British pop star Ed Sheeran was stopped from busking in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru on Sunday, with police saying he didn’t have the required permissions.
A video of a local police officer unplugging Sheeran’s microphone on Bengaluru’s Church Street, a popular retail and nightlife area, has gone viral.
Officials told the ANI news agency that Mr. Sheeran’s team’s request to busk on the road was denied in order to reduce traffic congestion.
However, Sheeran insisted on Instagram that “we had permission to busk, by the way. Hence, us playing in that exact spot was planned out before. It wasn’t just us randomly turning up. All good, though. See you at the show tonight.”
The incident occurred prior to his Mathematics Tour event at the NICE Grounds in Bengaluru.
Fans blasted the police action online, with one writing, “We live in an oligarchy. And there’s nothing uncles enjoy more than preventing young people from having fun,” referring to India’s numerous unclear rules governing the use of public venues.
However, PC Mohan, a local MP for the ruling BJP party, stated that “even global stars must follow local rules—no permit, no performance!”
Sheeran is in India for the second year in a row on a 15-day tour, having already performed in Pune, Hyderabad, and Chennai, with more concerts planned for Shillong in India’s northeast and the capital Delhi.
Sheeran shocked audiences in Bengaluru by performing two hit Telugu songs alongside vocalist Shilpa Rao on stage.
He previously worked alongside Indian singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh at the latter’s Birmingham gig last year.
While in India, he worked with sitar musician Megha Rawoot on a version of his famous song Shape of You.
Demand for live music concerts has grown in India, with Sheeran’s largest-ever tour of the nation following Dua Lipa’s recent performance in Mumbai and Coldplay’s multi-city tour.
According to reports, with growing disposable incomes, India is an emerging player in the “concert economy,” a recent Bank of Baroda report said, with live concerts set to be worth $700-900m (£550-730m).
