NEW DELHI: British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran took fans by surprise with an impromptu performance on Church Street, only for Bengaluru police to shut it down moments after he began singing “Shape of You”.
The unexpected interruption on Sunday sparked a wave of online discussions, with many questioning why the global pop star was stopped so quickly in his performance.
Video circulating online showed the artist beginning his performance before police officials stepped in and disconnected the equipment, ending the show within a minute.
Speaking to news agency ANI, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for Central Bengaluru, Shekar T Tekkannanavar said, “A member among the event organisers came to meet me to seek permission for the Streetside performance at Church Street. I refused to give permission because Church Street gets very crowded. That is the reason he was asked to vacate the place.”
After the incident on Sunday, the “Perfect” singer clarified that his team had received prior approval to perform on the street.
“We had permission to busk, by the way. Hence, us playing in that exact spot was planned out beforehand. It wasn’t just us randomly turning up. All good though. See you at the show tonight x,” Sheeran addressed his fans and wrote on his Instagram handle “teddysphotos.”
Sheeran is currently on his India tour, having performed in Bengaluru on Sunday after previous shows in Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune.
At his Chennai show, the British singer collaborated with the renowned composer AR Rahman, where they performed a special rendition of the iconic song Urvashi.
Ahead of the concert, Sheeran met AR Rahman and his son AR Ameen. Rahman later shared photos of their meeting on Instagram, showing Sheeran at his music console and capturing moments himself. The caption humorously read, “Photos by Ed Sheeran.”
The singer is set to perform next in Shillong and Delhi NCR in the coming days.