Diljit Dosanjh's One Minute Sell-Out: What Brands Can Learn From The Live Performance Trend

“Punjabi aa gaye Coachella oye” reverberated throughout the world when a man’s debut in a turban, kurta, and chaadra made an international crowd groove to Bhangra in 2023 at the biggest music festival. Fast forward to 2024, and Diljit Dosanjh has become the biggest Punjabi artist on the planet.

Recently, Diljit Dosanjh’s Dil-Luminati Tour sold around 2.5 lakh tickets in seconds, serving as a testimony of his global success. It is the personal identity that he has infused in his brand, along with humility and patience, that he is witnessing this unwavering love. Brands can learn a lot from his meteoric success, especially in integrating personal identity and building lasting connections with the audience.

Integrating Personal Brand Identity 

What comes to your mind when I say “Diljit Dosanjh”? Is it the classic, traditional concert look that he seamlessly pulls off? Is it the wit and humour that spread smiles across the room? For most, it is all of the above! Diljit cracked the code for converting his social media audience into a key target group by integrating a personal narrative with a tinge of wit into his public persona. 

Once on Koffee With Karan, he said that he used to pray for fame at Gurudwara, hoping to be known by many, but they remain unknown to him. It is this quick, innocent wit mixed with his signature interactive presence that has become his currency to engage with his audience. 

As Diljit aspired to global recognition, brands can define their purpose and create a personal narrative to create brand awareness. Diljit’s chaadra and kurta, humility, and unabashed love for his Punjabiyat are how he embodied his brand. Brands must design a USP by creating a story around their purpose to make them stand out.

Putting The Best Fashion Foot Forward

Diljit Dosanjh is a maximalist maestro, and his fashion is deeply entrenched in his roots while he experiments with audacious silhouettes and luxury brands. From his Dil-Luminati Tour to Jimmy Fallon appearance, ace couturier Raghavendra Rathore curated an inimitable signature style that created a nostalgic allure of Diljit’s predecessors Kuldeep Manak and Gurdaas Maan. 

Artists like Diljit Dosanjh serve as a vessel for fashion brands to boost conversion rate, inducing high engagement and spike in sales. Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour helped Alexander McQueen to translate into $10.5 million in media impact value, $12.1 million for Tiffany & Co., and $6.7 million for Balmain, helping their products fly off shelves during the tour.

So, brands and artists should collaborate for fashion integrations that can provide mileage to both entities, adding value to the already existing entity.

The Age Of Collaborations

Diljit Dosanjh’s rise in the West can be attributed to the collaborations that he has done with international artists. Cross-cultural collaborations are what propel an artist’s brand across different markets. 

Be it Ed Sheeran, NLE Choppa, Camilo, or Saweetie, these strategic collaborations introduced him to newer markets and listeners, helping him strengthen his base in the USA, Latin America, and the UK on his world-conquering quest. 

These collaborations can help brands capture captive audiences to merge, opening new avenues for them in their respective countries. Brands can adopt this strategy to enter new markets and interact with diverse audiences.

Gaman—The Art Of Patience

Diljit Dosanjh's career exemplifies the Zen Buddhist teaching, Gaman, which stands for patience and perseverance. Shukr and Sabr have been the cornerstones of his image. From singing devotional songs in Gurudwaras to doing small shows in Punjab to selling out international arenas, his stardom was all achieved through decades of hardship and perseverance. 

Balenciaga rebranded itself after the 1990s from a woman’s clothing to an edgier brand when Kersing acquired it after it went dormant in 1960 and Demna Gvasalia, through persistence, transformed it from streetwear to a haute couture brand. 

In the fast-paced world, where many crave instant gratification, brands need to practice patience while taking time and effort to build themselves without falling for short-lived gimmicks and fads. 

Gratitude And Humility 

During ‘You’ star Penn Badgley’s podcast, Saweetie appreciated Diljit Dosanjh’s journey and humility and called it the best collaboration. This is an example of how his humility impacts his dynamics with his fellow collaborators. 

Humility and gratitude have been an integral part of Diljit Dosanjh's career. Film personalities like Anupama Chopra and Kareena Kapoor are all fond of him for the humbleness and innocence he possesses. Shukr has been at the heart of Diljit’s brand communication.

It is an important lesson for brands that have a monopolistic and greedy vision that will not sustain them for a longer period. This vision will make any brand blind, reducing its shelf life. 

Diljit is just a music artist that we know through the internet, but his gratitude and humility have made him a bigger public entity. The rare innocence that he portrays and the perseverance that he exhibits while having gratitude for his journey make him an ideal case study for any brand aiming to create something that creates a long-lasting and positive impact on the public. As Jeff Bezos once said, “Your brand is what people say when you are not in the room.”