For the past few years I had the incredible honor not only to share the stage with Arooj Aftab many of times, but also be involved in the creating and recording process of her debut record coming out soon. You can find out more here. We have learned and grew together socially, musically and personally and we’ll continue to push each other boundaries to learn and inspire.
Arooj Aftab innovates off classical Pakistani, Sufi & pre-partition South Asian music, creating original compositions honoring ancestral roots,for a sound that is fresh, graceful, and musically complex. Paying homage to classical sufi legends such as Abida Parveen and Reshma; neo-soul and jazz icons such as Sade and Ella Fitzgerald; and contemporary world musicians such as Marisa Monte and Fat Freddy’s Drop, Arooj presents an original, interactive sound embraced by young and old, South Asian and beyond.
Originally from Lahore, Pakistan, Arooj moved to the U.S. in 2005 to study Music Production and Engineering at Berklee College of Music. Having completed her education and now based in New York, Arooj is working as a fulltime performing artist, music composer and sound editor.
Through exposure to diverse musical genres and incredibly talented artists in Boston and in New York City, Arooj is inspired to continuously develop her art and deepen her understanding of the possibilities of music. Layering subtle, intricate, dynamic vocals over acoustic instrumentation, Arooj skillfully re-imagines indigenous soul with signature ‘cool.’
Arooj will soon be releasing her debut album as part of Rebuild Pakistan, an initiative she created 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. The album and the initiative harness collective creativity to express solidarity with politically stigmatized, economically marginalized, culturally and spiritually powerful people across the earth.
The Band
Bhrigu Sahni:
an acoustic guitarist with a minimalist delicate approach that compliments and amplifies Arooj’s style. Through a deep understanding of Sufiana/classical phrasing and an innate sensitivity to this complex musical genre, Bhrigu partners with Arooj in composing and creating an innovative expression of South Asian Ancestral wisdom.
Jorn Bielfeldt:
Originally from Germany, Jorn is a percussion sound artist who supplies live, analog processes drum set to accompany time and sound in a way that is always fresh, innovative and deep. A resourceful and efficient player, Jorn creates an electronic soundscape without sacrificing the acoustic root of his instrument.
Mario Carillo:
A versatile bassist skilled in the upright an the electric base. Mario can hold down the soul in a diversity of collaborations from jazz, funk, and electronic to Eastern, Flamenco and Cuban. With roots in a small town near Madrid, Mario draws from indigenous Spanish musical traditions to interpret South Asian rhythms with intuitive grace.
Arooj is also frequently joined on stage and blessed by these outstanding artists:
Stelios Michas guitar
Magda Giannikou accordion
Grey McMurray guitar
Sonny Singh trumpet
Meshell Ndegeocello bass
“Aftab’s ethereal voice swirls and dives in the delicate, complicated motions of her country’s long musical heritage, and the young musician merges sonic palettes with natural grace. “ -Boston Globe
“Arooj has the unique ability to combine her training in traditional vocals with western instrumentation in a way that is both accessible to western audiences and still very culturally unique” -Anoushka Shankar
