Rihanna, Ed Shereen step aside. It’s Diljit Dosanjh, the hottest pop icon on the block, who commands a legion of fans in India and abroad. He’s a force of nature, and he proves it at regular intervals. Diljit can walk around Mumbai with a tote bag filled with sunflowers, and play the character of Amar Singh Chamkila in his upcoming film Chamkila. He can also make anyone dance to his distinctly Punjabi tunes.
Sheeran’s concert in Mumbai on Saturday (March 16) was a roaring success, and that’s because Diljit Dosanjh stepped on the stage with him. This was the final stop of the British singer’s record-breaking +-=÷x (Mathematics) Tour. But the most viral pop culture moment was when Dosanjh joined the Shape of You singer, and brought the house down.
Dosanjh uploaded the video of the duo’s electrifying performance on his Instagram account. In another video shared by Dosanjh’s manager Shonali Singh, rapper Badshah regretted not witnessing this moment live.
The video has been viewed more than 40 million times, and the number is only going up.
But this is not the first time Dosanjh got a popular foreign singer to sing in Punjabi. On 26 October 2023, he dropped the song ‘Hass Hass’, which had the ‘Cheap Thrills’ singer Sia croon a couple of lines in Punjabi.
The Jamnagar carnival
It makes perfect sense that Dosanjh was part of the 72-hour pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of India’s richest business tycoon Mukesh Ambani, and Radhika Merchant, daughter of CEO and vice-chairman of Encore Healthcare Viren Merchant. Since 29 February, the social media has been flooded with videos of business moguls and celebrity singers Akon and Rihanna landing in Gujarat’s Jamnagar for the exclusive event.
Rihanna was the talk of the town, whether it was her luggage or her mispronunciation of the bride-to-be’s name during her performance or her reported fee of Rs 66-74 crore. After all, it is not everyday that the queen of pop steps on to a stage in India. Except, it was not her who brought the house down at the Ambanis’ celebrations.
Once again, Dosanjh stole the show in the presence of Bollywood celebrities such as Karisma Kapoor, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, as well as the world’s billionaire business tycoons. He even had Anant Ambani asking for ‘20 more minutes’ of his magic.
From getting Kapoor sisters to groove to his tunes on stage to receiving a hug from ‘Sadhguru’ Jaggi Vasudev, Dosanjh was on fire all through his performances.
The Coachella moment
In 2023, Dosanjh became the first Indian-born singer to perform at California’s Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival. His audience included American DJ and music producer Diplo, who grooved to Dosanjh’s G.O.A.T, Lemonade, and Vibe, during his 45-minute performance.
Dosanjh owned his roots with aplomb. A black utility jacket and a pair of white and grey Nike Air Jordan sneakers added a twist to his attire, as did a pair of yellow gloves and the signature retro-style sunglasses that the singer often dons.
In his trademark style, he also announced that “the Punjabis have now reached Coachella”. He asked the audience to groove to the vibe, even if they could not understand the lyrics or the meaning of his songs. There was no translation as the audience danced to his hits, despite most of the spectators being white.
What probably makes Dosanjh so wildly popular is not just his talent, but also his disarming honesty and charm, and lack of any filter, whether it’s his cooking videos or stage performances. He is truly the G.O.A.T.
(Edited by Prashant)