2003–2004: Ishq Da Uda Ada and DIL Dosanjh released his first album
Ishq Da Uda Ada in 2003 with Finetone Cassettes, a division of
T-Series. Rajinder Singh of Finetone, who helped Dosanjh make a debut in the Punjabi music industry, suggested to him to spell his first name as Diljit instead of Daljit.
2004–2010: More albums, singles and The Next Level Dosanjh's popularity soared with the release of his third album,
Smile, produced by Sukhpal Sukh, which included the tracks "Nachh Diyan Alran Kuwariyan" and "Paggan Pochviyan Wale." The album was released by Finetone Cassettes in 2005. His next album
Ishq Ho Gaya was released in 2006 by Finetone Cassettes. His fifth album, titled
Chocolate, came out in 2008. In 2009, Dosanjh released several different singles – "
Bhagat Singh (The Tribute)", "Ego (Me and Myself)" and "Dance With Me" alongside
Yo Yo Honey Singh and "No Tension," "Power of Duets" as well. On 20 August 2009, Dosanjh released his sixth studio album titled
The Next Level with music composed by
Yo Yo Honey Singh containing 8 tracks, making it one of his most successful albums. The album 's opening track was "Dil Nach Da" which was a huge success followed by tracks, "Panga" which was a
gangsta rap track featuring Yo Yo Honey Singh and "Los Angeles (LA)" which also featured Singh. The track "Ru Ba Ru" is till date, the only
Urdu track of Diljit's career, penned by
Honey Singh. The album became a hit and received positive reviews. Dosanjh gave his next song in 2010 for the film
Mel Karade Rabba's soundtrack. The track was included in the film during the opening credits.
2011–2012: Entry into Punjabi films and Lak 28 Kudi Da promoting their Punjabi film 2011 saw Dosanjh's entry into
mainstream Punjabi films. His debut film in the lead role
The Lion of Punjab, was released in February 2011. Though the film flopped at the box office, his track "
Lak 28 Kudi Da", from the films's soundtrack, composed by and featuring
Yo Yo Honey Singh, reached number 1 on the official Asian Download Chart in the US published by the
BBC. In July 2011, his second Punjabi film
Jihne Mera Dil Luteya was released. The film, also featuring
Gippy Grewal and
Neeru Bajwa, did well. Dosanjh gave vocals to six of the twelve tracks in the film's soundtrack. In November 2011, Dosanjh announced that he would not release his upcoming album
Urban Pendu, that included the single "15 Saal", due to the controversy surrounding it. That single, featuring Yo Yo Honey Singh, talked about the promiscuous behaviour of underage girls and their indulgence in alcohol, drugs and tattoos. He wrote on his
Facebook page: "It was not my intention to hurt anyone's sentiments. I apologize to my fans who were waiting for this song."
