Diljit Dosanjh becomes first Punjabi artiste to headline Wembley; announces Gujarat show - The Indian Express

Diljit Dosanjh has made India proud yet again on the global stage. On Saturday, he became the first-ever Punjabi artiste to headline a show at the historic venue of Wembley Stadium in London. The 90,000-seater venue, which has hosted concerts by some of the world’s biggest pop icons, drew a massive crowd.

Diljit Dosanjh started his historic performance by making the audience roar to his catchphrase “Punjabi aa gaye oye” (Punjabis have arrived). He first said the famous words three years ago, when he became the first-ever Punjabi artiste to headline Coachella. Since then, Dosanjh has performed to packed shows across the world, even being hailed as “the most famous Punjabi artiste in the world” by American late-night host Jimmy Fallon.

“This moment will go down in the history books,” Dosanjh said during the show in Wembley Stadium. He also brought several fans to the stage through the show, including some children and an elderly woman, taking selfies with them and handing out gifts. The singer also acknowledged the fans sitting in the last row of the stadium, saying they’re “full of heart.”

Diljit Dosanjh‘s performance included his all-time hits, from “G.O.A.T.”, “Lover”, “Hass Hass”, and “Born To Shine” before concluding with “Main Hoon Punjab” from his 2023 Netflix India musical film, Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila. Calling it a “dream” to perform at Wembley Stadium, Diljit also hinted at returning to India later this year.

Before the concert, Diljit spoke about what performing at Wembley Stadium meant to him. The singer-actor said, “When we were going to book this venue, everyone said, ‘Think again before you book, it’s a big stadium.’ I said: ‘We’ll see whatever comes. I want that our people are happy and can say yes, we can do this too.'” Admitting that following in the footsteps of global pop icons “means a lot”, he confessed it means even more for people of his community.

“It may not mean as much to someone like Harry Styles, as much as it means to us. He has performed on such stages, but for us, it’s very special. Coming from a village to here, it’s very special. I feel good. I feel happy. And I feel good for my people. I feel good for the next generation,” Dosanjh told BBC before his gig.

Diljit Dosanjh. Sold-out Wembley Stadium. Punjabi music on this scale. 🥹@diljitdosanjh brought his Aura World Tour to London on 12 September, headlining the UK’s biggest stadium.

To put the venue’s musical history into perspective: Michael Jackson played seven sold-out shows… pic.twitter.com/M38B1RUpP6

Diljit Dosanjh is all set to return to India for a concert after nearly two years. During his historic performance at Wembley Stadium, the Punjabi popstar said, “The world’s largest stadium… how can a Punjabi not perform there?” He then announced that he’d be performing at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, which has the capacity of 132,000, as part of his ongoing Aura tour.

The last time Dosanjh performed in India was as part of his Dil-Luminati tour, across the second half of 2024. He had shows across the country, from Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Indore, and Kolkata to the concluding gig in Guwahati, Assam on December 29, 2024. The India leg of the Dil-Luminati tour registered an estimated socio-economic and business impact of Rs 943 crore, as per an EY report.