Hirdesh Singh (born 15 March 1983), better known by his stage name Yo Yo Honey Singh or Honey Singh,[1] is an Indian rapper, music producer, singer and film actor. He started as a session and recording artist, and became a Bhangra music producer. He has also begun to produce music for Bollywood films, and gone on to become one of the highest-paid music producers in Bollywood.[2]
Early life
Honey Singh was born on 15 March 1983 at Hoshiarpur, Punjab to aSikh family.[3][4][5][6][7] His birth name is Hirdesh Singh. He studied music at the Trinity School in the United Kingdom.[8][9]Later on, his family moved to Delhi.[10]Personal life
Singh is married to Shalini Talwar Singh, whom he introduced to audience for first time on India's Raw Star TV show.[11][12]
In late 2014, Singh disappeared from the music scene, before making a comeback the following year several times, but mostly avoided the media.[13] In March 2016, he attributed his 18 month long absence from public light to his bipolar disorder.
Promotion
Singh and Diljit Dosanjh's song Lak 28 Kudi Da reached No 1 in BBC Asian Download Charts in May 2011. The song was released a promotional track for Diljit Dosanjh's film Lion of Punjab.[14]
Singh has received the ETC award for the Best sound in 2006 for his song Glassi and the PTC award for the Best Folk Pop Award 2009 for Rebirth and PTC Punjab Best Music Director 2011.[15]
Career
It is reported that Singh prefers to sing in his native language Punjabi and Hindi rather than English.[20] The Punjabi albumInternational Villager was released on 11 November 2011.[21]The track "Gabru" from International Villager featuring singer J-Star topped Asian music charts (including the official BBC Asian charts).[22]
He has performed at many college festivals including at Ansal Institute of Technology and Ramjas College, Delhi.[23] He learned DJing from DJ Vishal and stood second in "War of DJs".[citation needed]
Bollywood
Singh has become widely popular in Bollywood. He was first noticed after his debut song in a Bollywood film featuring Gagan Sidhu for the film Shakal Pe Mat Ja. He charged Rs. 7 million for a song in the film Mastan. It is the biggest amount paid to a song artist in Bollywood to date, making Singh one of the highest-paid musical artists in Bollywood.[24][25]
Also, a song named Angreji Beat from Singh's album International Villager featuring Gippy Grewal, was featured in Saif Ali Khan's film Cocktail.
Singh, also launched his single track "Bring Me Back ft. Spoken Word" at Video Music Awards India which aired on MTV India. The award show was packed with many films and independent artists throughout the world including India. After the end of the show, his song was also premiered at the channel.
He rose to strong fame and high popularity in Bollywood in late 2013, after producing songs in mainstream big-budget films such as Chennai Express and Boss. He also has popular songs in smaller-budget films such as Mere Dad Ki Maruti, Bajatey Raho &Fugly. In late 2014, Singh suddenly disappeared from Bollywood and didn't release any music for months. Many theories rose about his sudden disappearance, but the majority were fake.[citation needed] In March 2016 he later clarified that he had been suffering from bipolar disorder and was under medical supervision for 18 months at his Noida based house.
After being absent in the Bollywood music scene around the end of 2014, Singh made a comeback in February 2015 with his first song of the year, "Birthday Bash", followed by songs in films such as Gabbar is Back and Bhaag Johnny.