2012–2019: Established Punjabi actor and Bollywood debut at
18th IIFA Awards Dosanjh continued his collaboration with Yo Yo Honey Singh in 2011 with the track "Goliyan" which was subsequently released as a part of the latter's album
International Villager. He next sang for the soundtrack of the
Bollywood film
Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya, released in January 2012, in a single called "Pee Pa Pee Pa" that also featured Priya Panchal. He also acted in that music video in the film. His subsequent single "Bodyguard", glorified the fall of
Libyan revolutionary and politician,
Muammar Gaddafi, where Dosanjh sang about his lifestyle, capture and death. His subsequent single "Miss Lonely", was composed by JSL Singh. In March 2012, he released his first religious album titled
Sikh. The album featured eight singles and talked about the principles and philosophy of
Sikh religion. Dosanjh played a lead role in 2012 film
Jatt & Juliet. The movie became one of the biggest hits in the Punjabi film industry. The award-winning film, directed by Anurag Singh, also featured actress
Neeru Bajwa and was shot in Punjab and
Mumbai in India and
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Dosanjh won the
PTC Punjabi Film Award for Best Actor for the film. He lent his vocals to five of the seven songs in the soundtrack of the film. The same year in November, he released his eighth album, called
Back 2 Basics, with nine tracks and the music composed by
Tru Skool. The duo worked together to produce the incredibly popular "Kharku" which won the "Best Bhangra Song of the Year" award at both the
Brit Asia TV Music Awards, and the
PTC Punjabi Music Awards. In January 2013, Dosanjh's third Punjabi film
Saadi Love Story hit the big screens. The film, that also starred
Amrinder Gill and
Surveen Chawla, flopped at the box office. Dosanjh sang for two songs in the film's soundtrack, which was composed by
Jaidev Kumar. Dosanjh made a guest appearance in the April 2013 Punjabi film
Bikkar Bai Sentimental with his track "Main Fan Bhagat Singh Da". Inspired by the success of
Jatt & Juliet, the producers of the film released a sequel to the film, titled
Jatt & Juliet 2, in June 2013. Dosanjh played the role of a cop in the film. The film had nine songs in the soundtrack, of which four were sung by Dosanjh. He gave vocals for the track "Main Taan Aidaan Hi Nachna" from the soundtrack of the Bollywood film
Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, which was released in June 2013. In August 2013, Dosanjh's music video "Proper Patola" was released on
Vevo, making it the first Punjabi song to be featured on Vevo. Dosanjh shot for his next Punjabi film
Disco Singh, which was released on 11 April 2014. The film, directed and written by
Anurag Singh, also features Surveen Chawla and is shot in
Delhi NCR. In 2014, he worked for the film
Punjab 1984, which is set in the backdrop of 1984–86
Punjab insurgency. The film was released on 27 June 2014 and is directed by Anurag Singh. The film won
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Punjabi. Dosanjh is only the first south Asian artist who visited the US headquarters of
Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and
Instagram on the same day. In 2015, he sang in a duet song in
Coke Studio @ MTV Season 4,
Ki Banu Duniya Da, with the singer
Gurdas Maan which was released on 15 August 2015 and was broadcast on 16 August 2015 on
MTV India. Dosanjh's second film from 2015
Mukhtiar Chadha was appreciated for his unique role in it. In 2015, the
Most Sensational Celebrities (MSC) study among most famous people in
Pollywood, the riskiest personalities on the web, Dosanjh was found number one from number five in 2014 thus leaving behind
Mika Singh, Gippy Grewal and
Harbhajan Mann. Dosanjh next starred in the crime drama
Udta Punjab (2016), his first
Hindi film. With a worldwide collection of 996.7 million, the film proved to be a commercial success. Directed by
Abhishek Chaubey, the film deals with the subject of
substance abuse in the Indian province of
Punjab. Co-starring alongside
Kareena Kapoor,
Shahid Kapoor and
Alia Bhatt,
Udta Punjab generated controversy when the
Central Board of Film Certification deemed that the film represented Punjab in a negative light and demanded extensive
censorship before its theatrical release. The
Bombay High Court later cleared the film for exhibition with one scene cut. Dosanjh also sang the song "Ik Kudi" for the film. In a highly positive review,
The Hindu said that Dosanjh was "successful" in delivering a "highly hitting performance". In 2017, Dosanjh starred in
Phillauri, alongside
Anushka Sharma and
Suraj Sharma. The film was released on 23 March 2017. It grossed over ₹5 million in its box-office. In 2018, a film based on
World War I, titled
Sajjan Singh Rangroot was released in which Dosanjh played the titular character. In 2019, he became the first
turbaned
Sikh to be honoured with a wax figure at
Madame Tussauds and in the same year, he acted in
Good Newwz, alongside
Akshay Kumar,
Kareena Kapoor and
Kiara Advani, which went on to become one of the
highest grossing films of 2019. In 2020, he appeared in social satire
Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari alongside
Manoj Bajpayee and
Fatima Sana Shaikh. The film was released theatrically on 13 November 2020. In the same year, Dosanjh sang a spiritual song, "Paigambar".
