Love In Exile
VERVE
8/10
WHEN Arooj Aftab scooped a pair of nominations at the 2022 Grammys, walking home with a gong for Best Global Music Performance, it felt not so much like a shock victory as recognition that was long overdue. Born in Saudi Arabia to Pakistani parents, now resident in Brooklyn, New York via a stint at Berklee College of Music, the vocalist and composer’s two most recent albums – 2018’s and 2021’s – marked her out as a was dedicated to the memory of her late brother, and even if you couldn’t understand the lyrics – sung throughout in her mother tongue of Urdu – you certainly felt the emotion she loaded into every word.
