Grammys 2022 Nominees: Arooj Aftab's version of Urdu poet Hafeez Hoshiarpuri's "Mohabbat" is set to shine

On Tuesday, the Recording Academy announced its long list of nominees for the upcoming Grammy music award ceremony to be held in January 2022. The 64th Grammy awards will recognize and honor music recordings released by artists between September 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021. 

The 86 categories revealed by the Recording Academy include Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Global Music Performance amongst many others with renowned artists such as Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, BTS, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Jon Batiste, Norah Jones, Cardi B, H.E.R vying for the big win. 

While Norah Jones' Til We Meet Again(Live) has been nominated in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category,  35-year-old Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab's rendition of famous Urdu ghazal 'Mohabbat Karne Wale' penned by Hafeez Hoshiarpuri has found itself shining in the Best Global Music Performance category.

Who is Hoshiarpuri?

Born in 1912, at Hoshiarpur in India, Abdul Hafeez popularly known as Hafeez Hoshiarpuri is a prominent Urdu poet of his time and lived in Karachi, Pakistan until his death in 1973. His soulful ghazal 'Mohabbat Karne Wale' has been voiced by many Indian and Pakistani singers including the likes of Mehdi Hassan. 

Arooj Aftab, currently living in Brooklyn, New York, lent her voice in Indian filmmaker Meghana Gulzar's 2015 film Talvar for the song Insaf. She has also composed music for a short film titled Bittu by Indian filmmaker Karishma Dev Dube. At the Grammys, she is also vying for an award in the Best New Artist category.

According to Grammy.com, the New Artist award recognizes an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape. Other artists nominated in the list include American singer-songwriters FINNEAS, Baby Keem and Olivia Rodrigo, Australian singer The Kid Laroi, British indie rock band Glass Animals and a band called Japanese Breakfast led by Korean-American musician Michelle Zauner among others.

The award ceremony will be held in January next year.