The artiste has had a stellar run this year and could well turn out to be Punjab’s biggest cultural export
From performing in front of screaming fans, inviting A-list Western pop stars to join him on stage, singing on one of America’s most popular late-night talk shows, acting in critically acclaimed films to taking on politicians for their hypocrisy...Take a bow, Diljit Dosanjh.
He has single-handedly put Punjabi pop on the global stage. His ongoing Dil-Luminati tour has crashed cash counters and drawn thousands of fans across India, the US, Canada, the UK and Europe.
Dosanjh is the first Indian to perform at the BC Place stadium and Rogers Arena, both in Vancouver; Scotiabank Arena, Toronto; Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. He was also the highest-selling Indian singer at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
In North America alone, his concerts generated a revenue of $28mn. According to media reports, tickets were being resold for $64,000 and $55,000 with ready buyers for them.
Back home in India, the Dil-Luminati concert witnessed a record 30,000-plus fans showing up at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi. There was a few kilometres-long queue waiting to get in. Tickets were sold out within minutes of the opening of the booking window and were later being sold at more than 10 times the original price on the black market. It became the fastest-selling and highest-grossing concert in Indian history.
True, Indian musicians have collaborated with their Western counterparts earlier. But Dosanjh has taken Punjabi pop to a different level. Pop sensation Ed Sheeran has frequently guested Dosanjh’s concerts, both at home and abroad; Dosanjh has collaborated with Australian singer-songwriter Sia, American rapper Saweetie, Norwegian dance group The Quick Style and Colombian artist Camilo.
The one thing I love about him is that he has become a performer of international level but has not forgotten his village, his language and his power. Gurbhajan Singh Gill, Punjabi Poet
Last year, he made it to the Coachella Festival, becoming the first Punjabi singer to perform at the festival in California. There he shared the stage with South Korean girl group BLACKPINK, Pakistani singer Ali Sethi and Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny.
During the US leg of his Dil-Luminati tour, Dosanjh was invited to The Tonight Show. He is the first Indian artist to perform in the hugely popular late-night talk show. Jimmy Fallon, the host, called him the “biggest Punjabi artiste on the planet”.
“This has not happened overnight. It is a journey of 22 years,” says Dinesh Auluck, founder of Speed Records, a music company which has worked with Dosanjh on some of his albums. He has never shied from work be it performing at weddings or recording in studios.
Not just as a singer, he is a success as an actor too. His films have been both commercially successful as well as critically acclaimed. His Jatt and Juliet 3, released in June this year, is a box office hit. His portrayal of the Punjabi singer in Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila (released on Netflix in April this year) had critics raving.
He is unapologetic when it comes to fashion. Not only did he get the Filmfare Glamour style award in 2019 for his stylish outfits, but he was also featured in Vogue magazine for being among the ‘Forces of Fashion’.
Unlike many popular artistes Dosanjh hasn’t been shy of taking a political stand. Recently he called out the Telangana government’s hypocrisy over liquor. Before his concert in Hyderabad on November 16, the state government had issued a notice to the singer asking him not to sing songs that promote liquor and drugs.
He is reported to have said: “If alcohol consumption is banned across the country, I’d stop singing songs with alcohol references.”
He took on trolls who abused women for expressing their emotions and crying during his concerts, stating that disrespecting these women is equivalent to disrespecting the daughters of India.
Back in 2020 he supported the farmers of Punjab and Haryana when they were protesting three farm acts that were passed by Parliament. “He contributed financially to farmer protests,” recalls Gurbhajan Singh Gill, a Punjabi poet.
In addition to being vocal about issues that concern his people, he supports them when they are in need. “The one thing I love about him is that he has become an international performer but has not forgotten his village, his language and his power,” says Gill. “There are many families in Ludhiana who have no support. He sends them ration and pays school fees for many children,” he adds. He started Saanjh Foundation in 2013 to provide for underprivileged children and senior citizens.
Diljit Dosanjh is the padshah of Punjabi pop. And by the way people are thronging to his concerts he’s going to remain so for the near future.