Hirdesh Singh, better known by his stage name Yo Yo Honey Singh, is an Indian rapper, singer, music producer, and film actor. The rapper, known for his upbeat, funky, and party style songs, has sung songs of different genres including desi hip hop, Punjabi rap, Bhangra and R&B. From starting off as a Bhangra music composer, who composed individual albums and singles tracks, to becoming one of Bollywood`s highest paid music producers, Honey Singh has come a long way from his humble beginning. Apart from singing, rapping and producing music, Honey Singh is also an accomplished DJ (Disk Jockey); he participated in the `War of DJs` contest and stood second.
Early LifeHoney Singh was born on March 15th, 1983 in a typical Sikh family in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He studied at the Guru Nanak Public School in New Delhi. Given his interest in music, The rapper traveled to the UK to study at Trinity School, where he studied music. After completing his studies, he moved to Delhi in pursuit of better career opportunities.
Personal LifeHoney Singh married his childhood sweetheart Shalini Talwar in a hush-hush ceremony on 23rd January, 2011. They both studied in the same school in New Delhi and continued to remain in touch even after he moved to the UK for further studies. Upon his return, the two decided to get married. The rapper first introduced his wife on Indian television show, India`s Raw Star.
Movie CareerAs a Singer and Music DirectorHoney Singh made his musical debut in the film industry in 2010 with the Punjabi movie
Punjaban, where he worked as a music director. The following year, he composed music for his maiden Hindi film
Shakal Pe Mat Ja, and Punjabi movie Jihne Mera Dil Luteya. In 2012, Honey Singh worked as a co-music director with Jatinder Singh Shah in
Mirza - The Untold Story, which also marked his acting debut. In the same year, he was roped in for singing `Main Sharabi` in the super-hit movie
Cocktail starring
Saif Ali Khan,
Deepika Padukone and
Diana Penty. The singer followed his success in Cocktail with three more hit numbers `Rani Tu Mein Raja` in
Son of Sardaar, `Lonely Lonely` in
Khiladi 786, and `Kikli Kalerdi` in
Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana.
In 2013, he sang and composed one of the most hit songs of year `Lungi Dance` in the movie
Chennai Express, starring
Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. His other hit of the year was `Party on My Mind` from
Race 2 starring Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone,
John Abraham and
Jacqueline Fernandez. The following year, Honey Singh worked as one of the music composers for
Yaariyan and co-sung two songs in the movie. He sung `ABCD` with
Benny Dayal and
Shefali Alvares, and `Sunny Sunny` with
Neha Kakkar. His other super hit songs of the year that he sung and composed was `Chaar Botal Vodka` in
Ragini MMS 2 featuring
Sunny Leone, and `Aata Majhi Satakli` in
Singham Returns featuring
Ajay Devgn and
Kareena Kapoor Khan. In 2015, the singer composed music and sung `Birthday Bash` in
Dilliwali Zaalim Girlfriend, and `Aankhon Aankhon` in
Bhaag Johnny. His 2019 release includes Jhootha Kahin Ka.
As an ActorPrimarily a singer, rapper and music producer, Honey Singh has also acted in Punjabi and Bollywood films. He made his acting debut in 2012 with Mirza - The Untold Story directed by
Baljit Singh Deo playing the role of a mad gangster, Deesh. Although, the role was only a cameo, he went on to win PTC Film Award for Best Male Debut. The following year, he appeared in his first major role in the comedy Punjabi film
Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22 directed by Amit Prasher. In 2014, Honey Singh made his Bollywood acting debut with the musical-thriller film,
The Xpose starring
Himesh Reshammiya, Zoya Afroz and Sonali Raut. The film got mixed critical reviews and was a box-office flop. Honey Singh`s 2016 release includes a
Vinnil Markan`s Punjabi film
Zorawar, which is touted to be one of the most expensive Punjabi films ever made.
Independent Music CareerThe singer, who prefers to sing in Hindi and his native language Punjabi rather than English, started his music career as an independent singer and composer, and has composed several individual tracks. He first composed `Begani Nazar` (2006), which was sung by fellow Punjabi rapper
Badshah. He next collaborated with
Diljith Dosanjh in 2011 and released `Lak 28 Kudi Da`. In the same year, he composed the remix version of Chamak Challo and also lent his voice to the track along with
J-Star.
Honey Singh had a very successful year in 2012 as he gave hit numbers like `High Heels,` `Break Up Party,` `Satan,` and `This Party Gettin` Hot.` After a setback in 2013 and 2014, the singer came back with a bang as he composed and sung `Dheere Dheere,` his rendition of the popular 90s song. The song featuring
Hrithik Roshan and
Sonam Kapoor was a chartbuster hit. His 2016 singles include Rise and Shine, and Twerk Twerk. His 2020 releases include
Street Dancer 3, directed by
Remo D`Souza and
Chhalaang.