When Diljit Talks at Billboard, We All Get a Seat at the Table
International superstar Diljit Dosanjh will be in conversation with Recording Academy/Grammys President Panos A. Panay on June 11 in Toronto at TIFF Lightbox.
I still remember walking into journalism school and realizing I was the only visible Sikh in the room, feeling uneasy but proud at the same time. That moment stayed with me when I am in spaces where I am the only guy with a turbanban representing the community. I began questioning if I belonged — not just in the program, but in the industry. No one in my family had done this before, and a few even told me not to try.
But I stayed. I told myself: if we want to see more Sikhs in journalism, it has to start somewhere — maybe with me.
We are currently at a significant turning point: an increasing number of non-English-speaking artists are gaining recognition, not just in their local markets but also on a global scale. Using a multicultural city like Toronto as a platform to share this message adds great meaning to the event.
That moment came rushing back this week when I read that Diljit Dosanjh would be headlining the first-ever Billboard Summit in Canada, taking place on June 11, 2025, at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto. He’ll be speaking alongside Recording Academy president Panos A. Panay as part of NXNE’s 30th anniversary festival.
This summer, Toronto will host the first Canadian edition of the Billboard Summit, a key event in a global initiative by Billboard. The summit will be part of the NXNE festival, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
The event aims to bring together artists and industry leaders for a variety of conversations, workshops, and meetings that go beyond traditional panels, placing music at the heart of the discussion.
The theme? Rethinking the music industry through global, inclusive voices.
Diljit isn’t just performing anymore — he’s leading conversations at the highest level of the industry.
This is the same man who made history last year with his Dil-Luminati Tour, filling Vancouver’s BC Place and Toronto’s Rogers Centre — the biggest Punjabi music concerts ever held outside of India. He graced Billboard’s global digital cover as the No. 1 artist of late 2024, was featured in Billboard Canada, and even broke into high fashion history at the Met Gala.
Watching all this unfold, I felt something shift inside me.
Because these aren’t just music milestones. These are moments that rewrite the narrative — about who gets to lead, who gets to belong, and who gets to be seen. As someone who’s faced racism in the field, who’s been called a terrorist for wearing a turban, who’s been told I didn’t look like a journalist — I know how much visibility costs. But I also know what it gives.
When I see Diljit take that stage in Toronto, I see more than a cultural icon. I see a mirror. I see a reminder that our stories, our languages, our turbans, our identities — they are not barriers. They are bridges.
This moment is bigger than just music. It’s about where we go from here.
For me, it’s back to the newsroom — still reporting, still representing. For Diljit, it’s shaping the future of the global music industry. And for every Sikh or Punjabi kid watching from the sidelines, it’s a signal: the doors are opening. Keep walking.