Arooj Aftab

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Arooj Aftab is a US-based Pakistani Sufi singer and music composer who is known for her music albums Bird Under Water (2014) and Vulture Prince (2021).Intrigued by music since childhood, Aftab started creating her melodies at the age of nine. In an interview, she talked about her childhood and said, The earliest I can remember is when I was maybe 9 or 10, making up my own melodies and singing them around the house or for guestsIve been surrounded by a lot of music from a very young age, and I guess whats interesting to me now is that I never thought it was unusual to be creating my own music all the while..Growing up in Lahore, when her parents refused to enrol her in music classes, she taught herself to play the guitar. In an interview, while talking about her childhood, she said, I taught myself how to play guitar, because my parents were worried that if I had lessons Id mess up my studies which is exactly what happened..She first gained recognition in the late 1990s and early 2000s with her renditions of the songs Hallelujah and Mera Pyaar, which went viral on the internet, inaugurating the indie music scene in Pakistan. She publicised her music online in times when Pakistan lacked the infrastructure for independent music and Western online platforms were inaccessible. Her initiative of sharing songs via emails later encouraged numerous young artists to create and release their songs independently, i.e., without production labels.She started formal training in music via an online course at Berklee School of Music after securing a scholarship.Before leaving Pakistan, Aftab had accumulated a loyal fanbase in the country.At the age of 19, she relocated to the U.S. to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Arooj Aftab performing at Berklee Encore Gala in 2007.She moved to New York in 2010 and began her career in music by editing and scoring films while releasing her own music simultaneously.Thereafter, she composed music for Student Academy Award-winning film Bittu (2020).She earned the News & Documentary Emmy Award (2018) for her work as an additional editor in the film Armed with Faith (2017). Arooj Aftabs News & Documentary Emmy Award (2018) for her work as an additional editor for the film Armed with Faith (2017).