Ed Sheeran goes desi as he sings in Punjabi with Arijit Singh in ‘Sapphire’

NEW DELHI: “Someone please give Ed Sheeran an Aadhaar card”, quipped Indian fans after seeing the British singer’s desi avatar in his new track ‘Sapphire’.

Ed has often expressed his love for India. And now with his song ‘Sapphire’, he once again embraced Indian culture, trying his hand at the Punjabi language.

Shot across several locations in India during his tour, the song’s video shows Ed exploring Indian streets, visiting iconic landmarks, and bonding with a group of young soccer players. His song has all those elements that are enough to bring a smile to the faces of Indians.

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We can also see a glimpse of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the clip. Credits also go to Arijit Singh for collaborating with Ed on this catchy track.

Adding flair to the recording are vocals and sitar provided by Arijit Singh, who also appears with the four-time Grammy winner in the ‘Sapphire’ music video.

Sheeran’s rendition of the Punjabi line ‘Cham cham chamke sitare wargi’ stands out as one of the highlights of this song.

Sharing what went behind the track, Ed in an Instagram post wrote, “Sapphire was the first song I finished for Play that made me know where the album was heading. It’s why I finished the recording process in Goa surrounded by some of the best musicians in India. It was an incredible creative process. I shot the music video with @liampethickphoto and @nicminns across my India tour earlier this year, we wanted to showcase the beauty and breadth of the country and its culture.”

He added, “The final jigsaw piece for me was getting @arijitsingh on the record, I’ll make a post about that in a few days, but it was a journey to get there and such an amazing day of music and family. Me and him have done a full Punjabi version of the song that will come out in the next few weeks, which has a lot more of him on it. This is the album version of the song, and my favourite song on the album. Hope you guys love it. Sapphire out now x.”

Ed has been to Indian several times. And whenever he comes, he makes sure to spend quality time with his friends from Indian film and music industry.

Earlier this year, Ed Sheeran brought his record-breaking ‘+–= / x’ Tour to Delhi-NCR after riveting performances in Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Shillong. Ed Sheeran expressed his heartfelt gratitude, saying, “The last three weeks in India have been magical. I’ve learned a lot. Thank you for welcoming me, and hopefully I will come back soon!” He concluded the event with ‘Bad Habits’, after performing ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’ and ‘Shape of You’.

Last year, filmmaker Farah Khan threw a party for Ed Sheeran. The who’s who of Bollywood gathered under one roof to welcome Ed. Many pics and videos from the party went viral.

One of the clips captured Ed singing his hit song ‘Perfect’ with none other than SRK by his side, who seemed to be totally engrossed in the singing.

In another clip, SRK was seen teaching Ed his signature pose. In the end, SRK gave Ed a warm hug and kiss.”This is the Shape of Us. Spreading love together,” Ed captioned the post. (ANI)