Singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran, has teamed up with Indian music powerhouse Arijit Singh, for his latest track, Sapphire, and fans are raving over a jaw-dropping surprise appearance by Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan.

The song, which dropped on Jun 5 blends Sheeran’s signature style with Punjabi and Hindi lyrics, sung alongside Singh, 38, one of India’s most celebrated playback singers – a term for singers who record songs for use in films, which are then lip-synced by the actors.

The real mic-drop moment comes when legendary Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan appears in the chorus, casually mouthing the word, Sapphire. The song, a vibrant and heartfelt fusion of Western and Indian music, has been striking chords with over 21 million views on YouTube since its release.

The British pop icon, 34, took to Instagram on Monday (Jun 9) to share the behind-the-scenes moments and his excitement about the cross-cultural collaboration. In the video, Sheeran is seen zipping through the colourful streets of Murshidabad, Singh’s hometown, in a scooter and local auto-rickshaws.

The chart-topping artiste also included clips of the duo singing together, expressing how long he had dreamt of working with Singh.

“I first became aware of @arijitsingh music when i watched Aashiqui 2 and heard Tum Hi Ho. I was proper spellbound by his voice, the song, the scene in the movie. I checked him out, and got in touch, and said whenever you wanna sing together i’m down,” Sheeran wrote.

He noted that it was while backstage, preparing for the concert, that he got the opportunity to play Sapphire for Singh, which sparked their creative partnership.

“I played him an early version of Sapphire in the dressing room, and he instantly had ideas for instruments and melodies. We then were pen pals over email for a bit, until I was in India for tour. I said to him, we should finish this in person, and he said, please come to my home town so I can show you my home and culture.”

Recalling the behind-the scenes moments of the song, Sheeran added that the music video was shot in Singh’s hometown, where he also had the opportunity to bring his father along, a special moment for him as it was a “rarity to get so much one on one time with him”.

“We then had dinner, and scooted around the village to see the sunset and moon with my dad. (sic) was a proper core memory i’l always cherish with my father, and i’m honoured to have created in this way with Arijit,” he shared.

Sheeran also emphasised that Singh was one of the “most talented humans” he has met. He added that a full Punjabi version of the song will be out in a couple of weeks.

Singh is an award-winning Indian playback singer who debuted in Hindi cinema in 2011. Some of his popular songs include Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2, Channa Mereya from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Gerua from Dilwale. He last performed in Singapore in December 2023.

Sheeran held seven sold-out shows across six cities in India this year as part of his Mathematics tour. He also brought the tour to Singapore with a one-night concert at the National Stadium on Feb 16, 2024 and a more intimate show at The Capitol Theatre the next day.