Yo Yo Honey Singh says he lives in people’s hearts: ‘You can only remove me with surgery’
Yo Yo Honey Singh on his long absence for music scene, battling with bipolar disorder and return to Bollywood.
It’s after a long time he is open to talking about everything that happened with him in the past few years, we are told. And when we catch up with the 36-year old, he still seems like his old self — raring to charm listeners all over again with his songs. He breaks into his song Dheere Dheere Se impromptu, too, on a fan’s request. That’s Yo Yo Honey Singh for you, who has plans set for a world tour soon. Excerpts:
You’ve just got an award for your music in Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018). How important are awards for you?
Some people say unhe award se farak nahi padhta. But for an artist, it matters. The inspiration gets doubled, that ‘I’ve got this one this time, it should get even better’. Families get ecstatic, crazy when they see you receiving an award. Mine clap, make noise, hug me when I come home. My mom is my inspiration, but my father is an even bigger support now.
Has your father always been supportive of your choices in terms of career?
There was a time when he wasn’t able to support me in my music dreams. He didn’t want me to pursue music. But now, the support is tripled. It started around 2012, when my songs Brown Rang and Angreji Beat became hits, and people called me ‘rockstar’. That’s when my family and friends realised that this guy is unstoppable.
But you disappeared at the peak of your career (owing to battle with bipolar disorder). How difficult was it staying away from music?
Ek aadmi bimaar ho gaya, toh usne decide nahi kiya ki woh ghar baithega, usne decide nahi kiya ki woh kuchh kare ya na kare… I was just sick for two years. when I was well in 2016, I got back to work, and again fell sick. From 2017 onwards, there’s a lot happening, and Inshallah, sab kuchh badhiya rahe.
With trends changing so quickly, did you fear being ‘out of sight, out of mind’?
Out of sight nahi, hum into the heart hain. Wahan se surgery karke hi nikaal paoge mujhe! (laughs) Main logon ke dil se nahi nikal sakta. You can say that for a girlfriend, but not Yo Yo Honey Singh.
Did the film industry support you in those testing times?
The support was good. Be it actors, or music tycoons like Bhushan Kumar. When I was sick, he came to my home, and pushed me, saying ‘it doesn’t matter if you’re sick, you should create at least one song in an entire month, take out half an hour everyday’. That song was Dheere Dheere (featuring Hrithik Roshan and Sonam K Ahuja). I feel that aadmi bahut kuchh karna chahta hai, but kudrat usko apni taraf leke jaati hai, kya cheez kab honi chahiye ya nahi honi chahiye (A person wants to do many things, but nature has it’s own way, of when things will happen or not).
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