Ed Sheeran announces collaboration with Karan Aujla
What's the story
Global pop sensation Ed Sheeran has confirmed his third collaboration with an Indian artist, Punjabi singer-songwriter Karan Aujla. The announcement was made during an interview with Nikita Kanda on BBC Asian Network on Wednesday, September 17. This comes after his earlier collaborations with Arijit Singh and Diljit Dosanjh. The new track, which blends English and Punjabi, was filmed in New York and will be released in October.
Musical exploration
'Little bit of that'
Reflecting on his journey into Punjabi music, Sheeran said, "The first time I sang in Punjabi was doing Lover (Diljit Dosanjh's song)." He added, "And I've just done a tune with Karan Aujla as well, where we've done like a little bit of that." The British singer-songwriter also praised the upcoming song with Aujla as an exciting continuation of his exploration of Punjabi music.
Language appreciation
Sheeran on learning Punjabi
Sheeran expressed his admiration for the Punjabi language, calling it a "melodic language" and "poetic." He shared his experience of learning Punjabi with Aujla, who pushed him to get his pronunciation right. "Like with Karan, sitting with him and him being like, 'No, you say it like this.' And I said, 'Be really really brutal with me.'"
Anticipated crossover
Aujla's recent project, global influence
Aujla, who recently released his project P-Pop Culture, is known for his lyrical depth. His collaboration with Sheeran further highlights the growing global influence of Punjabi music. "I'm just really excited now," Sheeran said about the upcoming track. Meanwhile, Aujla continues to rise through the ranks. He was recently featured as the musical guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.