Jalandhar Boy Diljit Dosanjh Triumphs at the Global Stage As the much-loved artist Diljit Dosanjh is trending for all the right reasons, most recently being his debut in the popular Hollywood chat show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, here we look at his top four achievements that made him a global brand that every youngster aspired to become

Even though the strong presence of Punjabi artists in the global music scenario has been felt in the past, with the likes of Daler Mehendi and Gurdas Mann to be mentioned, the success of Diljit Dosanjh feels quite personal for many. There are brands that promote artists; there are artists who promote their own brand of music; and then there is Diljit. True to his name, he is winning the hearts of many and breaking every stereotype possible, not only as a recording artist and stage performer but also as an actor! Again, the domination of Punjabis in the Bollywood music and film industry was known, especially with the contribution of the Kapoor family, but when the little boy from the Dosanjh Kalan village with only one dream to become famous came to fruition, it brought tears of joy among many. His success story inspires many who are stereotyped because of their background, the community, and the culture they came from.

Diljit expressed his thoughts in the recent past, mentioning how people tend to stereotype Punjabis for their fashion sense, loud nature, not speaking good English, and more. However, he proved them wrong.

Here we look at the four aspects of his career that made his journey so special.

Punjabi pop star: After an initial struggle and performing in various events like weddings and birthday parties, Diljit released his debut album, Ishq Da Uda Ada, in 2003, and gradually he started gaining momentum as a recording artist. On one hand, as a singer, his soulful voice touched the hearts of his fans, and on the other hand, his expensive music videos like G.O.A.T., El Sueño, Lover, and Case also established his signature as a performer. While building his brand as a singer with his studio albums, music videos, and live concerts globally, Diljit made his mark as an actor in Punjabi cinema, which undoubtedly added to his popularity. His Punjabi films like The Lion of Punjab, Jatt & Juliet, Punjab 1984, and Ambarsariya, among others, made him hugely popular among the Punjabi community living abroad. However, his big breakthrough as an international star came when he entered the Billboard Social 50 charts as an Indian artist.

Bollywood debut to ruling the scene: In 2016, with his nuanced performance as a police officer in the Shahid Kapoor starrer Udta Punjab, Diljit grabbed many eyeballs on his Bollywood debut. Since then, the mainstream Hindi media and the audience have surely fallen in love with the artist, and the Punjabi singer-turned-actor has only grown his fan following among the Hindi entertainment audience. He went on to act in films like Phillauri, Soorma, Good News, Jogi, and the latest, Amar Singh Chamkila. His special appearance in the Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer Crew was also highly appreciated. It is interesting to notice how, once awkward as an actor, as Diljit admitted during an interview, he has now become one of the prominent choices of Bollywood filmmakers. His popularity as a Bollywood actor is really noteworthy.

Global stage, global artist: Though he started small and some of the celebrated names of the present time like Yo Yo Honey Singh and Badshah in the beginning of his career, it is absolutely mind-blowing how he collaborated with some of the iconic international artists like Camilo, US rapper Saweetie, and Ed Sheeran for crossover musical projects. This apart, his regular musical tours in Canada, the US, and various other countries that usually go sold-out with thousands of audience members gathering to watch him live on stage made Diljit 'born to shine' by all means. While his musical performance makes the audience groove alone, the production value of his show matches the international standard, which makes him a global superstar. However, his biggest achievement as an Indian artist happened in the recent past when he performed for the first time ever and created history at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023.

Hollywood chat show debut: Though it was not the first time that an Indian artist attended any Hollywood chat show, this is Diljit's debut performance at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he performed as an artist. The chatter around his performance at the show and video clippings of his banter with Jimmy Fallon that surfaced on the internet is giving a constant dose of entertainment to the netizans. Jimmy called Diljit one of the most fashionable artists!