Genius: “We Should Make Him An Honorary Indian”: Jonita Gandhi On Ed Sheeran Collab | Beyond Bollywood. Revealed..
Jonita Gandhi
Singer-songwriter Jonita Gandhi recently made waves when she described her collaboration with global pop superstar Ed Sheeran as so seamless and friendly that “we should make him an honorary Indian.” The remark comes amidst the release of their joint track and signals how deep and cross-cultural their musical union has become.
The Collaboration: Something New, Something Indian
Gandhi and Sheeran teamed up for the song titled Heaven, part of Sheeran’s remix EP (Play (The Remixes)) in which he re-works tracks from his album to engage more strongly with South Asian sounds and artists. In this version of “Heaven”, Gandhi lends her vocals, singing Hindi lines and giving the song a bilingual, cross-boundary flavour.
Gandhi, who has made a name for herself both in Indian film music and independent songs, said the project felt natural: she first met Sheeran a couple of years back in Mumbai, played him some of her music, and found him “genuinely curious” and invested in the collaboration.
Why “Honorary Indian”?
During her recent interview, Gandhi reflected on the easy friendship between herself and Sheeran, and on how he immersed himself in Indian languages and musical sensibilities. She said, in effect, that his open-minded eagerness to sing in Hindi (and previously Punjabi) and to work with Indian artists makes him “one of us” — hence the tongue-in-cheek suggestion to make him “an honorary Indian.”
This phrase also underscores broader shifts: Western artists are increasingly collaborating with South-Asian talent, adapting local languages and styles rather than just exporting their sound. Sheeran has been doing exactly that — working with Hindi and Punjabi lyrics, Indian artists, and Indian teams behind the scenes.
Gandhi’s Journey & What This Means for Her
For Jonita Gandhi, this marks a significant step. She has steadily built her profile: from doing YouTube covers around 2012, to becoming a sought-after playback singer, to now collaborating with one of the world’s biggest pop stars. In her interview she mentioned that she still finds it surreal to say, “I have a song coming out with Ed Sheeran.”
For Gandhi, this collaboration is more than a headline: it’s a “next-era” statement. She recently released two singles and now this high-profile feature shows she’s broadening her reach globally. The Hindi lyrical content also gives a showcase moment: that Indian tongues and sounds are not peripheral, but vital to global pop.
The Broader Context: East Meets West in Pop
This track isn’t an isolated case. The remix EP includes other Indian artists and language inflections: for instance, Sheeran works with Punjabi artist Karan Aujla on the track “Symmetry”. The global streaming numbers underline how India is becoming a key market: India-based cities are among Sheeran’s top streaming hubs.
These cross-cultural moves carry significance:
For global artists: A pathway to reach new audiences, by embracing vernacular lyrics and local artists.
For Indian artists: A platform to showcase Indian-language vocals on an international stage.
For listeners: A fusion experience — familiar global pop voice plus local language and instrumentation.
Gandhi’s comment about honorary Indian-ness reflects this bridging of worlds.
What the Song Sounds Like & The Reception
“Heaven” merges Sheeran’s signature melodic pop with Hindi sections sung by Gandhi. The bilingual approach gives it fresh texture, and the music video (shot in New York for some tracks on the same EP) adds a worldwide visual canvas. Industry watchers expect the song to chart well both in India and globally.
Although full reception data is yet to settle, early commentary praises Gandhi’s Hindi vocals and the way the track signals a meaningful cultural exchange, rather than a token feature.
What Gandhi Says: Her Thoughts in Her Own Words
In her interview with Forbes, Gandhi said she met Sheeran in Bombay (Mumbai), he asked her to play her music, and she was “blown away” by how genuinely curious he was. She said their collaboration felt like a conversation rather than just a feature. She added that Sheeran’s willingness to sit down with artists, work on pronunciations, and embrace the creative process made the project special.
She said:
> “We should make him an honorary Indian.”
This encapsulated her admiration for how he embraced the Indian musical space while still being authentically himself.
Implications & What’s Next
For Jonita Gandhi, this collaboration will likely open doors: more global features, more multilingual works, perhaps more leadership in her independent music. She might leverage this momentum into her own albums, tours, and creative directions.
For Sheeran, this strengthens his narrative of being a global artist who truly experiments and engages with non-Western musical traditions. It also deepens his resonance in the Indian market — historically difficult to crack fully for Western pop stars. The “honorary Indian” phrase hints at how deeply he is now embedded in the culture beyond just consumption.
For the Indian music industry, it’s a moment of pride: the idea that an Indian-born Canadian artist like Gandhi can collaborate seamlessly with a global star, singing Hindi and bridging worlds. It shows the shift from Indian artists being featured in Western songs to being full creative partners.
Final Thoughts
Jonita Gandhi’s remark that “we should make [Ed Sheeran] an honorary Indian” may come off as light-hearted, but it underscores a deeper truth: that cross-cultural collaboration, when done with sincerity, can transcend borders, languages, and genres. The release of “Heaven” symbolizes more than a crossover — it’s a meeting point. For fans of both artists, for listeners curious about fusion, and for the industry watching the global flow of music, this is a moment to savour.
As Gandhi herself said, the feeling is still surreal — yet also exciting and forward-looking. If this project is any indication, we can expect more such bridges, more multilingual features, and more moments where the world doesn’t ask which culture a song belongs to, but enjoys that it belongs to all of us.
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