Vulture Prince
2021 studio album by Arooj Aftab
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Vulture Prince is the third album by Pakistani musician Arooj Aftab, released by New Amsterdam Records on April 23, 2021.[1] Thematically, the album discusses stories of people, relationships, and lost moments and is dedicated to the memory of her younger brother, Maher.[2] "Mohabbat" won the Best Global Music Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.[3]
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| Vulture Prince | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 23, 2021 | |||
| Length | 46:34 | |||
| Label | New Amsterdam | |||
| Producer | Arooj Aftab | |||
| Arooj Aftab chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
Bhanuj Kappal of Pitchfork called the album a "heartbreaking, exquisite document of the journey from grief to acceptance."[5]
Vulture Prince was named the best album of 2021 by Netherlands newspaper de Volkskrant, topping their year-end list.[7] Brenna Ehrlich ranked the album sixth on Rolling Stone's "Best Music of 2021" staff list.[8] It was ranked number twenty by The Guardian on their list of the "50 best albums of 2021", and Laura Snapes named Aftab "[t]he year's biggest musical revelation".[9] While Vulture Prince did not rank on the Los Angeles Times' top ten "Best Albums of 2021", it was, however, included on their "15 deserving albums" list.[10]
Barack Obama selected the song "Mohabbat" from this album as one of his summer playlist favorites for 2021.[11] "Mohabbat" was called one of the best songs of 2021 by Time and The New York Times.[12][13] "Mohabbat" won the Best Global Music Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Arooj Aftab, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Baghon Main" (featuring Darian Donovan Thomas) | 6:44 | |
| 2. | "Diya Hai" (featuring Badi Assad) | 5:40 | |
| 3. | "Inayaat" | 7:47 | |
| 4. | "Last Night" | 5:58 | |
| 5. | "Mohabbat" | Hafeez Hoshiarpuri | 7:42 |
| 6. | "Saans Lo" | Annie Ali Khan | 7:31 |
| 7. | "Suroor" | 5:12 | |
| Total length: | 46:34 | ||
Personnel
- Arooj Aftab – songwriting, vocals, production
- Maeve Gilchrist – harp (1, 3, 5)
- Darian Donovan Thomas – violin (1, 3)
- Petros Klampanis – double bass (1), piano (3), double bass (3)
- Badi Assad - guitar (2)
- Magda Giannikou – arrangement (2)
- Juliette Jones – strings arrangement (2)
- Rootstock Republic – strings (2)
- Juliette Jones – violin (2)
- Lady Jess – violin (2)
- Jarvis Benson – viola (2)
- Malcolm Parson – cello (2)
- Nadje Noordhuis – flugelhorn (3, 5)
- Bhrigu Sahni – guitar (4)
- Mario Carrillio – double bass (4)
- Jörn Bielfeldt – drums (4)
- Jamey Haddad – percussion (5)
- Gyan Riley – guitar (5)
- Shahzad Ismaily – synth (5, 6)
- Kenji Herbert – guitar (6)
- Annie Ali Khan – lyrics (6)
- Joshua Valleau – mixing, engineering
- Damon Whittemore – mastering
- Vishesh Sharma – photography
- Anum Awan – photo editing
- Micah Blacklight – album artwork
- Vandana Jain – art direction, design
Charts
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] | 24 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] | 54 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[16] | 35 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] | 70 |