Ed Sheeran’s impromptu street performance in Bengaluru, India, was abruptly halted by local authorities on Sunday. The singer, who had planned a spontaneous busk on Church Street ahead of his concert, was stopped by police for allegedly lacking the necessary permission to perform.
In videos shared online, Sheeran can be seen singing his hit “Shape of You” to a gathered crowd when a police officer approached and unplugged his microphone. As the crowd began to boo, Sheeran addressed the situation, claiming, “We have permission to do this. It’s this policeman who is shutting it down.” Despite his efforts to explain, the performance ended shortly after.
According to police, Sheeran did not have the required authorization to busk. Authorities arrived after a call was made to a local helpline, alerting them to the performance. Shekhar H. Tekkannavar, Deputy Commissioner of Police for Bengaluru’s Central Division, explained, “We rejected it because Church Street is a very busy area, and we try to keep people moving there.”
In response, Sheeran took to his Instagram Stories to clarify the situation. “We had permission to busk btw, hence us playing in that exact spot, was planned out before, it wasn’t just us turning up randomly,” he wrote. “All good though.”
Local politicians also weighed in, with PC Mohan, a Member of Parliament from the ruling BJP party, commenting on X (formerly Twitter), “Shape of You… but not of permits. Ed Sheeran’s impromptu gig on Church Street hit a sour note as Bengaluru police pulled the plug over missing permissions. Even global stars must follow local rules—no permit, no performance!”
Sheeran was in Bengaluru for two concerts at the Nice Grounds and is scheduled to continue his tour on February 12 at JN Stadium in Shillong. He is also set to perform in China later this month.
Sheeran recently revealed that his upcoming, untitled album is complete and that he’s returning to his “big pop” roots following the release of Subtract, which marked a departure from his typical pop style. Sheeran is also preparing for the release of several music videos to accompany the new project.
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