Taurees Habib becomes first Pakistani sound engineer to win a Grammy
and launches his solo career with ‘Cannibal Cathedral’
| P |
akistani-American sound engineer Taurees Habib has quietly made history, becoming the first from his field in the country and only the second Pakistani to win a Grammy Award.
The Karachi-born sound engineer received the honour earlier this year in February at the 2025 ceremony hosted by Trevor Noah. His award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Including Film and Television) recognised his contribution to Hans Zimmer’s acclaimed score for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two.
Although the win was announced in February, Habib chose to make it public on September 30, when the golden gramophone finally reached his home. Revealing the accomplishment on Facebook, he wrote, “I’m so incredibly honoured to have received this for my work on Dune: Part Two and to be the first Pakistani to receive this for engineering and only the second Pakistani ever to win a Grammy. It’s crazy to walk into my living room and see this thing just sitting there.”
He also shared an Instagram video unboxing the trophy. “So, something happened this February, and I haven’t really talked about it. It felt like one of those things better shown than said,” he shared before lifting the trophy out of its packaging and placing it on the table.
Habib credited his colleagues for bringing Zimmer’s vision to life. “I’m so lucky to have gone along for the ride with all the people on our team who put their blood, sweat and tears into making this possible.”
For Habib, the Grammy represents another milestone in more than a decade of work.
Working as a sound engineer for Hans Zimmer for 12 years, he has been credited in the music departments of over 40 productions since 2013, including Interstellar (2014), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Dunkirk (2017), No Time to Die (2021), Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) and F1: The Movie (2025). Yet the award does not mark the end of his story. This year also marks the beginning of his solo career with the release of ‘Cannibal Cathedral’, his first single under his own name.
The track blends industrial and rock elements with a cinematic atmosphere, signalling his transition from sound engineer to musician. A press release described it as “Trent Reznor and Alex Turner colliding inside a David Lynch fever dream.” The result is a sound that is both original and impressive. With ‘Cannibal Cathedral’, he has stepped into the spotlight on his own terms and onto our playlists.
Taurees Habib’s younger brother, Ziyad Habib, is well-known in Karachi indie circle. He has been a part of Karachi’s indie music group, Mole, who released two albums, went on to perform on Coke Studio in its fourth season. After Mole, he’s been making music under the moniker Noahs Heark and is the founder of Hear Now Records. The RBMA alum is currently a Technical Production Lead at Dreamtek.
Here’s hoping we hear a lot more from Taurees Habib, not only as a fantastic sound engineer, but as an artist. Keep watching this space for more on the artist.