5 Times Global Popstars Went Desi With Their Lyrics and Crushed It

There was a time when the closest an international artist came to India was a spiritual retreat in Rishikesh or a quick tabla sample buried in an obscure track. Fast-forward to 2025, and we’re seeing major popstars not only doing pan-India tours but also incorporating desi lyrics into their songs and collaborating with artists from the subcontinent.

The latest is Ed Sheeran singing in Punjabi. Not just humming along, mind you. In his latest single Sapphire, the ginger genius from Suffolk belts out Punjabi lyrics with none other than India’s heartbreak whisperer, Arijit Singh. The result is a global banger with desi soul. Sapphire is a sonic samosa wrapped in a croissant. But hold on. Ed isn’t the first global popstar to get a little desi with his delivery. This trend has been bubbling for a while now, and it tells us something bigger about where India stands today in its soft power.

This is cultural appreciation backed by conscious collaboration. These popstars aren’t sampling India for spice. They’re showing up, sitting cross-legged on studio floors, swapping lyrics, and singing in syllables that make their tongues trip. It’s smart business too. India isn’t just the world's largest democracy; it’s now one of the largest streaming economies for music. With over 700 million internet users and Gen Z glued to their headphones, India is Spotify gold.

1. Akon – “Chammak Challo”

Let’s start with the OG. Before Nick Jonas sang Maan Meri Jaan with King, before Ed Sheeran said Cham-cham chamke sitare wargi, Akon did it, and how! In 2011, the man who gave us Smack That and Lonely sang full-on Hindi lyrics for Shah Rukh Khan’s superhero flick Ra.One. He matched Hindi lyrics with singer-composer Vishal Dadlani (the song was composed by Vishal-Shekhar). Not even your cynical uncle who hates anything Western had a single complaint. Akon became desi royalty overnight. Chammak Challo went on to become a club hit, wedding staple, and car speaker anthem.

2. Ed Sheeran & Arijit Singh – “Sapphire”

Fast-forward to 2025. Ed Sheeran, known for writing love songs that ruin every man’s proposal speech forever, is now serenading in Punjabi. And not some watered-down approximation either. It’s the real deal. Phonetics on point. Accent adorable. Arijit Singh bringing in his velvet touch. In Sapphire, Ed doesn’t just strum a guitar and hum along, he sings entire lines in Punjabi, and does it with surprising flair.

Before this, he'd dueted in Punjabi with Diljit Dosanjh on his track Lover during his India tour. It sent the crowd into a frenzy and the clip ended up going viral.

3. Sia & Diljit Dosanjh – “Hass Hass”

Imagine Sia, queen of epic choruses and half-visible hairstyles, shouting “Dil tenu de ditta main tan soneya” with Diljit Dosanjh beside her. You’d think she was raised in Ludhiana. But in Hass Hass, that’s exactly what happened. Sia leans into the Punjabi chorus, dancing and singing in perfect harmony with Diljit. The track became a global banger; partly because it’s fun, but mostly because Sia actually sounds like she’s having a blast trying to be a bhangra queen.

Her part goes: Dil tenu de ditta main tan soneya/ Jaan tere kadma ch rakhi hoyi aa/ Marna main teriyan bahan ch chann ve/ Sohn tere pyaar di main chakki hoyi aa. It roughly translates to: You've given your heart to me, I'm yours, my beloved. I've placed my life at your feet, I want to die in your arms, I've ground the flour of your love.

4. Nick Jonas & King – “Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife Remix)”

This one was personal. Nick Jonas (known as Mr. Priyanka Chopra among fans in India) teamed up with desi rapper King for a remix of Maan Meri Jaan. Guess what? Nick sings in Hindi. When he goes: Tu maan meri jaan, it's romantic and sincere. Even if you didn’t know what the lyrics meant, you’d still swoon.

5. The Vamps & Vishal-Shekhar – “Beliya”

This was the moment we realized British boys could do Bollywood ballads. The Vamps is a British boy band known for soft rock and stronger cheekbones. They teamed up with top music composers Vishal-Shekhar in 2016 for Beliya. Lo and behold, the boys gave us Hindi lines like Jaisa maen hoon, waisi hai tu. It was charming, dramatic, and very Bollywood. Honestly, it felt like Hugh Grant was about to pop out and propose to a Simran in a mustard field.

What does it mean for us in India?

For starters, it means your nani’s playlist and your college party playlist might finally have something in common. It also means languages like Punjabi, Hindi and Tamil are no longer confined to domestic playlists. They're bouncing around in Berlin clubs and LA gyms. It means that while the West gave us autotune, we gave them tabla drops and Tanpura ambience. The world is no longer looking at India. It’s looking with India.

So, next time you hear an international chart-topper sprinkle some desi into their verse, don’t roll your eyes. Raise a toast. We’re not just being represented. We’re being celebrated.

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