- Honey Singh (born Hirdesh Singh on 15 March 1983 in Delhi), better known by his stage name Yo Yo Honey Singh,[1] is an Indian rapper, music producer, singer and film actor. He started as a session and recording artist, and became a Bhangra producer. He has also begun to produce music for Bollywood films.[2]
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YO YO HONEY SINGH |
Early life
Singh was born on 15 March 1983 in Delhi.[3] His birth name is Hirdesh Singh. He studied music at the Trinity School in the United Kingdom.[4][5]
Family life
Singh had earlier denied the reports of him being married and claim that wedding photos being circulated on internet were not of a real wedding.[6] However he recently admitted to have been married.[7]
Promotion
Honey Singh and Diljit Dosanjh's song Lak 28 Kudi Da reached No 1 in BBC Asian Download Charts in May 2011. The song was released a promotional track for Diljit Dosanjh's film Lion of Punjab.[8]
Honey Singh has received the ETC award for the Best sound in 2006 for his song Glassi and the PTC award for the Best Folk Pop Award 2009 for Rebirth and PTC Punjab Best Music Director 2011.[9]
It has been reported that he has been paid the highest fee ever for a Bollywood song (as of 2012) of 
7 million (US$120,000) for a song in the films "Cocktail" and "Mastan".[10]
7 million (US$120,000) for a song in the films "Cocktail" and "Mastan".[10]
Yo! Yo! Honey Singh tops the chart of trending videos of 2012.[11] He earns two places on YouTube's list of top 10 trending videos of 2012.[12] His song Brown Rang makes it to top spot and High Heels, in collaboration with Jaz Dhami, takes fourth spot.[13]
Career
It is reported that Honey Singh prefers to sing in his native language Punjabi and Hindi rather than English.[14] The Punjabi album International Villager was released on 11 November 2011 (11-11-11).[15] The track Gabru from International Villager featuring singer J-Star topped Asian music charts (including the official BBC Asian charts)[16]
He has performed at many college festivals including at Ansal Institute of Technology and Ramjas College, Delhi.[17] He learned DJing from DJ Vishal and stood second in "War of DJs"
Bollywood
Honey Singh has also become widely popular in Bollywood. He was first noticed after his debut song in a Bollywood film featuring Gagan Sidhu for the film Shakal Pe Mat Ja. He has also charged Rs. 7 million for a song in an upcoming film titled Mastaan starring Naseeruddin Shah. It is the biggest amount paid to a song artist in Bollywood to date, making Honey Singh the highest-paid musical artist in Bollywood.[18][19]
Also, a song named Angreji Beat from Honey Singh's recently released album International Villager featuring Gippy Grewal, was featured in Saif Ali Khan's filmCocktail.
Singh, also launched his single track "Bring Me Back ft. Spoken Word" at Video Music Awards India which aired on MTV India. The award show was packed with many films and independent artists throughout the world including India. After the end of the show, his song was also premiered at the channel.
He has been widely popular in Bollywood film music these days for composing songs in films such as Mere Dad Ki Maruti, Bajatey Raho, Chennai Express & Boss. He has also signed on a few of his songs on some of Akshay Kumar's next films, including his production Fugly and the Shaukeen remake.
