Arooj Aftab Shines on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Arooj Aftab BM ’10 recently made her US television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, performing the hypnotic track “Raat Ki Rani” from her new album, Night Reign, which is nominated for Best Alternative Jazz Album at the Grammy Awards on February 1, 2025. Her band included fellow Berklee alumni Maeve Gilchrist BM ’07 on harp and Engin Kaan Gunaydin PD ’08 on percussion, among others. Bathed in a dramatic red glow that echoed the simmering intensity of the piece, their performance layered sparse, melancholic melodies with a slow-building, magnetic energy.

Watch Arooj Aftab perform “Raat Ki Rani” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert:

“‘Raat Ki Rani’ is about a person whose allure, magnetism, and charisma floats through a beautiful evening garden party,” Aftab says. The track was described by Variety as a “gorgeous” could-be “late-period Sade song.”

Born and raised in Pakistan, Aftab graduated from Berklee in 2010 with a double major in jazz composition and music production and engineering. As a self-taught guitarist growing up in a culture with limited opportunities for women in music, she first studied through Berklee Online, building a foundation in the college’s core curriculum before coming to the Boston campus. Aftab has been lauded by Pitchfork for “reimagining traditional South Asian music for today,” blending jazz, minimalism, Hindustani classical music, and neo-Sufi sounds.

A seven-time Grammy nominee, Aftab made history in 2022 as the first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy Award, earning Best Global Music Performance honors for “Mohabbat,” a track that was also featured on Barack Obama’s 2021 summer playlist.

“She’s a beautiful soul and an astounding artist,” says Christiane Karam, professor of voice, who taught Aftab at Berklee. “I couldn’t be happier for the well-deserved recognition she’s been getting.”