Malala, Sharmeen congratulate Pakistan’s first-ever Grammy winner Arooj

Youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner and activist Malala Yousafzai and Oscar-winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy congratulated Pakistan’s first-ever Grammy winner Arooj Aftab on her big achievement. The three of them have been making waves on the Internet for making the nation proud every day with their talent in the international world.

Sharmeen took to Instagram and posted an image of Arooj Aftab holding her Grammy trophy high in her hand. “This win means so much to so many people, Arooj,” wrote the filmmaker. “But most of all, you have made it possible for young brown women around the world to believe that they can be on that stage one day too.” The Mohabbat singer reposted the story and added fire emojis to Sharmeen’s applaud on the widespread impact of her feat.

Malala also sent her best wishes to Arooj as she messaged her on Instagram. “Congratulations Arooj” read her message with hands-clapping emojis. Overjoyed by the message, the Mehram singer reposted that on her Instagram story and wrote, “We’re besties now, hey!”

The Brooklyn-based Pakistani vocalist on Sunday scored her first Grammy, winning a prestigious trophy for her song Mohabbat in the Best Global Performance category.

The 37-year-old — who has lived in New York for some 15 years — has been steadily gaining global attention for her work that fuses ancient Sufi traditions with inflections of folk, jazz and minimalism.

"I am beyond thrilled," the artist told journalists backstage at the pre-gala ceremony, at which the vast majority of awards are handed out. "It feels great." "I've been very nervous all day. And we're off to a good start."

Born to Pakistani parents in Saudi Arabia, Arooj Aftab spent her teenage years in Lahore before relocating to Boston's prestigious Berklee School of Music to study musical production and engineering.

She released her third studio album "Vulture Prince" to critical acclaim, and gained even more attention after former US president Barack Obama included the track "Mohabbat" on his 2021 summer favorites list.

Arooj has performed at a number of major New York venues including Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, also opening for Mitski at The Brooklyn Steel in 2018.

Speaking to AFP in the days leading up to the Grammys, Aftab praised her fellow artists nominated for Best New Artist, a crop that includes favorite Olivia Rodrigo along with rappers Saweetie and The Kid Laroi. "We're all so cool — the group itself is kind of like a win," she said.