Armeen Musa and Ghaashphoring Choir boycott tobacco sponsorships

Armeen Musa, popular Bangladeshi singer and songwriter

Dhaka, Jan 03 - Armeen Musa, popular Bangladeshi singer and songwriter, has revealed in a Facebook post on Friday that she and her choir unit, the Ghaashphoring Choir, are boycotting tobacco companies and will not work on any projects funded by them.

The Choir Director of Ghaashphoring and the first Bangladeshi artist to be nominated for the Grammy Awards said that the decision came from a moral standpoint.

“Never officially announced, but a few years ago my solo act and Ghaashphoring Choir fully boycotted tobacco companies and we will not work on any projects with their funding either. It's not easy in our industry that I know, but if this encourages anyone to do so as well, thus shared,” Armeen Musa wrote in her Facebook post on Friday.

Further talking to UNB, the artist said that she made the decision two years ago but just recently decided to go public, considering that this decision-making might encourage others as well.

“l admit that I have been wanting to take and announce this decision for 6-7 years, could not proceed; but one day, I just didn’t feel good anymore, at a show where people smoked in front of me - and I stopped that very day,” she said.

A popular artist in the country and the first Bangladeshi student in the Berklee Indian Ensemble, Armeen garnered critical acclaim for songs including “Bhromor Koiyo Giya,” “Lona Deyal” and more. Armeen Musa  is the founder of the Ghaashphoring Choir, which is acclaimed for its collaboration with Coke Studio Bangla and performances in several of its popular tracks including “Bonobibi” and “Deora.”

She and her mother Dr Nashid Kamal, granddaughter of Bengali folk legend Abbasuddin Ahmed, were jointly nominated for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in the category of Best Global Music Album for the duo's song "Jaago Piya," which was featured on the Berklee Indian Ensemble's debut album ‘Shuruaat’.