Worldwide sensation Ed Sheeran shook the Mahalaxmi Race Course grounds in South Mumbai, India last Saturday, March 16, when he performed with Punjabi icon Diljit Dosanjh, singing a now-viral rendition of the Indian artist's hit song, "Lover."
Sheeran and Dosanjh received a wave of digital plaudits over videos of their duets posted on Instagram, echoing the almost-deafening cheers that erupted as the British singer introduced his singing partner to the crowd.
In a post to his own account, Sheeran wrote: "Got to bring out @diljitdosanjh tonight in Mumbai and sing in Punjabi for the first time. I've had such an incredible time in India, more to come!"
A Now-Iconic Performance at Ed Sheeran's Mumbai Concert
40-year-old singer and actor Dosanjh is arguably one of the biggest South Asian artists across the world and has even contributed to internationally extending the reach and appeal of Punjabi music, especially after he became the first Punjabi artist to grace the stage of Coachella last 2023.
On the other hand, Sheeran is deep into his 15-year-long career and is now a well-established giant in the music industry.
His inspiring journey of playing corner-tucked bars in London to now selling out stadiums across the world now finds him in the middle of his expansive global "Mathematics" tour spanning about two and a half years.
In the India leg of the tour, Sheeran was face-to-face with over 50,000 concertgoers scattered around the Mahalaxmi Racecourse venue, all of whom were ecstatic watching the impromptu performance that saw Sheeran belting out Punjabi lyrics while Dosanjh hyped the crowd up.
"We had no idea Diljit was going to be here, it felt like the moon had descended," said one fan in Dosanjh's recap video of the moment.
"I am still processing what just happened here, I am never going to forget this night," another said.
Props specifically aimed at Dosanjh also flocked the comments section of the post, with one user saying: "Hats off to Diljit. This man has literally blown up Punjabi music scene making other artists [sing] in Punjabi waiting for their collab."
Indeed, Dosanjh has made a big dent in the industry in the name of Punjabi music with his frequent collaborations with other internationally acclaimed artists.
He has even released his bilingual single "Hass Hass" with Australian pop icon Sia, who is most known for tracks like "Chandelier" and "Elastic Heart.
One fan even quipped that "Diljit [is] gonna make everyone sing in Punjabi" at this point.
