Arooj Aftab was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Pakistani parents. Her family returned to Pakistan in the '90s, where Aftab found inspiration in Lahore's lush gardens, intricate architecture, and Urdu poetry. She emigrated to the United States to study at Berklee College of Music, completing a degree in Music Production and Engineering. In 2011 she was named as one of National Public Radio's Top 100 young composers, and made the New York Times' list of best 2012 concerts. In 2021 her Vulture Prince album was met with unprecedented critical acclaim from The Guardian, Time Magazine, Pitchfork Best New Music, Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and lots more. President Barack Obama included album single "Mohabbat" on his official 2021 Summer Playlist, and her performance of the song "Mehram" for Coke Studio Pakistan has garnered over 11 million views.

In 2022 the composer and singer Aftab joined Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as the second Pakistani to be nominated for a Grammy, in the Best New Artist and Best Global Music Performance categories. She became the first Pakistani to win, taking home the 2021 award for Best Global Music Performance. Aftab has since been invited to perform at major international music festivals including Coachella, Glastonbury, Primavera Sound Barcelona, Roskilde Festival, and Montreal Jazz Festival. She has also performed at Performance Art Centers such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, and The Broad. Aftab is a 2023 United States Artists Fellow and a recipient of the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Music. Aftab is signed to Verve Label Group, a division of Universal Music Group, and is working on the follow-up to Vulture Prince. She currently resides in New York City.