Diljit Dosanjh: From Coachella to Fallon, decoding his stardom

Who is Diljit Dosanjh?

Who you ask may determine the response to that query.

To the uninitiated, Dosanjh is an incredibly popular Punjabi singer who last week made his debut on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show. The 40-year-old proudly sits atop what is known as the “Punjabi wave”, a new generation of artists melding homegrown Punjabi music with rap and hip-hop.

Dosanjh performed his visits Born to Shine and G. O. while wearing traditional dress and was described by Fallon as” the biggest Indian artist on the planet.” A. T in front of a packed visitors.

” Some seconds into it and all was dancing”, says Sucharita Tyagi, a film critic who was present at the present. You ought to have seen the property band’s heads because they were “mind blowing.”

Back in India, Dosanjh is also recognised as versatile actor who sings in all his films, as well as an accomplished producer. And to others who may never have seen his films or followed his music, he is a social media star who routinely creates a stir with funny videos on Instagram – a video of him having a hilariously frustrating conversation in Punjabi with voice assistant Alexa is a particular favourite for many.

Dosanjh is particularly intriguing because he portrays a musician who avoids the harsh sound and vocabulary of Punjabi hip-hop for something more conventional and organic.

He is a soulful singer, his rich baritone soaring and quivering with emotion at the right places. At shows, he brings the house down with his energy (and gets Ed Sheeran to sing in Punjabi). And his performances on screen can move people to tears or laughter.

For his followers, he is all a “beeba munda”, or a” great boy”, whose authenticity, natural beauty and realistic image make him one of the most appealing stars of his day.

” Ask three people in a place why they like the person and they’ll provide various factors: his acting, singing or just the Instagram glad he makes”, Tyagi says. ” But they’ll all have one thing in common, which is their passion for the people he is”.

Born as Diljit Singh in the Dosanjh Kalan village in Punjab, Dosanjh started his career by singing devotional songs at a local gurdwara. Those who knew him at the time say he was a “bashful boy” who “barely had any beard, but had the rhythm, did bhangra well, and tied a very good turban”.

“He was a very god-fearing beeba boy, who was hungry to learn,” Rajinder Singh, a song producer who gave Dosanjh his first break, once told The Indian Express.

At 16, he released his first album. His wide-eyed innocence and soulful voice instantly made him popular, making the songs less of a hit at night clubs and more popular at wedding parties. Soon, he was getting shows almost every day.

A few years later, his parents sent him to the city of Ludhiana to live and train with his uncle, a local musician. Local artists like Daler Mehndi and Panjabi MC of” Mundian to bach ke” fame were influential in the development of Punjabi music. In 2006, Dosanjh did his first international tour in Canada and a year later, he released his second album, this time under his new name: Diljit Dosanjh.

By 2010, Dosanjh had also established himself as a well-known actor in Punjab’s vibrant film industry. One thing led to another. Six years later, he made his Bollywood debut. Now, he’s a global star.

Last year, he made history by becoming the first Punjabi language singer to perform at the Coachella festival. He also collaborated with pop singer Sia, and joined Sheeran while he was touring in India.

Dosanjh has stated in his interviews that his success was not attributable to his diligent work day and night to getting here, even when he was not getting any opportunities.

But the modesty with which he carries himself makes him appear to be a frightened bystander on his own path to fame.

” When a star grows to a certain stature, they usually want to reinvent themselves. However, Dosanjh continues to grow popular as he does not give in to personal excesses, according to communication consultant Dilip Cherian.

” By staying this modest good boy, he presses a whole bunch of right buttons with the audience”, he adds.

Yet, Cherian believes there is more than meets the eye- and that some of Dosanjh’s authentic persona could perhaps be performative.

In fact, Dosanjh himself has said that contrary to his image as a “pure soul” who does not care about the hustle, he’s constantly trying to overtake competition: “This is my job and I don’t make bones about it.”

According to Cherian, Dosanjh has consciously avoided labeling himself as” an edgy bad boy,” which is the standard practice among his peers.

Dosanjh has mostly avoided contentious topics, ditching the typical tropes of revenge and violence in Punjabi pop for themes like faith, love, and tradition, aside from an early phase of his career where his songs featured guns and talked about male pride. Some of his most well-known songs, like G. O. Born to Shine and A. T discuss how he’s trying to establish himself and his hometown by making a name for himself.

He declares,” Panjabi aagaye hai ( Punjab has arrived ),” and begins each concert with the phrase” Punjabi aagaye hai ( Punjab has arrived ). He claims he could not care less about speaking English well. He once said in an interview,” When you come from a really small place like mine, you want the world to know about it.”

Although Dosanjh is aware of his roots and uses each song to represent a particular aspect of his Punjabi identity, he is not constrained by it. He heavily relies on tradition but also experimentes with it, blending blustering bhangra beats and pop to create songs that make cliched-old tropes sound fresh and relevant.

When it comes to acting, he straddles comedy and serious roles, appearing in films about the drug problem in Punjab like Udta Punjab, as well as light-hearted satires and love stories like Jatt &amp, Juliet.

People who have met Tyagi describe him as a” shy and quiet but incredibly observant man.” But that does not prevent him from performing numerous social media stunts and jokes, many of which are performed at his own expense.

Dosanjh has people in place who assist him in managing this image, which is about staying true to himself while carefully balancing the needs of domestic and international audiences,” Cherian claims.

Whatever the verdict on his authenticity, what’s undeniable is that Dosanjh is a man of singular talents.

Even Dosanjh’s self- deprecating humour feels purposeful sometimes. He yells obsessively about himself, including about not speaking English well, before someone else can. However, a serious performer lives beneath the surface and is constantly considering his place in the world and how his art can challenge that. He is a small-district boy from Punjab.

His career may be based on his music. Yet, Dosanjh offers much more: he’s a whole package, a mix of old and new, simple and stylish all which make him utterly relatable.

” And even if some of the authenticity is manufactured, who is it hurting? He’s not lying about his achievements or talents”, Tyagi says.

” There are more frontiers to cover- and Dosanjh just wants to do everything”.