Ed Sheeran charms desi fans with auto ride and Punjabi lyrics

British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has delighted his Indian fanbase with a new video featuring him taking an auto-rickshaw ride in Mumbai while singing his upcoming song, 'Sapphire'.

The video quickly went viral, with fans particularly excited by the unexpected inclusion of Punjabi lyrics.

'Sapphire' teaser on streets of MumbaiIn the video, Ed Sheeran appears energized as he navigates the bustling streets of Mumbai in an auto, high-fiving passersby and singing along to a preview of his new track, "Sapphire." He captioned the video, "Riding around the streets of India missing high fives. Sapphire out June 5th, 8:30am ET / 1.30pm BST / 6pm IST."

The preview of the song plays as he soaks in the vibrant city atmosphere. Sheeran has been teasing the new album, and "Sapphire" specifically, for some time.Desi fans' enthusiastic responseFans reacted with immense excitement to the Punjabi lyrics featured in the video. Comments poured in, with one fan exclaiming, "I’m SOOOO excited for Sapphire." Another predicted, "This is gonna be THE SONG of the Year." Indian fans expressed their delight with comments like, "Cham cham chamke Sitaare Wargi (sobbing emojis) i just can’t," and "Cham Cham chamke SITARE VARGEE!!!" The playful nature of his Indian fans also shone through, with one hilariously suggesting, “Someone please give him Aadhaar card already,” and another affectionately bestowing upon him a new name: “Edwinder!! Let’s go!!!”Indian influence on new album

Earlier this month, Ed Sheeran had hinted at the global inspirations behind his new album on Instagram.

He shared, “Play was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all of that, I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring.” He explicitly mentioned finishing the album in India, adding, “I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had some of the most fun, explorative creative days of my life.

It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father.” This suggests a strong "desi" influence woven into his upcoming musical offering.