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Diljit Dosanjh Becomes First Punjabi Artist to Appear on 'The Tonight Show' Twice

The artist talked about the Toronto Metropolitan University Course about him in partnership with Billboard Canada, referenced Vancouver's Komagata Maru Incident and performed "Morni" on the Jimmy Fallon-hosted show.

Diljit Dosanjh Becomes First Punjabi Artist to Appear on 'The Tonight Show' Twice

Diljit Dosanjh and Jimmy Fallon

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Diljit Dosanjh appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week, marking his second appearance on the U.S. late-night program — the first Punjabi artist to be on a late night T.V. show twice.

Speaking with Jimmy Fallon, Dosanjh discussed his ongoing AURA World Tour and recent performances across North America, including stadium-scale shows in Canada. During the segment, he referenced his sold-out concert in Vancouver, where he performed to a crowd of more than 55,000 attendees, making history as the first Punjabi artist to sell out the stadium venue twice.


In the same conversation, Dosanjh also spoke about the course based on his career and cultural impact at Toronto Metropolitan University, developed in partnership with Billboard Canada. The course examined his influence on music, culture and diaspora communities. Diljit's manager Sonali Singh appeared at the final week's lecture on April 7 and invited all of the students to his upcoming concert at Toronto's Rogers Centre on May 31.

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A portion of the interview addressed historical context. Dosanjh referenced the Komagata Maru Incident, a 1914 event in which a ship carrying Indian passengers, largely Sikh migrants, was denied entry into Canada near Vancouver under exclusionary immigration policies and forced to return to India. He connected that moment to the present day, noting the contrast between that history and the scale of audiences now attending Punjabi music concerts in Canada.

The segment also included a brief bhangra demonstration, with Dosanjh teaching Fallon basic steps, before performing “Morni,” a track from his recent album.

Dosanjh first appeared on the show in 2024. His return continues to reflect the growing presence of Punjabi music on mainstream international platforms.

His recent run of releases includes the EP The Call of Panjab, a collaboration with Tru-Skool, which arrived alongside a music video for “Morni.” The project ties into his ongoing North America tour, extending the same rollout across the region as he continues to scale his international presence.

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Listen to his new EP below.

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Amber Still, executive director of the Polaris Music Prize
Johanna Stickland

Amber Still, executive director of the Polaris Music Prize

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