahore. Currently, she resides in Brooklyn, New York.

However, Neo-Sufi is the term used to characterise her music, which combines jazz, classical Sufi, and Urdu lyrics. Further, She independently published her debut album in 2015 to favourable reviews.