Musicians call out Anuv Jain’s offbeat performance with Jacob Collier: 'I feel embarrassed’

What was expected to be a magical Mumbai crossover between British musical genius Jacob Collier and Indian singer-songwriter Anuv Jain ended up becoming one of the most talked-about and heavily criticised moments on social media. Anuv Jain has been facing an intense wave of trolling, not just from listeners but also from fellow musicians, after a clip of their onstage collaboration went viral.

The video shows Anuv Jain singing his hit track Baarishein while Jacob accompanies him on the piano. However, many online felt the performance lacked sync and musical chemistry. One Instagram user posted the clip with the caption, “@jacobcollier ham sharminda hain (sic),” setting off a chain reaction of comments.

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Several independent artists joined the conversation with blunt criticism. Music artist Chaar Diwaari wrote, “I don't blame him meri bhi personally fatt jati Jacob ke samne tbh (sic).” Flutronic added, “I feel embarrassed.” Musician Shreya Jain commented, “Why?” Meanwhile, Mayur Jumani weighed in with, “The only mistake was thinking this pairing made sense (sic).” Across platforms, netizens echoed similar sentiments, calling the moment the “collab we never needed (sic).”

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The backlash has overshadowed the excitement surrounding Jacob Collier’s India leg of his Djesse Vol. 4 World Tour. He performed in Bengaluru on November 28, where he was joined by Grammy-nominated singer and composer Varijashree Venugopal for an improvised musical exchange. Sharing a snippet, the prodigy captioned it, “@varijashree joined me onstage in Bengaluru, India for some phrase-trading mischief on A Rock Somewhere (sic).”

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His Mumbai show on November 30 was packed with fans eager to witness his signature harmonising, live loop-work and genre-blending arrangements. Jacob next performed in New Delhi on December 2, 2025, before taking the tour to Hong Kong and Sydney.

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Jacob Collier, often described as a “one-man orchestra,” is celebrated for his ability to seamlessly blend jazz, pop, R&B, soul and electronic music with microtonal harmonies and complex vocal layering. Rising to fame through YouTube, he went on to release In My Room and the expansive four-part Djesse series, earning five Grammy Awards and establishing himself as one of the most innovative musicians of his generation.