Ed Sheeran's Indian Remix Experiment: Meet The Punjabi, Tamil, and Hindi Artists Reshaping "Play"

Ed Sheeran’s latest venture into Indian music—Play: The Remixes—marks a significant moment in cross-cultural collaboration. After spending a month immersed in India’s diverse musical landscape, the British artist partnered with six major Indian talents to reimagine his ninth studio album. What makes this EP particularly interesting isn’t just the star power involved, but how each collaborator brings their regional identity to the project. From Punjabi rap fusion to Tamil cinema soundscapes, these partnerships reveal how global artists are now actively seeking out India’s regional music ecosystems rather than relying on Bollywood’s mainstream circuit.

The Arijit Singh Effect: When Bollywood’s Streaming King Meets Global Pop

When Ed Sheeran decided to record “Sapphire” in Arijit Singh’s hometown of Jiaganj Azimganj in West Bengal, it wasn’t just a studio session—it was a deliberate choice to tap into one of streaming’s most dominant voices. Singh’s trajectory tells a fascinating story about India’s digital music explosion. Since his breakthrough with “Tum Hi Ho” in 2013, he’s become the most-followed artist on Spotify globally with 151 million followers, surpassing both Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran himself in July 2025.

What’s remarkable is Singh’s prolific output—he’s recorded over 400 songs across multiple Indian languages. His latest collaboration with Sheeran adds sitar elements and soulful vocals to the English-Punjabi fusion of “Sapphire,” which had already accumulated 225 million streams before this remix version. For context, Singh’s dominance in playback singing has set industry standards; while top-tier playback singers and music producers command premium fees per song (a topic frequently discussed alongside industry icons like Sonu Nigam, whose compensation structure reflects the premium placed on legendary talent), Singh’s streaming numbers demonstrate a new economy where playlist presence matters as much as traditional cinema work.

Karan Aujla’s Canadian-Punjabi Bridge

At 28, Karan Aujla represents a different kind of diaspora success story. Based in Canada but deeply rooted in Punjab, Aujla earned the title of Spotify’s Largest Digital Artist in 2021 with his debut album Bacthafucup. His contribution to Play: The Remixes, the track “Symmetry,” showcases a Punjabi-English fusion that Sheeran described as marking “the beginning of our collaborative journey.”

What stands out about Aujla is his path—he started as a ghostwriter for Jassi Gill while still in ninth grade, and his YouTube presence speaks volumes, with his most popular track reaching 524 million views. His 19.2 million monthly Spotify listeners represent a generation of artists who’ve built followings outside traditional Bollywood structures, building their brand through digital platforms and regional music roots.

Jonita Gandhi and the Hindi-Language Gambit

“Heaven” represents Ed Sheeran’s first-ever Hindi-language release, and the choice of Jonita Gandhi as his partner is telling. An Indo-Canadian artist who’s sung over 150 songs across more than 10 languages, Gandhi represents a bridge between international and Indian sensibilities. She was discovered early by Oscar and Grammy winner AR Rahman and has worked extensively with artists like Sonu Nigam before establishing herself in Mumbai’s playback singing circuit.

What makes her involvement crucial is the logistics—Gandhi recorded her vocal layers while juggling performances across multiple cities during what she described as a “hell week,” meticulously coordinating files to ensure her harmonies reached Sheeran’s team intact. This detail underscores the commitment level required when artists collaborate across continents.

The Tamil Renaissance: Hanumankind, Dhee, and Santhosh Narayanan

“Don’t Look Down” brings together three figures representing South India’s musical resurgence. Hanumankind (Sooraj Cherukat) burst onto the global stage in 2024 with “Big Dawgs,” which hit number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and amassed 490 million Spotify streams. His journey through Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and ultimately Houston before contributing to this remix speaks to the borderless nature of modern music creation.

Dhee (Dheekshitha Venkadeshan) comes with the cultural weight of “Rowdy Baby,” one of the most-viewed Indian songs ever with over 1.7 billion YouTube views. Her independent Tamil pop debut “Enjoy Enjaami” with Santhosh Narayanan crossed 100 million views in less than a month, establishing her as a force in regional cinema beyond playback singing.

Composer and music producer Santhosh Narayanan, who’s worked on over 51 films, brought his signature fusion approach—blending gaana music, folk, electro, and rap elements. His reputation for revitalizing Tamil cinema’s music landscape made him essential to “Don’t Look Down’s” authenticity.

What This Collaboration Signals

Ed Sheeran’s month in India and the resulting Play: The Remixes EP represents a shift in how international artists engage with regional Indian music. Rather than extracting elements superficially, this project shows genuine partnership with artists who’ve built significant followings through their respective music ecosystems. From Bollywood playback royalty like Arijit Singh to digital-first artists like Karan Aujla and Hanumankind, the EP maps contemporary India’s musical diversity while highlighting how streaming has democratized reach—a stark contrast to legacy metrics like traditional music fees that once dominated artist valuation.