Mumbai: Punjabi music sensation AP Dhillon recently met legendary rock band Linkin Park, describing the encounter as a “memorable moment” and expressing gratitude for their influence on his musical journey.

Sharing three pictures with the band members on Instagram, the “Excuses” hitmaker wrote: “Honoured to meet these legends, thank you for inspiring me @linkinpark,” accompanied by a guitar emoji.

Formed in 1996, Linkin Park’s current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bassist Dave Farrell, vocalist Emily Armstrong, and drummer Colin Brittain.

The band’s original seven-album lineup included lead vocalist Chester Bennington and drummer Rob Bourdon. Following Bennington’s tragic death in July 2017, the band went on a seven-year hiatus, during which Bourdon departed. Their reformation was announced in 2024, along with the addition of Armstrong and Brittain.

Linkin Park achieved international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory (2000), with the single “In the End” reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Their second album, Meteora (2003), consolidated their success, while Minutes to Midnight (2007) marked a notable change in their sound. By the end of the decade, the band had established themselves as one of the world’s most successful rock acts.

Over their career, Linkin Park have sold over 100 million records worldwide and won numerous awards, including two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, ten MTV Europe Music Awards, and three World Music Awards.

AP Dhillon began his music career in 2019 with the track “Fake,” a collaboration with Shinda Kahlon under their independent label, Run-Up Records. He later produced the video for “Faraar” by Gurinder Gill and Shinda Kahlon.

His single “Deadly,” produced with Gminxr, entered the UK Asian chart and peaked at number 11 in 2020, reaching the top five on the UK Punjabi chart. Subsequent releases included “Droptop” with Gurinder Gill and “Excuses” with Intense, which peaked at number three on the UK Asian chart and topped the UK Punjabi chart.

Dhillon achieved global recognition with “Brown Munde,” a collaboration with Gurinder Gill, Gminxr, Shinda Kahlon, Nav, Sidhu Moose Wala, Money Musik, Anmol Dalwani, and Steel Banglez.

In 2021, he and his team embarked on the “Over The Top – The Takeover Tour,” performing live in six major Indian cities. He became the first Punjabi-language artist to perform at the 2023 Juno Awards in Edmonton, Canada, with his hit song “Summer High.”

-- IANS