Shaheer Ahmed
Arooj Aftab has announced to her followers and social media that despite the fact she sings songs, she is constructing a new world of music with these songs.
She was recognized for her “evocative songs and compositions that blend elements ranging from semi-classical Pakistani music and Urdu poetry to jazz harmonies and experimental music,” for which she was awarded the $50,000 Vilcek Award for Creative Potential in Music.
Now on March 7, you may use the new platform to learn more about the achievements of immigrants and to grow your respect for the arts and sciences. Because of this, the Vilcek Foundation has released a video biography and in-depth description of the artist titled Arooj Aftab: My music is world-building on its website.
It was directed by Brooklynite Anais Blondet, who posted the clip to Instagram with the message, “Honoured to have collaborated with the incredible Arooj Aftab on this portrayal of her life and her magnificent art.”
This short film depicts a day in the life of Grammy-winning musician Arooj Aftab as she observes her surroundings upon waking and makes mental notes. She sits in her little nook, where she stirs her tea and drinks it while she watches the world go by. She tells us her backstory while she works. She claims that her songs “create worlds” in the listener’s mind. Melodies, poems, and emotions all entwine in a whirlwind of one another.
“As an immigrant artist, my music is a reflection of my journeys,” she explains. However, “as an immigrant musician I can keep in motion without becoming ‘other,’ without losing awareness of who I am,” the artist explains.
She goes on to explain why music is her lifeline. She says that there is nothing else at which I excel. I stink at both maths and cookery. I can only really claim expertise in one area, and that’s music, and even then I’m not always sure. And yet, I know that this is where my strengths lie. It’s all I have. To sum up, music is my life.
