GOWRI MANICKAVASAGAM
A dynamic new-age singer and performer, Honey Singh, sparks some steaming conversations while in a tête-à-tête with the host Renil Abraham in the upcoming episode of By Invite Only on zoOm, which was aired on Saturday, March 28, at 7:30 pm.
In a #NothingToHide interaction, the talented singer, composer and music director Honey Singh, made revelations about the time he distanced himself from the industry. In a dynamic industry that keeps changing now and then, there is a fear amongst the artist of being out of the scene over other talents. Talking about the fear of someone taking their place, he calmly replied, “I don’t want to outdo anyone’s thought, but staying away from the industry for 2-3 yrs never made me nervous or fear of losing it. The time, I was away from 2017 till now, I composed 60 songs.” Adding to the above he said, “And I never felt out of the scene because people were still grooving to my songs and loving my work. I am in the hearts and DNA of my audience, and no one change that”
We all are aware of Honey Singh suffering from Bipolar Disorder and alcoholism. The singer has been vocal about his struggles. Talking about the same, the singer shared some insight about that phase and how important it was for him to come out to his audience, said, “I never let negativity reach me or any other aspect of my life, may it be songs, personal life or health. Talking about my health was a way of keeping my larger family and fans informed on my phase of life. I have written songs on my experience; they are more serious and philosophical. I will release the songs to tell my story to people”.
Moving on and sharing how Honey has changed as a person, he says, “Early years of my career, I stretched and exerted myself extensively and I knew it would eventually affect my health. I have changed myself and my routine completely. Akshay sir is a huge inspiration for me. I wake up early, I give myself time to do my tasks and not rush myself into it.”
Recollecting his experience touring with Shah Rukh Khan in Australia, Honey Singh said, “We went on an Australia tour with Shah Rukh Khan and there were protests against me performing, saying that I promote alcohol. Shah Rukh Sir stepped in and said that if I don’t come, then this tour won’t happen at all. After the show, we were partying in my room and that’s when I wrote the song – Chaar Bottle Vodka. We made Shah Rukh listen to the track and he asked what kind of song is this?’ and we said, this is about the 4 bottles of vodka that we finished last night.” Char Bottle Vodka went on to become a chartbuster in 2014.
Taking a serious turn in the conversation and talking about the present scenario where people get offended on slightest of things, as an artist Honey Singh explains how difficult it is to be creative and socially correct at the same time, “I think, people nowadays get offended too quickly. As much I support the freedom of expression, I still think that you get judged on every single thing. In the past, we had songs like Mehbooba-Mehbooba, Choli ke peeche kya hai, Chumma Chumma and more, but they never got discussed of being morally correct or not. As an artist, it becomes difficult to please the audience at large and be creative at the same time.”
Moving towards the end, the fun quickie session which always ends up bringing out the candid best amongst the guests had Honey state that “If I would be single, would take Alia Bhatt on a date with me”. Honey being modest enough took the question of the current remix trend and said, “I think everyone is original. Even though they are making a remix, they are all original”. When quizzed about one Bollywood actor who is overrated, Honey’s witty reply was, “Himesh Reshammiya.”
Being asked of Honey’s thoughts, if he would wake up as Diljit Dosanjh, Honey couldn’t hide his admiration for the actor, and said, “If I woke up as Diljit Dosanjh, I will be proud.”
