I am my own favourite: Honey Singh
Yo Yo Honey Singh, 30, was called Honey at home. He lived in England where despite the British blacks, the American ones were followed and aped who would say 'Yo' for 'Yours'. So Honey added 'Yo Yo' to his name that means 'Your Honey Singh' or 'I am yours' as he says lovingly. From being 93 kgs to wanting to just create music, he has not just made it, but has made it big. He never celebrates his achievement as he has a big vision for himself. Post the success of his recent song 'Sunny Sunny' from 'Yaariyan', we spoke to the extremely simple and sorted rockstar. Excerpts:
You have had instant success. Let's talk about your journey to fame?
My success has not come easily, it has taken me more than 10 years. I was born in Delhi, have stayed and roamed the world, but had a tough childhood and career path. Only my mom and mausie supported me in music. So, I would just sing shabad kirtan to remain somehow attached to music. We then moved to Coventry in England as my dad had his business there. But I left home to come to London to learn music and worked as an apprentice to survive and would assist blacks from Miami for just 100 pounds a week. I had no money, no work and survival was very tough. Jassi Sidhu tried to get me work, but no one gave me a chance.
I would land up fighting with everyone in England and get fired from everywhere. They told me people in Punjab were more loving and there were lesser ego problems there, so I came to Punjab. We had our old house in Chandigarh, in which I opened my office. I never wanted to become Honey Singh. I was just 5 feet 9 inches, but 93 kgs. I only wanted to become a music director and wanted to give India a rockstar. But I soon realised that the kind of music I wanted to make was different from both, the bhangra market in England and the rural market in Punjab, and, thus, no one accepted my music even here. With two lakhs, I started working as a music director for a Punjabi album.
My mother had moved back with me to Punjab. I then met Ashok Mastie in Delhi, who asked me to make a song for him and I made a mainstream hip-hop song Glassi for him, but he did not like it. He told me that it would work in England but not India. I told him unfortunately it does not even work in England, but I will make it work in India. I then went back to England and a few months later, I was told that Ashok was frantically searching for me as his producer's son had really liked the song. I had only sung for the scratch version but they liked that and so I became a part of the song and also the video, as they felt I had this England look that would connect with the youth. By that time, I had lost weight and become 76 kgs. The video became No. 1 on the BBC World charts. But the irony was that no one in England knew either Ashok Mastie or Honey Singh and so none of us gained from it.