Acting
Honey Singh made his acting debut in a Punjabi movie, with the film Mirza (2012) apparently, performing the role of Deesha, the role of a wannabe gangster apparently.[20] Singh also appeared in the Punjabi comedy film Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22, as 'Rolly' along with Amrinder Gill.[21] Singh is also set to make an appearance in Bollywood film The Xpose (2014) alongside Himesh Reshammiya. The film will be release on 23 May.[22]
Controversy
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.[23][24] An FIR was lodged against rapper Honey Singh for his offensive lyrics while a group of social activists filed an online petition demanding cancellation of his New Year performance at a Gurgaon hotel.[25] After the campaign, Singh's New Year concert was cancelled by the hotel.[26] Honey Singh denies writing these offensive lyrics[27]
On 4 July 2013, Punjab and Haryana High court dismissed all the cases filed against Yo Yo Honey Singh, which said that he has sung the Balatkaari song. The FIR and the PIL filed against him were dismissed completely by the court stating that there is no proof that he has sung the song and that YouTube is such a medium where any one can upload any content under anyone's name. In this case also, a derogatory song against women was uploaded on YouTube under Yo Yo Honey Singh's name by an imposter and then reports were filed against him.[citation needed]
Honey Singh's song Party All Night in Akshay Kumar's upcoming film Boss was at the centre of controversy recently. Producers of the movie had to submit a petition in Delhi High Court claiming that they have 'muted' the alleged vulgar word in Honey Singh's song. The court was hearing a petition filed by lawyer Sanjay Bhatnagar seeking a stay on the film, contending that without censor board's approval, the song could not be released with such a vulgar word. The petition had sought a stay on the release of the film till either the word or the song is deleted from the film. Akshay Kumar, however, does not think the allegation holds any value. Talking about Honey Singh's song in his upcoming film Boss, Kumar says, "Wo koi vulgar word tha nai. Ab kisiko kuch aur sunai de to isme unke kaan ki galti hai na ki humari." (The word was not vulgar at all. They must have heard it wrongly. The blame lies on those who heard it wrong, not us.)[28]
Discography
| Year | Album | Artist | Music Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Peshi | Bill Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2006 | The Beat | Ashok Masti | Honey Singh |
| 2006 | Surma | Bopaz | Honey Singh |
| 2008 | Rebirth | Raj Brar | Honey Singh |
| 2009 | The Next Level | Diljit Dosanjh | Honey Singh |
| 2009 | Lock Up | Preet Harpal | Honey Singh |
| 2009 | The Beginning | Resham Singh Anmol | Honey Singh |
| 2010 | The Crown | Raja Baath | Honey Singh |
| 2010 | Dream | Dolly Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2010 | Khalaas – The Pure | Inderjit Nikku | Honey Singh |
| 2010 | The Folkstar | Nishawn Bhullar | Honey Singh |
| 2011 | Hard Work | Bai Amarjit | Honey Singh |
| 2010 | The Rising Queen | Rimz J | Honey Singh |
| 2010 | Zanjeer -The Game Changer | Karran Jesbir | Honey Singh |
| 2011 | Never Done Before | Balli Riar | Honey Singh |
| 2011 | Singing Between the Lines (Song: Jaan Mangdi) | Jassi Sidhu | Honey Singh |
| 2011 | Alfaaz – The Boy Next Door | Alfaaz | Honey Singh |
| 2011 | Jatt Soorme | Garry Hothi | Honey Singh |
| 2011 | Talwar(Song: Kawan diyan daaran) | Gippy Grewal | Honey Singh |
| 2011 | International Villager | Various | Honey Singh |
| 2012 | Born This Way | Varinder Brar | Honey Singh |
| 2014 | Lamborghini (Song: Zindagi) | H.S. Talwar | Honey Singh |
| 2014 | International Villager 2 | Various | Honey Singh |
Singles
| Year | Track | Artist | Music director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Khol Botal | Badshah | Honey Singh |
| 2009 | Begani Naar | Badshah, Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2009 | Bhagat Singh | Diljit Dosanjh,Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2009 | Dance With Me | Diljit Dosanjh,Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2010 | Delhi Ke Deewane | Badshah | Honey Singh |
| 2010 | Main Me & Myself | Diljit Dosanjh,Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2010 | Pendu Jatt | Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2010 | Raftaar | Raftaar | Honey Singh |
| 2011 | Lak 28 Kudi Da | Diljit Dosanjh,Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2011 | Caty Eyes | Diljit Dosanjh | Honey Singh |
| 2011 | Chamak Challo(its a remix) | J-Star, Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2012 | Gadbad | Lilgolu, Raftaar, Young Amli | Honey Singh |
| 2012 | Chamkila vs Justin Beiber | Alfaaz | Honey Singh |
| 2012 | 15 Saal(half song leaked from Urban Pendu) | Diljit Dosanjh,Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2012 | High Heels | Jaz Dhami,Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2012 | Siftan | Money Aujla,Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2012 | Break Up Party | Leo,Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2012 | SATAN[29][30] | Honey Singh, Neha Kakkar | Honey Singh |
