In 2014, Yo Yo Honey Singh was virtually everywhere. He was churning out one chartbuster after another from ‘ABCD’ and ‘Sunny Sunny’ in ‘Yaariyan’ to ‘Chaar Botal Vodka’ in ‘Ragini MMS 2’, ‘Ye Fugly Kya Hai’ and ‘Banjaare’ in ‘Fugly’, ‘Yaar Na Miley’ in ‘Kick’, ‘Aata Majhi Satakli’ in ‘Singham Returns’, and ‘Manali Trance’ in ‘The Shaukeens’. On top of that, he dropped his hugely popular album ‘Desi Kalakaar’, took on the judge’s seat on the music reality show India’s Raw Star, hit the road on tour with Shah Rukh Khan, and even stepped in front of the camera for ‘Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22’, a Punjabi remake of David Dhawan’s 2007 Bollywood comedy ‘Partner’.
Honey Singh on how bipolar disorder took over his life
Recently on the ABTalks podcast, Honey said, “I was Yo Yo Honey Singh, the biggest superstar of India at that time. But then I got symptoms of bipolar disorder. If I look back seven to 10 years ago, I was self-locked up in my room, not talking to or meeting anybody, away from the internet, away from any information on radio, television, and the media. I was not even speaking. I didn’t know it was taking me over. It was controlling me. The bipolar disorder is such a big sickness that nobody can explain it in words. It starts with suspicion of everything, fear of death, and fear of people”.
Honey Singh on asking God for death and finding the purpose to live
Before his transformation, Honey Singh had no room for faith in his life, by his own admission, he was a staunch atheist. His family, desperate to see him heal, kept nudging him towards spirituality, but he refused to listen. His mother would play prayers at home, hoping it would bring some relief, but he remained unmoved. Then came a moment that changed everything. “I used to think I was the one who made Yo Yo Honey Singh. I was the one who did everything,” claimed Singh. “I still remember the day I changed… the night I changed, not the day. So, the time came when I said to God, ‘Sorry, I disrespected you. I didn’t believe in you. Now, whoever you are, however you look, I’m going to start respecting you because I want something from you.’ That was death. Because I was unable to control what was happening inside me. I was done with myself. That night, I asked for death,” Singh confessed, only to add, “I didn’t get death. I got the purpose to live.”
Honey Singh on how a new doctor and faith gave him a second chance at life
It was only in 2022 that Singh truly understood the significance of that defining night in 2019 when he had surrendered to a higher power. Looking back, he could see just how profoundly it had altered the course of his life. “I’d lost hope, so I wondered how I was getting better. I’d gotten a new doctor who changed my medication. Since then, he’s truly been an angel in my life,” revealed the singer. His doctor, he says, encouraged him to confront his past — both the painful and the joyful parts of it. “He suggested me to revisit my bad and good memories, now that I was getting better, to fix myself. Then I revisited that episode. That night, I believed in him and apologized to him. That’s why he’s giving me a second chance,” added Singh. For the rapper, turning to faith became the real turning point. “When I became a believer, my life changed. Now, God is giving me everything that I have and deserve in life. Whatever I’m doing is a new opportunity for me because I was finished. Not everyone gets a second birth. That’s him, just him,” asserted Singh, adding, “I’m still a patient of bipolar disorder. But God has been kind. I’m travelling the world, doing shows again, and making music. It’s a miracle.”
How Honey Singh 3.0 marked the rapper’s triumphant comeback
Though Honey Singh never stopped making music for Hindi films, it was his 2024 album ‘Honey Singh 3.0’ that truly signalled his comeback. The momentum only grew from there, with two more successful albums following in quick succession, ‘Glory’ in 2024 and ‘51 Glorious Days’ last year. He also made a triumphant return to the global stage with his My Story World Tour, bringing it home to India earlier this year with a packed and memorable concert in New Delhi.