Arooj Aftab: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

Tom Huizenga | December 8, 2021
If you've been feeling a little overwhelmed with the world lately, you're not alone. Arooj Aftab is right there with you. The Brooklyn-based Pakistani musician transforms her worries into tranquil music. "The way things have been unfolding, it's just madness," she told NPR recently. The songs she offers here, at a decrepit, yet generously resonant convent in Brooklyn, sound like an antidote for stressful times. Aftab's melodies float delicately and meander amid a chamber ensemble that includes Celtic harpist Maeve Gilchrist, classical guitarist Gyan Riley (yes, Terry Riley's son), violinist Darian Donovan Thomas and Shahzad Ismaily on bass and synth. And then there's Aftab's voice, smoky yet smooth, caressing words in the Urdu language.

Aftab inherited her native South Asian musical roots and then replanted them on U.S. soil, studying jazz at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. While her interests in music are broad – ambient, minimalism, reggae – her style is distinctively her own. "After all these years, those things have all come together and are holding hands, a statement to someone who has roots in multiple places," she told NPR.

These songs are from Vulture Prince, which landed in the top 10 of NPR Music's best albums of 2021. "Suroor," with its propulsive groove, speaks of the intoxicating nature of love ("It has made me a drunk, you being the drink"), while "Mohabbat," as its polar opposite, features Aftab's elastic embellishments, lamenting over lost love. "Saans Lo" is solemn, like a prayer. "Breathe," Aftab sings, "gather the scattered pieces of your heart." This is surely one of the most beautifully rendered Tiny Desk performances.

SET LIST
"Suroor"
"Mohabbat"
"Saans Lo"

MUSICIANS
Arooj Aftab: vocals
Darian Donovan Thomas: violin
Shahzad Ismaily: bass, synth
Gyan Riley: guitar
Maeve Gilchrist: harp

CREDITS
Video: Sofian J. Khan / Capital K Pictures, Jessie Mailings, Isioma Chukwuani
Audio: Joshua Valleau

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bob Boilen
Video Producer: Maia Stern
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Tiny Production Team: Bobby Carter, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis
Executive Producer: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#nprmusic #tinydesk #aroojaftab

[bareeatariq]

For the people that don't understand the lyrics, I'd just explain a general idea of what she's singing about in each song. (A very bad attempt, and doesn't even come close to how deep the lyrics are)
1. Suroor: It's a song a lover sings for their beloved, and how exhilarating the love is for them and compares it to being similar to becoming intoxicated and addicted to alcohol. (Original qawali sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a very highly acclaimed Pakistani singer, and the lyrics are from the sufiism genre)
2. Mohabbbat (literally translates to love): Once again, a lover describing to his beloved that their will never be a dearth of people loving them except they won't be a part of those anymore (a way to express that they'd love them till they die) they also express the unfulfilled desire of not being close to their lover (a common theme in the genre of this poetry aka Ghazal. The original sung by a famous Ghazal artist Mehdi Hassan)
3. Saans (Breath) Similar theme with Ghazal, the lover telling themselves to keep breathing, even if they're desolate in tbis world/ their beloved is not here/not acknowledging them, and eventually these days will pass and their will be a new revelation of love and womanhood.

[insaelliott]

I have fallen in love with Aftab's voice. It reminds me of the wind blowing through the trees and across the dessert. So full of longing....

[flexprog]

The formation is highly unusual. South asian vocals and inspiration, electric and synth bass, classical violin, european folk harp and classical guitar playing sometimes spanish sometimes african-like rythms. The whole musical world in one room.

[liquidminds]

What I love about tiny desk is that there is almost a guarantee that the unknown artists will be better than the known ones.
Such a great project!

[angelataormina]

I can not put into words what this did for my soul....Grateful to have found you.

[Dahrenhorst]

That's one of the best singers I've ever listened to. And I'm getting 63 next month - I've listened to many.

[shamoonsaqib]

This woman has so much gravity in her voice, it pulls you in. It's haunting and ethereal at the same time, something with an unforgettable aftertaste. Truly loveable!

[annewelch]

She has such a dreamy voice - and with the ensemble I feel like I'm swimming in cool water in a desert oasis

[Thesureleague]

I cannot put my finger on it, but there is something very special about Arooj. I am a die hard Mehdi Hasan fan and grew up listening to exquisite Pakistani ghazal singers, and yet I enjoyed her version of Mohabbat and not because Obama likes it. It truly is magnetic in its own right. Her integrity and honesty shines through and through. Mesmerised by the control and comfortable spaces of silence, meditative.

[orbitaljunkie]

Discovering artists like this is why I keep coming back here. Amazing set.

[silkejennen]

I haven't heard such music in germany. It's so different, so excitingly nice to my ears, mind and soel. This is a moment I am happy about the internet. It helps comming in contect with unknown, unusual and enriching art and people.

[Rubylove]

Finally some Music with south Asian influence at tiny desk. Congrats.

[jeffmorrison]

Arooj Aftab is a Pakistani-born, Brooklyn-based musician and composer known for her innovative approach to traditional South Asian classical music. Integrating elements of Pakistani classical and Sufi music with various contemporary styles such as jazz, folk, and ambient, Aftab creates a unique and ethereal sound that resonates globally.

Her music is often characterized by her delicate vocals, minimalist arrangements, and deep, introspective lyrics, often derived from classical Persian influenced Urdu poetry and Sufi literature. Over the years, Aftab has gained significant acclaim for her ability to bridge the gap between ancient traditions and modern sensibilities, crafting a soundscape that is both deeply rooted in South Asian heritage and universally appealing.

[staffanolofsson]

If the world could just listen to this music instead of making war we should be much nearer a happy planet for all of us. Maybe a naive thought, but I am still able to imagine.

[muzzamil]

For those of you complaining, she isn’t trying to sing like the original songs she’s singing them in her own way and it’s a whole new composition done by her. It’s hauntingly beautiful! There’s a dept in her voice which is undeniable.

[swright]

Aftab's sultry vocals are so well accompanied by this truly unique ensemble that I found myself forgetting that I don't understand a word of the Urdu language. Rather, the message is eloquently uttered in the universal tongue of music.

[abidfarooqui]

Wow. I had forgotten the poetry in Urdu is so darn beautiful. I guess when you grow up with something, you can only find how special it is after forgetting it for decades. Even saying seemingly simple things can sound so deeply melodic and in the unique hands of Arooj, this just becomes magic. Such a wonderful band also. Perfect.

[kartiksharma]

She definitely deserves the Best New Artist Grammy !

[rs]

My dad used to listen to ghazals every day and I just didn't... get it. And then along came Arooj and everything suddenly clicked. Feels like I can connect with him through music now. Good luck at the Grammys, and beyond -- can't wait to hear more!

[sarahuddin]

She hits those low notes so beautifully too, the emotional depth in her voice is so perfect for songs of heart ache, I love her so much, she 10000% deserves the Grammy for newcomer!