| 2012 | This Party Gettin' Hot | Jazzy B,Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2013 | Bring Me Back | Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2013 | Bebo | Alfaaz, Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2013 | Blue Eyes | Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2014 | Vohti | Dev Dhillon | Honey Singh |
| 2014 | Twitter FT. Hard Kaur | Jaz Dhami | Honey Singh |
Film Soundtrack
| Year | Movie | Song | Singer | Music director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Punjaban | Miss Pooja | Honey Singh | |
| 2011 | Jihne Mera Dil Luteya | Supna Fukre | Diljit Dosanjh | Honey Singh, Aman Hayer, Bhinda Aujla & Jatinder Singh-Shah |
| 2011 | Shakal Pe Mat Ja | Title Track | Gagan Sidhu | Honey Singh |
| 2012 | Mirza - The Untold Story | Various | Gippy Grewal | Honey Singh & Jatinder Singh Shah |
| 2012 | Cocktail | Main Sharabi | Honey Singh | Pritam |
| 2012 | Son of Sardaar | Rani Tu Mein Raja | Mika Singh, Bhavya Pandit, Honey Singh | Himesh Reshammiya |
| 2012 | Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana | Kikli Kalerdi | Amit Trivedi, Pinky Maidasani and Honey Singh | Amit Trivedi |
| 2012 | Khiladi 786 | Lonely Lonely | Himesh Reshammiya, Honey Singh and Hamsika Iyer | Himesh Reshammiya |
| 2012 | Race 2 | Party on My Mind | KK, Shefali Alvares, Honey singh | Pritam |
| 2012 | Ethir Neechal | Ethir Neechal | Honey Singh, Hip Hop Tamizha Adhi andAnirudh Ravichander | Anirudh Ravichander |
| 2012 | Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22 | Various | Amrinder Gill | Honey Singh |
| 2013 | Mere Dad Ki Maruti | Punjabiyan Di Battery | Mika Singh, Honey Singh | Sachin Gupta |
| 2013 | Bajatey Raho | Kudi Tu Butter | Yo Yo Honey Singh | Honey Singh & Jaidev Kumar |
| 2013 | Jatt Airways | Fantasy / Various | Alfaaz, Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2013 | Chennai Express | Lungi Dance – The 'Thalaiva(r)' Tribute | Honey Singh | Honey Singh[31] |
| 2013 | Boss | 'Boss(Title Track)' 'Party All Night' | Boss(Title Track) - Yo Yo Honey Singh &Meet Bros Anjjan Party All Night - Yo Yo Honey Singh | Boss(Title Track) - Honey Singh & Meet Bros. Anjjan Party All Night - Yo Yo Honey Singh |
| 2013 | "Yaariyan" | ABCD Sunny Sunny | ABCD - Benny Dayal, Shefali Alvares & Honey Singh Sunny Sunny - Honey Singh,Neha Kakkar | ABCD - Pritam Sunny Sunny- Honey Singh |
| 2014 | Dedh Ishqiya | Horn OK Please | Honey Singh, Sukhwinder Singh | Vishal Bhardwaj[32] |
| 2014 | Ragini MMS 2 | Chaar Botal Vodka[33] | Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2014 | Bhoothnath Returns | Party With The Bhoothnath | Honey Singh | Honey Singh |
| 2014 | Punjab 1984 | Maalika Sardari | Diljit Dosanjh, Garry Sandhu & Sharry Mann | Honey Singh & Beat Minister |
Filmography
Feature films as Actor
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mirza - The Untold Story | Deesha | Punjabi | |
| 2013 | Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22 | Rolly | Punjabi | |
| Boss | Himself | Hindi | Special appearance in song "Party All Night" | |
| 2014 | The Xpose | Kenny Damania | Hindi | |
| Zorawar | Zorawar Singh | Punjabi | Announced |
Awards
- The ETC award for the Best sound in 2006 for Glassi
- The PTC award for the Best Folk Pop Award 2009 for Rebirth
- PTC Punjabi Best Music Director 2010 for song Desi Daroo[34]
- PTC Punjabi Best Music Director 2011 for album The Folkstar[35][36]
- PTC Punjabi Best Music Director 2012 for album I.V.(International Villager)[37]
- BritAsia Best International Act 2012[38]
- UK Asian Music Awards Best International Album 2012 for Album album I.V.(International Villager)[39]
- PTC Punjabi Film Award – Best Music Director 2012 for "Mirza – The Untold Story"[40]
- PTC Punjabi Film Award – Best Debut (Male) "Mirza – The Untold Story"[40]
- MTV VMAI Awards – Best Indie Artist (male) 2013 for Brown Rang[41]
- Power Brands Glam 2013 – Power Brand Award 2013[42]
- MTV EMA Awards – Best India Act 2013 for "Bring me Back"[43]
- 2013 BIG Star Entertainment Awards – Singh was co-winner of Most Entertaining Singer (Male), and "Lungi Dance" was nominated as Most Entertaining Song.[44]
- 2014 Global Indian Music Awards – Singh was nominated for Best Music Arranger,[45] and "Lungi Dance" won for Most Popular Song on Radio.[46]
- Zee Cine Awards 2014 for International Icon Male[47]
References
- ^ "Biography". Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ "Punjab's bhangra-rapper comes to Bollywood". Mid Day. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ^ "I am my own favourite: Honey Singh". The Times of India. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ^ Priyanka Srivastava (7 July 2012). "Delhi's Yo Yo croons up a storm in Bollywood". Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- ^ Vineet Gill (1 January 2013). "Rapper's concert scrapped after online protest over 'obscene' lyrics". TOI. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- ^ "Yo Yo Honey Singh married or not?". Hindustan Times. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ "Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh admits being married". Zee News. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ "Honey Singh/Diljit Dosanjh – Lak 28 Kudi Da No:1 in BBC Asian Download Charts". punjabiportal.com. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ^ "Yo Yo Honey Singh Mafia Mundeer". desihiphop. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ^ "Honey Singh paid highest fee for song". Hindustan Times. 2 May 2012.
