Arooj Aftab became the first Pakistani artist to get featured on a Times Square billboard in New York as music streaming platform Spotfiy’s Ambassador for ‘Equal Pakistan’ on Thursday.

“I am extremely excited to be the first Ambassador of EQUAL Pakistan because this kind of well-structured programme will help uplift women in the audio industry of Pakistan,” said the singer.

The music platform that celebrated its first anniversary in Pakistan last month, aims to amplify the work of Pakistani women creators by giving them a platform to share their content with the world.

Equal Pakistan will highlight a new ambassador every month and promote their releases. Aftab became the first Equal Pakistan ambassador.

The musician is reimagining old ghazals and poetry by setting them to original music or transforming existing songs completely, and she’s making records doing it.

The 36-year-old’s new album Vulture Prince is a fusion of the ghazal’s existential longing with minimal jazz compositions. The record documents a journey from grief to acceptance given the fact that Aftab’s world fell prey to tragedy while she was in the process of writing it. Her younger brother Maher passed away- to whom she dedicated the album – as the world grappled with the pandemic.

The singer told NPR that she originally intended for the album to be “more fun” and “edgier” but due to the circumstances, it is steeped in loss and longing.

Aftab’s work is often oversimplified and misunderstood. “People ask, ‘Is this an interpolation? Is this song a cover?’ No, it’s not. It’s very difficult to do this, it has taken a lot of time and energy as a musician, so it’s not a cover. I’m taking something that’s really old and pulling it into the now,” she said.

Born in Saudi Arabia, the singer grew up listening to the likes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mariah Carey. Her musical journey started when her family moved to Lahore, and she was able to record a cover of Amir Zaki’s Mera Pyar at 18.

“Now I am a full-time artist, maybe I won’t just die of natural causes sitting at my office desk,” she told The Guardian in an interview. “Maybe I’ve created a record that can support me.”

Aftab’s devotion to music has brought her a long way. She has been nominated in two categories at the 64th Grammy Awards, Best New Artist and Best Global Music Performance. She’s up against renowned artists like Olivia Rodrigo, BTS, Kanye West and Doja Cat. The Pakistani composer is nominated for her Urdu song “Mohabbat” from Vulture Prince.

The musician’s nomination is significant as she’s a member of a group of artists that is striving to make non-English music a part of the mainstream.