Coachella in California, USA is undoubtedly one of the world’s biggest music festivals, joining the ranks of Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza and others. In its latest edition, the festival hosted actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh - the first Punjabi artist and second Indian artist to ever perform at the event.
Dosanjh is no stranger to sold-out concerts. The singer, whose musical journey started with performing at kirtans (a religious gathering), has multiple noteworthy achievements under his belt. Here’s a look at his journey and the many feathers in his cap… or rather, his turban:
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Coachella’s first Punjabi artist
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In his trademark traditional Punjabi look (a turban with a kurta and a tehmat (a kind of lungi), Diljit Dosanjh belted out songs from his albums at Coachella. Videos of people headbanging and swaying to the Punjabi beats cropped up on social media, starting with the festival’s official handle on Instagram. Among the crowd that thronged the stage during Dosanjh’s performance was American DJ Diplo.
Coachella first started in 1999. Since 2001, it has been an annual event (except during the pandemic), gradually expanding from a one-day concert to an event spread across consecutive weekends. Coachella champions established and emerging artists and has experimented with various formats over the years - introducing the option for attendees to set up camps in 2003. In 2022, the event was attended by 7,50,000 people.
This year, Coachella is happening over two weekends - April 14-16, and April 21-23. The general admission tickets for weekend 2 start at $549. Some of the other South Asians performing at the event this year are singer Ali Sethi, the Pakistani singer behind the popular track Pasoori, and K-pop sensation BLACKPINK.
First Punjabi artist featured at Times Square
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In 2020 Dosanjh released his album G.O.A.T - which he created during the pandemic since he was “bored” of binge-watching shows on Netflix, as he confessed in an interview with film critic Anupama Chopra. The album turned out to be an international success, dominating Instagram reels and landing the star a spot on the billboards of Times Square, New York.
Apart from Dosanjh, comedian Vir Das and singer Sona Mohapatra are among the Indian artists to grab a spot at the famous Times Square.
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Entering the Billboard charts
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The same year, Dosanjh also received a plaque from the music magazine Billboard after the titular track from his album G.O.A.T reached the number one spot on the magazine’s Top Triller Global chart. The song debuted in the magazine’s charts at number 11 and climbed to the top spot in four weeks.
Sold out the iconic Wembley Arena
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Dosanjh sold out the Wembley Arena in London during his "The Dosanjh Tour" in 2016. In fact, Dosanjh had a sold-out UK tour that year. The Wembley Arena has a capacity of 12,500 and some of the biggest musical stars, like Queen, The Rolling Stones, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Michael Jackson, and Eminem have performed here. Singer and music composer Himesh Reshammiya was the first Indian to ever perform at Wembley Stadium.
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Biggest-selling Indian artist for a single concert
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Two years later in 2018, Dosanjh broke the Box Office record when he sold out in Birmingham during his Con.Fi.Den.Tial live show - confirming his status as the biggest-selling Indian artist for a single concert at Arena Birmingham, performing to an audience of over 9,000. Apart from Birmingham, he also sold out shows at Wembley in London and First Direct Arena in Leeds during this tour.
The journey started as a kirtan singer
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Dosanjh originally hails from Jalandhar, Punjab, India. He sang kirtans in Gurudwaras when he was in school. Taking ahead his childhood love for singing, Dosanjh released his first album in 2002. He was only 18 at the time. Since then, he has released over 10 albums and performed multiple singles in movies, including chart-bursting tracks like Proper Patola, 5 Taara, etc.
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Entering the movies
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Dosanjh made his acting debut in a lead role in 2011 with the Punjabi film The Lion of Punjab. Though it flopped, Dosanjh went on to deliver hits like Jatt & Juliet, Shadaa, and National-Award-winning Punjab 1984, among others. He entered Bollywood with the critically- acclaimed and commercially successful Udta Punjab.
Building his trademark traditional look
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Dosanjh is openly proud of his Sikh heritage. He admitted to Chopra during his interview that he only wanted to be cast in a Bollywood film where he could wear his turban - even though people told him that he’d not find good roles since he sports a turban. But he wasn’t willing to alter his identity for a role. Though a fan of designer clothes himself, the star eschewed Western outfits in favour of a traditional Punjabi look through most of his recent tour as well. In 2018, on the official Turban Day of Oslo, Norway, Dosanjh received a designer turban from designer Susanne Holzweiler.
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Upcoming projects
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Dosanjh, who last appeared in Netflix’s period drama Jogi, will next be seen in the Punjabi romantic drama Jodi. He is also starring alongside actor Parineeti Chopra in Imtiaz Ali’s Chamkila - a biopic based on the life of legendary singer Amar Singh Chamkila. Chamkila is scheduled to release in 2024.
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