Daily Times

Singer and songwriter Ammar Farooki is a Fulbright Scholar who had been developing a corporate and marketing career for the last decade, but four months ago he hit the reset button and moved to New York City to be a full-time musician.

He arrived there in September 2019 on an artist visa and has had an incredible run so far – with multiple shows already under his belt.

Along with regular solo performances, Ammar Farooki has been a regular at the Big City Folk Sessions, a collective of international singer-songwriters, gathering every week to share their original songs. He also brings his songs to the Cask Sessions, a similar circle of musicians and emerging talent.

In just four months Ammar has been able to play at some of the most iconic and historic New York City venues for live music, and has been developing and cultivating an international following with each show. He has been able to play multiple times at the famous Rockwood Music Hall, which has been an amazing platform showcasing some the best emerging and established live music acts in NYC since 2005. As a result, he’s been invited to perform at the 15 Year Anniversary of Rockwood Music Hall to play alongside some of the biggest names in the local music scene.

In just four months Ammar has been able to play at some of the most iconic and historic New York City venues for live music and has been developing and cultivating an international following with each show. He has been able to play multiple times at the famous Rockwood Music Hall, which has been an amazing platform showcasing some of the best emerging and established live music acts in NYC since 2005

In December 2019, Ammar Farooki (featuring Diane Desobeau on piano) performed at the Danny Clinch Transparent Gallery in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Danny Clinch is an iconic photographer, film director who has photographed some of the greats, including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Tupac Shakur and Pearl Jam. He also regularly performs with Bruce Springsteen, Tangiers Blues Band and other artists. Ammar was able to play some of his hit songs from his album “Songs from the Cave” as well as other unreleased tracks. He closed out the decade by playing a show at Pianos in the Lower East Side, a premier spot for artists of all genres – and a crowd favorite.

Ammar had a strong start to 2020 with a sold-out show in Long Island, New York. It was his first Sofar Sounds concert – and he was also the first Pakistani to play for Sofar Long Island. These shows are intimate gigs curated and hosted for one night only in unique venues and regularly take place in major cities around the world.

Ammar has also played at other celebrated live music venues including The Well and The West End Lounge and has a host of shows lined up for the year ahead.

It is a great honour for Ammar to be invited to play at the prestigious American Folk Art Museum on February 21 and to showcase his songs at The Scratcher, one of the best listening rooms in the city, regularly hosting celebrated artists such as Glen Hansard, David Keenan and Niall Conolly.

In November 2019, Ammar’s music journey from Pakistan to the US was also captured in a vlog by the amazing Mooroo, Pakistan’s top YouTuber, director, musician and vlogger.

Another privilege of being based in New York City, is to enable to rub shoulders with some of the greatest living music icons. On just his second day in the city, Ammar got to see and meet one of his favourite guitarists from the band Pearl Jam. Mike McCreedy was performing with artist Kate Neckel, for their project Infinite Color & Sound. A few weeks later Ammar was able to observe one of his favourite bands, The National, perform their craft up close – from sound check to preparations backstage – thanks to a friend who tours with them. In December 2019 he experienced a dream show – Bob Dylan live at the Beacon Theatre NYC.