“Raat Ki Rani” by Arooj Aftab

"Raat Ki Rani" was one of two singles Arooj Aftab sent out ahead of Night Reign, the Pakistani singer and composer's fourth studio album, which Verve released on May 31, 2024, and it came with a music video directed by Tessa Thompson.

Aftab wrote it, sang it and produced it, and shared the arranging with harpist Maeve Gilchrist and Petros Klampanis, who plays double bass and piano here. The company around them is gorgeously odd: Heather Ewer's tuba down at the bottom, Jamey Haddad on percussion, Shahzad Ismaily shading the edges with Moog and synthesizer, and Joshua Valleau recording and mixing the lot. It belongs to an album that folds Pakistani folk into bebop jazz and keeps its gaze fixed on darkness and the night, and critics heard that record as Aftab pushing her sound deeper and wider.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.