In June 2025, Ed Sheeran made music history in India. His new single ‘Sapphire’, featuring uncredited vocals by Arijit Singh, didn’t just top charts; it broke cultural and commercial barriers that few international artists have crossed. It became the first English-language track since ‘Stay’ by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber in August 2021 to hit No. 1 on Spotify India. And it did much more than that: dominating Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music, and even JioSaavn where international songs almost never break into the top ten.
The music video soared into YouTube’s top five, with ten of Sheeran’s fifteen most popular streaming cities now located in India. Yet this wasn’t a random viral success. It was the result of a carefully orchestrated campaign, led by Warner Music India and built around something refreshingly simple: cultural immersion.
More than a Visit: Immersing into India
Jay Mehta, Managing Director of Warner Music India, puts it succinctly:
“We didn’t market this as an international track. We marketed it like an Indian track. The language may be English, but it has a deep Indian soul.”
This philosophy shaped everything Sheeran did from the music itself to how he promoted it. Instead of the usual strategy hoping a global hit would organically find its way to India the team actively took Sheeran into the heart of Indian culture.
During his March 2024 Mumbai concert before 50,000 fans, Sheeran invited Diljit Dosanjh and Armaan Malik on stage. Beyond the show, he dove into local life: playing cricket with star Shubman Gill, appearing on the popular comedy show The Kapil Sharma Show, joining Rohit Sharma on the podcast Breakfast with Champions, and even counting the number of butter chickens he ate (11, for the record).
These weren’t just press stunts they were designed to spark authentic connections. When Sheeran returned for a six-city tour in February, he kept the momentum alive. In Bengaluru, he took a sitar lesson and sang with Shilpa Rao (despite police stopping him from performing on the streets). In Chennai, he collaborated with legendary composer A. R. Rahman and met students at Rahman’s music school. In Shillong, he played football with local kids. And he returned to Mumbai though it wasn’t a tour stop—where he filmed a cameo with Shah Rukh Khan for the ‘Sapphire’ video and, rumor has it, even recorded a song for Khan’s upcoming film King.
From Goa to Jiaganj: Crafting the Song
Perhaps most symbolic of Sheeran’s Indian journey was how and where ‘Sapphire’ came to life. Sheeran spent weeks in Goa working on parts of his upcoming album ‘Play’, surrounded by Indian musicians who added live percussion and sitar to his signature pop melodies.
But the turning point came when Sheeran traveled 11 hours to Jiaganj, the hometown of Arijit Singh near Kolkata. The two artists had first connected in London in September 2024 when they performed Sheeran’s global hit “Perfect” together at The O2 Arena. In Jiaganj, Singh took Sheeran sightseeing on his scooter before they recorded the Punjabi-language segments that would become central to ‘Sapphire’. Singh even created an all-Punjabi version of the song, set to release in the coming weeks, where he’ll receive a full artist credit.
The fusion goes beyond language. ‘Sapphire’ combines Sheeran’s catchy songwriting with Indian instruments, and its lyrics merge English and Punjabi seamlessly. The Punjabi hook “ਚਮ-ਚਮ ਚਮਕੇ ਸਿਤਾਰੇ ਵਰਗੀ” (“They sparkle just like stars”) became an instant earworm, embraced equally by Indian listeners and international fans.
“The final jigsaw piece for me was getting Arijit on the record,” Sheeran later shared. “Me and him have done a full Punjabi version that has a lot more of him on it. This is my favorite song on the album.”
Marketing Like a Local
While the song itself was built on collaboration, its marketing was equally grounded in local insight. Rather than waiting for the track to go viral globally, Warner Music India approached it city by city. Sheeran previewed the track during visits, jammed with local musicians, and created Instagram content from the heart of Indian cities.
He filmed a now-iconic clip of himself hanging out of an autorickshaw singing Punjabi lyrics just a week before the song’s release on June 5. The team partnered with creators and dancers, ensuring the choreography featured Bhangra steps and Indian dance moves to make reels relatable to local audiences.
“The aim was cultural impact first,” Mehta explained. “We asked: how do you create a visual identity that feels Indian, even though the artist isn’t?”
The result? Over 800,000 Instagram reels featuring ‘Sapphire’ within weeks. The track didn’t merely appear on Spotify India’s viral chart after success; it entered the top five streaming chart first, then debuted at No. 2 on the viral chart. Remarkably, last week 42% of global Spotify streams for ‘Sapphire’ came from India. Yet the remaining 58% came from listeners worldwide, many of whom now sing the Punjabi hook.
“It doesn’t get bigger than that,” Mehta noted. “This shows what happens when an artist truly leans into India, rather than just promoting from a distance.”
Beyond Ed: A Moment for Indian Music
While ‘Sapphire’ made Sheeran a household name in Indian cities, its impact also highlights the global appetite for Indian sounds. The last major English–Punjabi crossover hit, ‘Hass Hass’ by Diljit Dosanjh, Sia, and Greg Kurstin (also under Warner), followed a similar blueprint: pairing an international artist with Indian language vocals.
In both songs, the sonic identity came first; the artist was chosen based on what would enhance the song rather than who would headline. Importantly, both featured the English artist singing in Punjabi, instead of Indian artists adapting to English.
While Arijit Singh’s voice hasn’t yet turned him into a household name globally, Mehta believes it’s “early days.” What matters is the music: ‘Sapphire’ shows that a genuinely Indian touch isn’t a barrier to global success it might be the key.
Setting the Tone for ‘Play’
‘Sapphire’ isn’t just a standalone single; it sets the tone for Sheeran’s upcoming album ‘Play’, scheduled for release on September 12. Marking a departure from his math-themed albums, Sheeran describes ‘Play’ as a celebration of joy after his darkest personal period.
“I just wanted to create technicolor and explore cultures in countries I was touring,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram. “It encapsulates everything I love about music, and also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father.”
The album has already been previewed with singles like “Azizam” and “Old Phone”, but ‘Sapphire’ stands out. Its title metaphor a shimmering blue diamond captures the idea of something rare and beautiful, just like the musical exchange it represents.
In the song, Sheeran sings:
“We are surrounded but I can only see / The lights, your face, your eyes / Exploding like fireworks in the sky.”
It’s a love song, yes but also an ode to cultural fusion.
A Blueprint for Future Success
What makes ‘Sapphire’ special isn’t only its chart performance. It’s the way an artist as global as Ed Sheeran chose to slow down, learn local instruments, sing in Punjabi, and film videos not as a tourist, but as a guest eager to understand.
In doing so, he didn’t just capture streams; he captured hearts across cities big and small, from Mumbai to Jiaganj.
“Ed isn’t just doing promo; he’s immersing himself in Indian culture,” Mehta said.
And maybe, just maybe, this campaign will become the blueprint for how global artists engage with India not as a market, but as a creative collaborator.
In the sparkle of ‘Sapphire,’ a new way forward shines bright.
