Ahead of her Detroit debut, Arooj Aftab reflects on music, magic, and meaning

Pakistani singer-composer Arooj Aftab, known for blending jazz, folk, and South Asian influences into atmospheric, genre-defying music, is coming to Detroit for the first time. She'll perform at the Detroit Opera House on July 24 as the opening act for St. Vincent's orchestral performance with the Detroit Opera Orchestra. In an interview ahead of the show, Aftab spoke about Detroit's outsized importance in music history and how artists like Ron Carter, Yusef Lateef, and Regina Carter influenced her work. She also discussed her approach to songwriting—deliberately leaving space for listeners to find their own meaning rather than spelling everything out.