Ed Sheeran's surprise busking session cut short in India by police
It's a push and pull like a magnet do for Ed Sheeran and Indian police, as the latter cut his surprise busking session short on Feb. 9.
A viral video on X showed Sheeran—wearing sunglasses, a shirt, and shorts—performing his hit Shape of You with a simple microphone, acoustic guitar, and loop pedal setup against a mural in the city of Bengaluru.
A police officer then approached the British singer-songwriter. Two men tried to intervene, but the officer bent down to pull the plug of his microphone.
A police officer pulled the plug when Ed Sheeran surprised everyone on Church Street😂😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/cMIRoLC7Mk
— Naai sekar (@snehaplsstop) February 9, 2025
Sheeran carried on singing without playing his guitar at first (though his loop pedal was still working), but the expected ending just happened.
He had no choice but to simply smile at the jeering crowd.
In another video shared by The Times of India on X, Sheeran can be heard addressing the people, some of whom were noisy.
"We have the permission to be here, but this policeman is shutting it down," he said. "We'll see you later."
On Instagram Story, Sheeran reiterated that his performance was legal.
"We had permission to busk, (by the way), hence us playing in that exact spot," he said, adding it was "planned out before" and "wasn't just us randomly turning up."
"All good though. See ya at the show tonight x," he added.
But according to Billboard, local police from Cubbon Park said Sheeran had no permission to busk.
“No one can perform on the footpaths or roads as it causes inconvenience to others,” the police said. “Our team asked them to stop, and when they didn’t comply, the officers at the spot unplugged the mic connection.”
Despite Sheeran asserting that he got permission, Sanjay Kumar, president of the Church Street and Rest House Association, noted that "performances require permission."
"Sheeran’s team could have approached us, and we would have arranged a private space in a restaurant or an open venue for Bengaluru to enjoy," Kumar said.
Sheeran has been in India since Jan. 30 as a part of his Mathematics world tour. He had two shows at the city's NICE Grounds on Feb. 8 and 9.
His next stops are in Shillong on Feb. 12 and Delhi on Feb. 15. Afterward, he will fly to China for six shows this month.
Sheeran last went to the Philippines in March 2024, with Ben&Ben as one of the opening acts. He also held concerts in the country in 2015 and 2018.
Sheeran is known for hits like Lego House, Thinking Out Loud, and Perfect. He also had film cameos in Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and Red Notice.
