California: Diljit Dosanjh on Sunday created history by becoming the first-ever Punjabi artist to perform at the popular Coachella Valley Music & Art Festival 2023.
He showed up wearing the traditional Punjabi attire - a black kurta and tamba - to deliver a live performance at the special concert. He completed the look with a black turban, sunglasses, and a pair of black gloves. Diljit made his debut performance with popular songs like Patiala Peg and Lemonade.
The official Instagram page of the music festival shared short clips from the performance and wrote, "Diljit Dosanjh got Sahara shining. Put on a festival in your own home this weekend." The festival is being live-streamed on YouTube. Diljit also shared behind-the-scenes of the prestigious festival. He was seen in a blue floral co-ord set. He captioned the photograph, "sound check #coachella."
Fans are hailing it as a moment of pride for Punjab and the diaspora worldwide. "Punjabi artist exhibiting Punjabi culture & bringing pride to our pagh (turban) - nothing better," wrote a fan on social media.
Diljit started his career in 2002 and gained recognition in Punjabi music with his album Smile in 2005 and Chocolate in 2008. He entered the Social 50 chart by Billboard in 2020. He is also featured in various music charts including Canadian Albums Chart, UK Asian chart by Official Charts Company, and New Zealand Hot Singles.
Coachella is one of the most prestigious music festivals in the world and it is held over two consecutive weekends in California, US. This year, Pakistani musician Ali Sethi, known for the viral song Pasoori, is also scheduled to perform.