- Published
On Saturday night, under the world-famous Wembley arch, five words rang out: "Punjabi Aa Gaye Wembley Oye!"
Indian megastar Diljit Dosanjh famously starts all his concerts by announcing that "the Punjabis have arrived".
But this time, it was a play on the usual catchphrase.
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it → publish → catchphrase
Dosanjh is the first ever Punjabi singer to headline Wembley Stadium, the music venue has said.
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venue → headline → Stadium
Addressing his fans, he reflected on the significance of the occasion.
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he → address → occasion
"This moment will go down in the history books," he said.
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he → go → books
And as Bhangra beats blared out, fans erupted with cheers while Dosanjh launched into his biggest hits, from Born to Shine to Lover.
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Dosanjh → blare → Lover
Over two decades, Dosanjh has built a huge global fanbase, topping charts and singing with the likes of Ed Sheeran.
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Dosanjh → build → Sheeran
He has even busted Bhangra moves with Jimmy Fallon, external, with the US talk show host labelling him "the biggest Punjabi artist on the planet".
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host → bust → planet
His landmark concert at Wembley further cements his status as a global star.
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concert → cement → star
Ahead of the show, the singer spoke exclusively to the BBC backstage, describing the moment as "a dream" for him.
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singer → speak → him
The hype for his appearance was building all afternoon, with fans arriving early to get in place.
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fans → build → place
"MJ [Michael Jackson] and Madonna, he's that level for us," said one fan.
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fan → say → us
"He's so good looking, and so down to earth," said another.
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another → look → ?
I love you more than my husband," declared a third.
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third → love → husband
When he came on the stage shortly after 8pm, dressed in traditional attire, the stadium erupted and the screams barely stopped for the next two-and-a-bit hours.
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screams → come → hours
His soulful voice echoed around the stadium, demonstrating his range, as he blended homegrown Punjabi music with rap and hip-hop.
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he → echo → rap
Throughout the show, the audience waved lights, sang along and - of course - danced.
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audience → wave → course
At times, the standing area closest to the stage resembled an Indian wedding, with fans copying Dosanjh's energetic moves.
But despite performing in such a vast venue, Dosanjh proved again his ability to connect on a personal level with fans.
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Dosanjh → resemble → fans
He brought fans on stage, giving them gifts and taking selfies, and also shouted out those in the back rows of the 90,000-seater stadium, saying they were "full of heart".
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they → bring → heart
There was also exciting news for fans in India, as he announced he would be performing in November at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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he → be → Ahmedabad
The concert was capped off with the emotion of the night - his track Main Hoon Punjab, which means "I am Punjab" - set to a spectacular firework display.
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I → cap → display
"What an incredible show, the energy and vibe was unparalleled!" concert goers Amit and Rani told the BBC.
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Amit → tell → BBC
They added that it was not only a privilege "but a moment to celebrate for Punjabi culture".
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it → add → culture
Dosanjh likes a "first".
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Dosanjh → like → first
From humble beginnings as a small village boy from Punjab, he made history in 2023 by becoming the first Punjabi-language singer to perform at the US music festival Coachella.
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he → make → festival
He also famously made his Met Gala debut decked in majestic Punjabi attire.
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He → make → attire
His meteoric rise has seen him perform across America and Europe, and collaborate with pop stars from Sia to Sheeran.
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him → see → Sheeran
He remains true to his Punjabi roots, wears his turban as a sign of pride, and sings in his mother tongue.
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He → remain → tongue
Even those who haven't heard his music have probably viewed his funny Instagram videos - such as him arguing with an Amazon Alexa device, external that couldn't understand his accent.
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that → hear → accent
Now, he's performed on a stage that's previously been home to titans of music from Taylor Swift to Coldplay.
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that → perform → Coldplay
For Dosanjh and his millions of global fans, it means Punjabi music, Punjabi culture and Punjabi vibrancy has reached an historic moment.
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music → mean → moment
Speaking to the BBC before his gig, he said he felt "thankful" to be here.
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he → speak → gig
"When we were going to book this venue, everyone said, 'Think again before you book, it's a big stadium'," he said.
"
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he → go → venue
I said: 'We'll see whatever comes.
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whatever → say → ?
I want that our people are happy and can say yes, we can do this too!'"
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we → want → this
He reflected on the many artists who had performed there before him, adding that to follow their footsteps "means a lot, a lot".
"It may not mean as much for someone like Harry Styles, as much as it means for us.
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it → reflect → us
He has performed on such stages, but for us, it's very special.
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it → perform → us
Coming from a village to here - it's very special."
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it → come → village
"I feel good.
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I → feel → ?
I feel happy.
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I → feel → ?
And I feel good for my people.
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I → feel → people
…and 2 more, not listed.
