Yo Yo Honey Singh

Hirdesh "Honey" Singh (born 15 March 1983), known professionally as Yo Yo Honey Singh, is an Indian singer and music producer. He commenced his career as a hip-hop music producer in 2003, working as a session and recording artist within the underground music scene until the release of his debut studio album, International Villager.
Honey Singh was born on 15 March 1983 to a Sikh family in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He studied at the Guru Nanak Public School in New Delhi. Given his interest in music, Singh traveled to the United Kingdom to study at the Trinity College Of Music. After graduating, he moved to Delhi in pursuit of better career opportunities. He began his career as a recording artist and a Bhangra music producer. His first claim to fame came when he received the ETC award for Best Sound for his song, Glassi in 2006.
Singh, known for his fusion of Punjabi and Hindi music, prefers to sing in his native languages rather than in English. He made his mark on the music scene with the release of his Punjabi album International Villager on 11 November 2011. The album's track "Gabru", featuring J-Star, quickly climbed to the top of the Asian music charts, including the official BBC Asian charts.
During the early 2010s, Singh became popular in the Indian music industry, performing at numerous college festivals such as Ansal Institute of Technology and Ramjas College in Delhi. His collaborations with prominent artists, like Diljit Dosanjh, further cemented his position. Their song "Lak 28 Kudi Da" reached number one on the BBC Asian Download Charts in May 2011, serving as a promotional track for Dosanjh's film Lion of Punjab.
By 2012, Singh set a record for the highest fee ever paid to an artist for a Bollywood song, reportedly receiving ₹7 million rupees (US$84,000) for tracks in the movies Cocktail and Mastan. He sang his first Hindi song in Mastan. His popularity surged on YouTube with two of his videos— "Brown Rang" and "High Heels" (a collaboration with Jaz Dhami)—ranking among the top trending videos that year. Following the success of "Brown Rang", Singh released "Angreji Beat" in collaboration with Gippy Grewal. This track further solidified his presence in the music industry, becoming a party anthem across India. In 2013, Singh released another song, "Blue Eyes". The song, known for its sleek production and catchy hook, became an instant hit, showcasing his versatility in blending Hindi and English lyrics with an international sound. In 2014, Singh released his second album, Desi Kalakaar, with the eponymous title track and "Love Dose". The title track featured Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha in its accompanying music video. He released the song "Birthday Bash" in February 2015.
Despite facing health issues that forced him to take a break from his career, Singh continued to contribute to the music industry. During this period, he wrote the hit track "Dheere Dheere" in 2015, a recreation of the song from the movie Aashiqui. The track featured Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor in the music video and was the first Indian song to exceed 200 million views on YouTube.
His debut song in Bollywood films was "Shakal Pe Mat Ja", featuring Gagan Sidhu. Singh charged Rs. 7 million for a song in the film Mastan. This was the largest amount paid to a singer in Bollywood then, making Singh one of the highest-paid musical artists in Bollywood.
In February 2015 he released the songs "Birthday Bash" with Alfaaz, followed by songs in films including Gabbar Is Back and Bhaag Johnny.
Mumbai Saga's first song "Shor Machega", was released on 28 February 2021. It was composed by Singh, with lyrics and vocals by Singh and Hommie Dilliwala.
Singh made his acting debut with a cameo appearance in Baljit Singh Deo's Punjabi film Mirza - The Untold Story (2012), performing the role of Deesha, a mad gangster. The role won him the PTC Punjabi Film Award for Best Male Debut. The following year, Singh appeared in another Punjabi film, this time a comedy by Amit Prasher, Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22, as Rolly, a childish and spoilt brat, alongside Amrinder Gill. This was Singh's first main role in a film.
In 2016, Singh starred in the Punjabi action film Zorawar, directed by Vinnil Markan, which was marketed as one of the most expensive Punjabi films to date. The film was critically acclaimed.
Singh comes from a Sikh family and has two siblings. He was influenced by various musical genres, including hip-hop, Punjabi folk, and Indian classical music, which shaped his unique style. His early career included producing music for Bollywood films and independent albums, which gained him significant popularity.