2020–present: G.O.A.T, Amar Singh Chamkila and stardom at
Amar Singh Chamkila trailer launch In 2020, Dosanjh entered the Social 50 chart by
Billboard, following the release of his 11th album
G.O.A.T.. The album later rose to the top of
Billboards Top Triller Global chart. In 2021, Dosanjh released his twelfth album
Moonchild Era, which was penned by Raj Ranjodh and
Arjan Dhillon. Album charted at #32 on Billboard Canadian Albums Chart making him the first Indian artist to have his three albums on
Billboard charts. In 2021, he made it to the Sikh 100 list. He released his debut film as producer
Honsla Rakh starring
Sonam Bajwa,
Shehnaaz Gill, Shinda Grewal alongside him. The film made 5.05 crore on its opening day making it the
highest grossing Punjabi film on openings day. He signed with
Warner Music in March 2022. In April 2023, Dosanjh performed at
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, making him the first Indian Punjabi artist to do so. In 2024, Dosanjh played Punjabi singer
Amar Singh Chamkila opposite
Parineeti Chopra in
Imtiaz Ali film
Amar Singh Chamkila, that released on
Netflix. In her review for
The Week, Suparna Sharma was appreciative of Dosanjh's portrayal and noted, "Diljit's eyes are lively pools of expression and the range of things he can convey just with his eyes is exceptional. As a singer, he is of course in his element here -- confident and engrossed. But he carries Chamkila's fame with the confused smile of someone who can't quite believe what is happening." Dosanjh performed two songs, "Born to Shine" and "GOAT" on
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in June 2024. He sang the promotional song "Bhairava Anthem" where he shared screen with
Prabhas for the
Telugu sci-fi film
Kalki 2898 AD (2024). He played the lead role of an insecure lover alongside
Neeru Bajwa in the Punjabi language comedy film
Jatt & Juliet 3 directed by
Jagdeep Sidhu. Like its predecessors, it received positive reviews and became a major success in Punjabi cinema. It emerged as the
2nd highest grossing Punjabi film of all time. In 2025, Dosanjh debuted at the
Met Gala, embodying his
Punjabi heritage with a custom Maharaja ensemble featuring an ivory turban, gold embroidery, a cape, jewellery, and a ceremonial sword. This appearance at the
Superfine: Tailoring Black Style themed event highlighted Indian culture alongside fellow Bollywood attendees like
Shah Rukh Khan,
Kiara Advani, and
Priyanka Chopra. According to a
Vogue poll, he was voted the best dressed celebrity. The same year, he played the titular character in the poorly received
ZEE5 release
Detective Sherdil. Around that time, Dosanjh became involved in a controversy regarding the inclusion of Pakistani actress
Hania Aamir in his next film
Sardaarji 3, following the
Pahalgam attack. Dosanjh chose not to release the film in India, opting instead for a release in Pakistan and other territories. This decision led to increased backlash. Despite the controversy,
Sardaarji 3 became a commercial success upon its release. He also released his fifteenth studio album,
AURA, on 15 October 2025. Dosanjh reunited with director
Anurag Singh for
Border 2. He portrayed Indian Air Force flying officer
Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon from
No. 18 Squadron. The ensemble led by
Sunny Deol, emerged as
one of the highest grossing Indian films of 2026. In April 2026, Dosanjh made his second appearance on
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, both as a talk show guest and musical performer. During the interview, he discussed the 1914
Komagata Maru incident, noting that his recent concert in
Vancouver took place two kilometres from the site where passengers from Punjab were previously denied entry. He performed the song "Morni" on the show, from his third EP,
The Call of Punjab. He was reported to appear in
No Entry 2, the sequel to the 2005 film
No Entry. He will be seen in the Imtiaz Ali-directorial
Main Vaapas Aaunga. ==Artistry==