iljit Dosanjh won hearts everywhere last month when he performed a rendition of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s classic qawwali ‘Sanson Ki Mala Pe’ to a charged crowd at London’s Wembley Arena. Turns out, Nusrat’s nephew — and musical heir — saw the performance and liked it.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan — who learned to sing under the tutelage of his famous uncle — gave a statement before his concert in Toronto on Sunday praising Dosanjh for doing justice to the piece.
“It would be appropriate to say that very big artists get nervous when performing [Nusrat] sahab’s songs, but Diljit has fully done it justice, to the best of his ability, in a wonderful way with all his heart,” Rahat said.
“We can see it and hear it too, so I will appreciate [him].”
Dosanjh made history on September 12, becoming the first Punjabi artist to headline a show at Wembley — one of the world’s biggest event stages.
At the venue, which has hosted greats such as Michael Jackson, Queen, Madonna, David Bowie and U2, the Punjabi singer led an emotional crowd as they sang along to Nusrat’s work.
It was a departure from his usual style, as his own body of work leans into modern styles like hip-hop. He initially shot to international fame by blending traditional folk music with hip-hop.
As for making history, he’s been doing that for a while now.
In 2023, Dosanjh became the first Punjabi artist to perform at Coachella. In June 2024, he made his debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