On 23 January 2011, Singh married Shalini Talwar, a longtime friend. In November 2023, the couple were divorced after Talwar claimed she had suffered domestic violence. Singh denied the allegations, and Talwar withdrew them after the divorce was settled.
After overcoming significant health challenges, Singh made a comeback in 2018 with the track "Makhna", which re-established him as a prominent figure in the Indian music scene. The song was well-received, showcasing his ability to blend contemporary sounds with vibrant visuals. Following this, Singh released Urvashi later that same year, featuring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani.
In 2019, he collaborated with Malkit Singh on "Gur Nalo Ishq Mitha - The YOYO Remake", demonstrating his versatility. The year 2020 marked a significant milestone with the release of "Loca", featuring Simar Kaur, and "Moscow Mashuka", featuring Neha Kakkar, both of which garnered substantial popularity. He also featured in "Billo Tu Agg Ae", a track by Singsta, and "Jingle Bell", expanding his musical repertoire.
Continuing his momentum, Singh released "First Kiss" in 2021, featuring Ipsitaa Khullar, followed by "Saiyaan Ji", a collaboration with Neha Kakkar, which became a hit. That same year, he was also part of "Kanta Laga", featuring Tony Kakkar and Neha Kakkar, and "Boom Boom", showcasing his ongoing presence in the music industry.
In 2023, Singh released "Kala Star", which broke multiple streaming records and was well-received by audiences. He continued to build on his success with tracks like "Ka Kha Ga", "Designer", and "Casanova".
Later in 2023, Singh released several tracks as part of his album Honey 3.0, including "Naagan", "Pankhudi (The Ride Song)", and "Kuley Kuley".
In 2024, Singh launched his album Glory, featuring 18 tracks, including "Millionaire", "Rap God", and "JATT MEHKMA". This album marked a significant milestone in his career and received widespread acclaim, with multiple songs trending on music streaming platforms.
In 2025, Honey Singh announced his Millionaire India Tour in association with Aaj Tak, where he visited 10 cities across India, namely, Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi, Indore, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Jaipur, and Kolkata.
In December 2024, a documentary titled Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous was released on Netflix. The documentary received mixed reviews.
In the aftermath of the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, the lyrics to some of his songs, which depict violence against women and rape positively, have caused controversy. A first information report (FIR) was lodged against Singh for his offensive lyrics, and a group of social activists filed an online petition demanding cancellation of his New Year performance at a Gurgaon hotel. After the campaign, Singh's New Year concert was cancelled by the hotel. Singh denies writing these offensive lyrics.
Singh's song "Party All Night" in Akshay Kumar's film Boss was at the centre of a controversy. Producers of the movie had to submit a petition in Delhi High Court claiming that they had 'muted' an alleged vulgar word in Singh's song. The court heard a petition filed by lawyer Sanjay Bhatnagar seeking a stay on the film, contending that without the censor board's approval, the song could not be released with such a vulgar word. The petitioner had sought a stay on the release of the film until either the word or the song was deleted from the film.
His work has been criticised as being vulgar, misogynist, offensive and racist promoting violence against women along with promoting alcohol abuse and drugs and a bad influence on youth. There have been reactions in print to Singh, such as from Annie Zaidi, who wrote "An Open Letter to Honey Singh" in January 2013, and Sandipan Sharma, who wrote "Thanks for the crassness: An open letter to Honey Singh from a parent" in July 2014.
In 2014, Singh and fellow rapper Raftaar were in dispute over whether Raftaar should receive credit for the lyrics of the song "Yeh Fugly Fugly Kya Hai".
In 2015, a student of St. Stephen's College went viral for a rap that parodied Singh's problematic songs from a feminist perspective.
In 2021, Shalini Talwar, Honey Singh's wife filed a case against him in Tis Hazari Court for domestic violence and sexual abuse against, claiming mental and physical torture and sexual violence by the singer along with several martial affairs.