Yo Yo Honey Singh has been out the grid for almost two years now. There were all sorts of rumors explaining his disappearance ranging from him being in rehab because of drug overdose to those claiming a fallout with Shah Rukh Khan during an international tour. But they were just stories, as Yo Yo Honey Singh tells all about his disappearance on the occasion of his birthday-
Where was he for the last 18 months?
“This is the first time I am talking about it as I want my fans to know what happened to me. Nobody knows about this, and I wanted to tell the world myself, not through a spokesperson. The last 18 months were the darkest phase of my life, and I wasn’t in a state to talk to anyone. I know there were rumours that I was in rehab (for drug overdose), but I was in my Noida house throughout.”
What exactly happened to him?
“The truth is I was suffering from bipolar disorder. It went on for 18 months, during which I changed four doctors, the medication wasn’t working on me and crazy things were happening. I must confess that I was bipolar and an alcoholic, which aggravated the condition.”
What being bipolar did to him?
“It was scary. One year had passed and I wasn’t responding to medicines, until a fourth doctor from Delhi treated me. At one point, I thought I would live in this darkness forever. I had cut myself off from everyone. I didn’t come out of my room, forget stepping out of the house. I had a beard and I didn’t get a haircut for months. For someone who has performed in front of a crowd of 20,000, I was scared of facing 4-5 people. That’s what bipolar disorder does to you.”
How music helped him?
“In that phase, I wrote 50-60 poems. They are like khuli shayari, so I can’t make them into songs. One night when I couldn’t sleep in spite of popping sleeping pills, I wrote and composed a song called Rise and Shine, after seeing my mom break down. She is the only reason I am here today.”
What did he fear the most?
“No, I didn’t care about losing my stardom. I was scared about losing myself. After the sun went down, I was scared of my own family. I wasn’t behaving like myself. I was a sick person. I wasn’t in my own control. But now it is all behind me and I’ve come out of it. I am under a doctor’s supervision, and before doing this interview, I called and told him that I was going to tell the world about this. I think I’m not my own, or my parents’ property. I belong to my fans who have made me. They needed to know, and this was the best time to talk about it. Today is also special as it’s my birthday.”
What are his plans now?
“Luckily, four of my songs released even while I was ill, and they did so well. I am getting into the groove. I don’t plan too much, just let it flow. Now, I want to work more on contemporary music, as I have done a lot of dance music. I am bringing back street hip-hop again. The whole music scene here is urban and international, as compared to 10 years ago when it was dominated by Bollywood music.”
Yo Yo Honey Singh has moved past his darkest phase of life. He is very excited about performing at the Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) 2016 in Dubai, which will be held on March 18. He says “I have performed with Shah Rukh bhai and Jacqueline Fernandez in the past, but not with Salman bhai. So I am looking forward to interacting with him along with my performance, if he is in the audience.”
HE IS BACK! How excited are you on the return of our rap king? Tell us below.