- ^ "Honey Singh: The sound of 2012". NDTV. 28 December 2012.
- ^ Bhattacharya, Budhaditya (28 December 2012). "Yo! Yo! Honey Singh was to 2012 what Dhanush was to 2011.". The Hindu (Chennai, India).
- ^ "Yo! Yo! Honey Singh tops the chart of trending videos of 2012". India Today. 28 December 2012.
- ^ "The Times of India: Latest News India, World & Business News, Cricket & Sports, Bollywood". The Times Of India.
- ^ Honey Singh's Most Awaited Album Honey Singh's Most Awaited Album
- ^ Asian Network – The Official Asian Download Chart – The Official Asian Download Chart. BBC (18 February 2012). Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "Honey Singh performs at Ansal Institute of Technology". Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ^ Honey Singh paid highest fee for song. Hindustan Times (2 May 2012). Retrieved 4 May 2012.
- ^ Yo-Yo Honey Singh becomes the costliest Bollywood singer. Daily Bhaskar (2 May 2012). Retrieved 4 May 2012.
- ^ "Mirza – The Untold Story". Cinema Punjabi. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- ^ "Mirza – The Untold Story". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ "The Xpose Movie". Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ^ "The nadir of all depravity?". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
- ^ "So what about 'RAPIST' HIP HOP?". Hardnews. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
- ^ "Gurgaon hotel cancels rapper Honey Singh's concert, FIR in Lucknow over offensive lyrics". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ "Anger wave washes away Honey Singh show". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ "Honey Singh denies writing offensive lyrics, his lawyer says he is considering legal action". IBNLive. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ "Muted word from Honey Singh's song is not vulgar : Akshay Kumar".Hindustan Times. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
- ^ "Honey Singh as Satan". punjabiportal.com. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
- ^ "Yo Yo Honey Singh – 'Satan'". Bobby Friction.http://bobbyfriction.tumblr.com. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ^ "Honey Singh's Lungi dance not part of SRK, Deepika's Chennai Express".The Indian Express. 21 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ "Music Review: 'Dedh Ishqiya' music classic, romantic – The Times of India".The Times of India. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/ragini-mms-2-song-chaar-bottle-vodka-yo-yo-honey-singh-overshadows-baby-doll-sunny-leone/
- ^ PTC Punjabi Music Awards 2010. The Tribune. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ PTC 2011 music award Winners List. Ptcpmusicawards.com. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ PTC Music Awards 2011 List of Awards Winners. Cinepunjab.com (18 November 2011). Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ PTC 2012 music award Winners List Ptcpmusicawards.com. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ BritAsia Music Awards winners The Times of India. . Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ Lebara Mobile UK Asian Music Awards (UKAMA 2012) Resultschakdey.com. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ a b PTC Punjabi Film Award (PTCPFA 2013) Results. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- ^ Yo Yo Honey Singh bagged an award for best Indie Artiste male for Brown Rang. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- ^ [1] Biography of Yo Yo Honey Singh. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
- ^ [2] Yo Yo Honey Singh wins MTV EMA . Retrieved 14 January 2014]
- ^ Rajput, Satender (19 December 2013). "BIG Star Entertainment Award 2013 Nomination and Winners List". The Filmy Guide. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "GiMA Awards 2013: 2014 Film Music Nominees". Global Indian Music Awards. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ Tanna, Amrita (20 January 2014). "Global Indian Music Awards (GiMA) 2014: Winners list". Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "Zee Cine Awards 2014: Dhanush, Priyanka Chopra, Honey Singh Clinch Trophies; Complete List of Winners — International Business Times". IB Times. Retrieved 9 Feb 2014.
