'Had permission to busk': Ed Sheeran clears the air after Bengaluru cop interrupts jamming session

A brief hiccup turned into a social media sensation on Church Street, Bengaluru, when English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was unexpectedly interrupted by local police during his rendition of "Shape of You."

The incident, captured in a 15 minute video that is rapidly making rounds online, shows Sheeran engrossed in his performance as onlookers gathered around, only for the moment to be cut short when the microphone was abruptly disconnected.

In response to the online uproar, Sheeran took to Instagram to set the record straight.

"We had permission to busk btw, hence us playing in that exact spot, was planned out before, it wasn't just us randomly turning up," he clarified. He concluded his message on a light-hearted note: "All good though, see ya at the show tonight."

The incident occurred just a minute into the performance when Bengaluru Police intervened, prompting a mix of reactions from fans both online and at the scene.

Despite the interruption, the mood remained upbeat as Sheeran quickly reassured his audience that all was well.

The British pop icon, whose tour is currently making headlines, performed in Bengaluru on Saturday and lit up the stage again at the NICE Grounds on Sunday with an extra show. Sheeran is scheduled next to perform in Shillong on February 12.

In a testament to his widespread appeal, the city became the only one in India to host back-to-back performances as part of his record-breaking Mathematics Tour—a tour aptly named after his chart-topping albums Plus, Multiply, Divide, Equals, and Subtract.