By Lilit Marcus, CNN
Ed Sheeran.
Photo: Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images via AFP
He has won multiple Grammys and racked up nine Billboard Top 10 Hits, but musician Ed Sheeran will soon add another trophy to his collection – becoming the first-ever Western artist to perform a concert in Bhutan.
On 24 January 2025, the British singer-songwriter will perform at Changlimithang Stadium in Bhutan’s capital of Thimphu.
“Kuzuzampola!” Sheeran said in an Instagram post announcing the Bhutan concert. That means “hello” in the country’s Dzongkha language.
“I’ve heard wonderful, wonderful things about Bhutan,” he added.
A landlocked Buddhist monarchy of about 700,000 people, Bhutan began slowly opening to the world in the 1970s.
Travellers who wish to visit are charged a $100-per-day fee as part of the country’s “high value, low impact” tourism model, with the money earmarked for supporting Bhutanese public education and health care.
Despite its location between China and India, Bhutan keeps a low international profile.
There are only a handful of embassies there, with the majority of Bhutan’s international relations going through primary diplomatic ally India.
International brands like Starbucks and McDonald’s have no presence in Bhutan. The country has only had TV broadcasts since 1999.
Thimphu residents say they live in the world’s only national capital that does not have any traffic lights – instead, cars are directed through the single roundabout by a uniformed police officer.
Before Sheeran’s concert, the most significant event held at Changlimithang Stadium was a live broadcast of the wedding of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema in 2011.
In 2003, the stadium hosted “The Other Final”, a soccer match between Bhutan and Montserrat to determine who would be considered FIFA’s lowest-ranked national team. Bhutan won 4-0.
A Bhutanese government official tells CNN that tickets for the Ed Sheeran concert are “about 90 percent” sold out. Changlimithang Stadium has capacity for 15,000 people.
Tickets begin at just US$10 (NZD$17). The average annual income in Bhutan is US$1387.
Following the performance in Thimphu, Sheeran’s tour will continue on to several cities in India and the Middle East.
– CNN