Punjabi pop star Karan Aujla and cricketer Virat Kohli took over social media after sharing the stage at a One8 event in New Delhi on Sunday. Videos and pictures from the event, from backstage moments to their on-stage dance, circulated widely online and drew strong reactions from fans.
The buzz was not limited to the performance. Kohli also spoke about how deeply Aujla’s music has connected with him, especially the track Winning Speech, which he said feels personal because of similarities he sees between Aujla’s journey and his own.
One of the most talked-about moments came from behind the scenes. Late on Sunday, Aujla shared a candid picture on his Instagram Story in which he and Kohli were seen engrossed in conversation. Both were dressed in black, and Aujla posted the
Another backstage clip, shared by Kohli’s brand One8 on Instagram, showed Aujla walking up to surprise Kohli before the two shook hands and hugged.
On stage, Aujla performed his chart-topping track Winning Speech, and Kohli joined him during the performance. The two danced together as the audience cheered at the One8 event. Viral videos from the evening also showed Kohli speaking about Aujla’s work and saying he had followed the singer well before the two became friends.
“You write songs from the heart, and it shows. You also represent your story, which is quite special. The one track I resonate with the most is Winning Speech,” Kohli said.
“It explains the journey he has been through, and I have felt a bit of similarity in it with my journey as well. I also lost my dad when I was pretty young. So, that song is quite special for me. I have heard it often before going to play matches,” he added.
The collaboration brought together One8, Kohli’s lifestyle brand, and Aujla, whose songs such as Softly, Tauba Tauba and Admiring You have helped take Punjabi pop to a wider audience.
Social media users reacted quickly to the New Delhi event. One X user wrote, “BIGGEST COLLAB OF THE YEAR. VIRAT KOHLI x KARAN AUJLA. Virat Kohli doing ‘kanna vich nattiyan‘ is the cutest thing on internet today (sic).”
A second user said, “Karna Aujla singing Winning Speech and Kohli vibing on Stage !! Absolute Banger (sic).” A third user wrote, “Virat Kohli enjoying Karan Aujla’s performance at an event. The introvert king was feeling the music (sic).”
The event had already generated attention before it was held at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in Dwarka, New Delhi. Kohli had confirmed Aujla’s involvement through a social media post showing both stars on a massive stage in black T-shirts with the numbers 1 and 8 on their backs. He captioned the post, “Welcome Karan, the stage is ours. 21st June, Delhi.”
The announcement had come months after Aujla’s Delhi concert at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on February 28 as part of his P-POP Culture India Tour. That show reportedly drew more than 75,000 attendees.
The evening opened with DJ Chetas, after which Aujla made his entry using a pop-up lift and a zipline across the stadium. The tour then continued across 11 more Indian cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow and Ludhiana.
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