Young and accomplished British singer-musician Ed Sheeran, who swept his fans off his feet here with his concert, feels a “welcoming” and “warm” vibe in India, where he thinks a collaboration with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will be “quite cool”.
“Bollywood is bright and colourful. A film with Shah Rukh Khan would be quite cool,” Sheeran, a Grammy Award winner, told in a recorded response.
Sheeran, who was on his second visit to India, had met Shah Rukh on his last time here too, and they met again on Saturday night at a party organised by choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan.
“I met so many people at the party, they are such nice people,” Sheeran said of the celebrations, which saw a string of Bollywood celebrities trying to match steps and click selfies with the globally popular music icon, who is all of 26.
He is a sensation for his song Shape of you, which he also sang on Sunday night at his India gig, which was part of his Divide Album Asia Tour. Sheeran kept his date with India despite his widely reported injury in an accident.
The concert, in association with BookMyShow and PR Worldwide, was in support for his third studio album Divide, which released in March through Asylum/Atlantic Records. Sheeran turned up in a blue kurta and jeans for the gig.
How was it to perform in India?
“I had to come back to India, I had to. Last time when I performed here, I loved it. People are so welcoming here, and warm, I had to come back to these people over here. It’s lovely to be back here,” he said.
Sheeran also gushed about the “different curries” he had for lunch and dinner, and said he hadn’t got a chance to explore the city much due to security reasons.
He also said “why not?” when asked if he would consider making any song inspired by India.
On the growing market of international artistes in India, Sheeran said: “Well, given an opportunity, I don’t know why wouldn’t someone come to India? I have come here whenever I have got a chance.”
Sheeran, who is as loved for his concerts as for his albums, said he tries to strike “a balance of both” in his career.
He recounted that he was just 10 years old when he went to watch Green Day’s gig as an audience.
“And my first live performance was when I was 11, I performed in school,” said the Thinking Out Loud and I See Fire hitmaker, adding that his latest album has “evolved” from his debut album.