Vishal Dadlani apologises to Jasleen Royal for Coldplay criticism on Indian Idol
Singer-composer Vishal Dadlani publicly apologised to singer-songwriter Jasleen Royal during an Indian Idol recording. The exchange revisited the fallout from his criticism of her Coldplay opening act.
More than a year after criticising singer-songwriter Jasleen Royal's opening act at Coldplay's India concert, composer-singer Vishal Dadlani has publicly apologised to her. The apology came during the recording of an episode of Indian Idol, where Jasleen appeared as a guest, and ended with the two sharing a hug on stage.
A video of the interaction was shared on Instagram by Jasleen's manager, Yash Sanjeev Badwe. In it, while Jasleen was speaking with rapper Badshah, Vishal stepped in to address the controversy from January 2025 and said he had spoken more harshly than he should have.
Addressing the past friction, Vishal offered a public apology and said, “Main Jasleen ko bahut time se janta hun aur pichle saal hamari ek controversy ho gayi thi (I have known Jasleen since long and last year a controversy happened between us).” Admitting he overstepped during the Coldplay incident, he explained that he shouldn't have spoken out because he truly admires her work, noting the scarcity of female creators in the industry. Clarifying his original intent, he added, “Galti mujhse ye hui ki organisers ko main kahin blame kar raha tha lekin bola maine galat tareeke se (My mistake was that I was blaming the organisers but my way of speaking wasn't right).” Concluding the moment on a definitive note, he added, “I want to publicly apologise to you. It must be done.”
He clarified that his remarks were never meant to question her as an artiste, stating, “Female composers hamare paas yahaan nahin hain and I am the last person to discourage someone who does such good work (We don't have many female composers here, and I am the last person who would want to discourage someone doing such good work).” Reaffirming his appreciation for her talent, the composer added, “You really write beautiful songs. Maine sau dafa uske baad bhi kaha hai par koi chhaapta nahin hai, koi bolta nahin hai (I've said that many times even after that incident, but no one prints it or talks about it).”
Dadlani concluded, “It was never my intention to diss you as an artiste. Agar wo hua hai mujhse, I genuinely want to apologise [If that's what happened because of me, I genuinely want to apologise).”
Jasleen accepted the apology and said Vishal's earlier remarks had hurt her because she had always looked up to him. "I always considered you as a mentor. I have called you with little-little things. So, it just felt like I see you as a mentor and a friend, so it hurt me. But it's okay, we have our own journeys. That's really big of you," she said. The two then hugged on stage, with Badshah saying, "It's such a beautiful moment."
The apology followed Vishal's reaction to Jasleen's performance ahead of Coldplay's concert in India in January 2025. At the time, her act had received mixed reactions online, and Vishal had also criticised it on Instagram. He had written, "I'm really sorry, but when you put a basic-to-bad singer in front of a large crowd on a large stage, all you're doing is showing more people that the individual can't really sing, and that sadly, systems within labels in India aren't geared towards really promoting the best we have I've just seen some clips, and my gosh... How embarrassing! For the Country, the artiste, the public, as well as ‘the scene' (sic)."
Jasleen had later addressed the backlash following her performance at the Coldplay concert. She opened up on the situation in a mini-documentary titled Dare To Dream, which features behind-the-scenes clips of how she prepared for her opening act at Coldplay’s concerts in Mumbai and Ahmedabad in January 2025.
More than a year after criticising singer-songwriter Jasleen Royal's opening act at Coldplay's India concert, composer-singer Vishal Dadlani has publicly apologised to her. The apology came during the recording of an episode of Indian Idol, where Jasleen appeared as a guest, and ended with the two sharing a hug on stage.
A video of the interaction was shared on Instagram by Jasleen's manager, Yash Sanjeev Badwe. In it, while Jasleen was speaking with rapper Badshah, Vishal stepped in to address the controversy from January 2025 and said he had spoken more harshly than he should have.
Addressing the past friction, Vishal offered a public apology and said, “Main Jasleen ko bahut time se janta hun aur pichle saal hamari ek controversy ho gayi thi (I have known Jasleen since long and last year a controversy happened between us).” Admitting he overstepped during the Coldplay incident, he explained that he shouldn't have spoken out because he truly admires her work, noting the scarcity of female creators in the industry. Clarifying his original intent, he added, “Galti mujhse ye hui ki organisers ko main kahin blame kar raha tha lekin bola maine galat tareeke se (My mistake was that I was blaming the organisers but my way of speaking wasn't right).” Concluding the moment on a definitive note, he added, “I want to publicly apologise to you. It must be done.”
He clarified that his remarks were never meant to question her as an artiste, stating, “Female composers hamare paas yahaan nahin hain and I am the last person to discourage someone who does such good work (We don't have many female composers here, and I am the last person who would want to discourage someone doing such good work).” Reaffirming his appreciation for her talent, the composer added, “You really write beautiful songs. Maine sau dafa uske baad bhi kaha hai par koi chhaapta nahin hai, koi bolta nahin hai (I've said that many times even after that incident, but no one prints it or talks about it).”
Dadlani concluded, “It was never my intention to diss you as an artiste. Agar wo hua hai mujhse, I genuinely want to apologise [If that's what happened because of me, I genuinely want to apologise).”
Jasleen accepted the apology and said Vishal's earlier remarks had hurt her because she had always looked up to him. "I always considered you as a mentor. I have called you with little-little things. So, it just felt like I see you as a mentor and a friend, so it hurt me. But it's okay, we have our own journeys. That's really big of you," she said. The two then hugged on stage, with Badshah saying, "It's such a beautiful moment."
The apology followed Vishal's reaction to Jasleen's performance ahead of Coldplay's concert in India in January 2025. At the time, her act had received mixed reactions online, and Vishal had also criticised it on Instagram. He had written, "I'm really sorry, but when you put a basic-to-bad singer in front of a large crowd on a large stage, all you're doing is showing more people that the individual can't really sing, and that sadly, systems within labels in India aren't geared towards really promoting the best we have I've just seen some clips, and my gosh... How embarrassing! For the Country, the artiste, the public, as well as ‘the scene' (sic)."
Jasleen had later addressed the backlash following her performance at the Coldplay concert. She opened up on the situation in a mini-documentary titled Dare To Dream, which features behind-the-scenes clips of how she prepared for her opening act at Coldplay’s concerts in Mumbai and Ahmedabad in January 2025.
