Ed Sheeran duet with Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh delights Mumbai – and lights up India’s social media

CNN —

British singer Ed Sheeran wowed the stage in Mumbai with artist Diljit Dosanjh over the weekend as the pair sang a rendition of the Indian artist’s hit track “Lover” in Punjabi, a duet that promptly lit up India’s social media.

Both artists posted videos of their performances on Instagram, with huge cheers from the crowd as Sheeran invited his singing partner onto the stage.

“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!” Sheeran wrote in a post.

Singer and actor Dosanjh, 40, is one of the biggest South Asian artists worldwide and has played a major role in putting Punjabi music on the map internationally. He made history in 2023 as the first Punjabi artist to perform at Coachella.

Over the past 15 years, Sheeran has gone from self-releasing his EPs and playing small bars in London to one of modern pop’s best-selling song writers. He is in the middle of his mammoth two-and-a half-year long global “Mathematics” tour.

More than 50,000 concertgoers were packed into the Mahalaxmi Racecourse to see Dosanjh’s surprise appearance, as the Indian star hyped up the audience and Sheeran rocked on an acoustic guitar, singing parts of the chorus.

“We had no idea Diljit was going to be here, it felt like moon had descended,” a fan said in a video recap posted by the Indian star.

“I am still processing what just happened here, I am never going to forget this night,” another concertgoer said.

Spotify India commented on a video posted by Sheeran saying, “we see fire on that stage,” in reference to one of the British star’s hits.

Fans and Indian celebrities on social media praised Dosanjh for getting Sheeran to sing in an