Indian singer-songwriter Jasleen Royal has candidly addressed the painful experience of being booed during her opening performance for Coldplay’s sold-out Mumbai show earlier this year. The 33-year-old artist shared her emotional journey in the newly released mini-documentary Dare to Dream, which premiered on YouTube on April 6.
The film captures Royal’s preparation for what should have been a career-defining moment—becoming the first Indian artist to open for Coldplay during their Music of the Spheres world tour stop at DY Patil Stadium in January. However, her debut performance on January 18 took a devastating turn when the crowd began booing moments into her first song. Royal revealed that malfunctioning in-ear monitors severely impacted her ability to hear herself sing, leading to the poorly received set.
“I’m still processing. There’s a lot to process,” Royal admitted in the documentary, recalling the overwhelming pressure she felt. At one point, she emotionally told her team, “There’s a lot of pressure. I’ll die; I swear I’ll die.” The backlash extended online, with Indian musician Vishal Dadlani criticizing the performance in a viral Reddit post, though he did not name Royal directly.
Despite the humiliating experience, Royal returned for her second opening slot on January 19, delivering a successful performance that won over the crowd. Reflecting on the turnaround, she acknowledged her imperfections but emphasized her commitment to growth: “I just want to put on a great show where people have a great experience.”
The documentary highlights the full-circle nature of Royal’s journey—in a 2018 email shown in the film, she expressed her dream of achieving “international collaborations on the level of Coldplay.” That aspiration became reality when she collaborated with the band on their 2025 track “WE PRAY.”
Coldplay’s Mumbai concerts—their first in India in nine years—were otherwise historic, though the band faced their own controversy when frontman Chris Martin referenced British colonialism, telling the crowd, “Thank you for forgiving us for all of the bad things that Great Britain has done.”
Royal’s story ultimately serves as a testament to resilience in the music industry, capturing both the brutal realities of live performance and the redemption that can follow.
