The Billboard Summit is launching in Canada with a global superstar who made history in the country.
Diljit Dosanjh will be a special speaker at the event, which will launch at NXNE in Toronto’s TIFF Lightbox on June 11, 2025.
The record-setting artist made history with his Dil-Luminati tour last year, with his stadium concerts at Vancouver’s BC Place and Toronto’s Rogers Centre going down as the biggest ever Punjabi music events outside of India. He appeared in a special print edition of Billboard Canada dedicated to him last year, and on a Global No. 1s digital cover of Billboard at the end of 2024.
The musician and movie star has continued to spread Punjabi culture worldwide, recently bringing historic fashion to the Met Gala.
Dosanjh will sit down for a special interview with another influential figure in the international music industry: Panos A. Panay, President of the Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammys.
Yuri Hasegawa
Panay has been a crucial figure behind the diversification of the Grammys, and sees Diljit as a key figure in the popularization of music in different languages and cultures on a global stage.
“It's a special [opportunity because music is universal,” he tells Billboard Canada. “For the first 50, 60, even 70 years of the modern music industry, it's been primarily dominated by an Anglo-American lens. I think we're at a juncture now where more and more music from artists who don’t speak English is not just breaking through in regional markets, but also on a global stage. The fact that we can use a multicultural city like Toronto as a platform to send that message – that’s what makes it so meaningful.”
Billboard’s global initiative is coming to Toronto for the first time at NXNE this summer, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The event will feature a series of artist-led conversations and workshops designed to go beyond stiff industry panels to put the music first.
Montreal-based star Charlotte Cardin will also join the Billboard Summit, sharing key experiences and moments that have defined her career and pushed her to success that crosses borders.
More programming for the Summit, in partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University, will be announced leading up to the June 11 event.
More info at nxne.com/summit.
Billboard Canada’s parent company AMG co-owns NXNE and its brands are official media partners of NXNE.
