Yo Yo Honey Singh

Biography

Hirdesh Singh (born 15 March 1983), known professionally as Yo Yo Honey Singh, is an Indian singer, music producer and actor. 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×International Villager11 November 2011 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Brown Rang2:592Angreji Beat3:303Goliyan3:124Dope Shope (feat. Deep Money)3:095Gabru (feat. J-Star)3:276Aashke (feat. Money Aujla)3:127Beautiful5:178Yadaan3:459Garaari (feat. Meet Malkit)3:3910Sambhle (feat. Manak Ali)3:2511Head Banger (feat. Escape)4:1412Yaad4:2113Get Up Jawani (feat. Shah)3:3314Mujh Ko Jaane Do2:59.

Early life

Hirdesh Singh was born on 15 March 1983 in the residential district of Karampura in West Delhi to a Sikh family from Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He studied at the Guru Nanak Public School in New Delhi.

Music

In 2006, Singh collaborated with singer Ashok Masti for the song "Glassy", marking his debut in the music industry.
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.
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×High Heels2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1High Heels3:38" (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×Blue Eyes12 November 2013 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track1Blue Eyes3:41". 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×Desi Kalakaar26 September 2014 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Desi Kalakaar4:192Love Dose3:483I'm Your DJ Tonight4:414Chal Mere Ghar2:385Daftar Ki Girl3:206One Thousand Miles4:477Stardom3:478Tanning2:56, 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.
In 2024, Singh launched his album Glory×Glory26 August 2024 · Album · SoundtrackSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Millionaire3:192Jatt Mehkma3:163High on Me2:564Fuck Them3:515Bonita2:596Hide It3:057Malamaal3:098Rounds n Ring2:569Lapata3:1210Payal3:4711Caliente3:16126 Am2:5613Majnoonh3:1114Sheeshe Wali Chunni3:1015Shamaan de Vele2:5216Beeba2:5517Chhori2:2918Rap God3:24, 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 December 2024, a documentary titled Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous was released on Netflix. The documentary received mixed reviews.
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 2026, Honey Singh announced his My Story: India Tour in association with NDTV , where he scheduled visit for 10 cities .

Bollywood

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 Singhsta, with lyrics and vocals by Singhsta and Hommie Dilliwala.

Acting

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 in a comedy by Amit Prasher, Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22, as Rolly, a childish and spoilt brat, alongside Amrinder Gill.

Personal life

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.
In his Netflix documentary, Singh disclosed that he suffers from bipolar disorder. In a 2026 interview, he revealed that he wears a wig during his public appearances, due to the hair loss he faced while he was consuming medications for his condition.

Controversies

Singh's 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 the aftermath of the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, a song "Main Hoon Balatkari" (lit. 'I Am A Rapist') became popular in the city, its lyrics glorifying rape. The song was attributed to Singh, although he denied having sung or written the song. A first information report (FIR) was lodged against Singh for the song's 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. A case was dismissed by Chandigarh High Court who found no proof that Singh was its singer.
Singh's song "Party All Night" from Akshay Kumar's 2013 film Boss was at the centre of a controversy for a "vulgar" word in its lyrics, with a petition filed to stay the release of the film until the word or the song was removed. Producers of the movie submitted a petition in Delhi High Court claiming to have "muted" the word. Singh denied that the word was vulgar, saying that people "must have heard it wrongly".
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, Honey Singh's wife Shalini Talwar filed a case against him in Tis Hazari Court for domestic violence. Talwar accused Singh of "numerous incidents of physical abuse, verbal, mental abuse and emotional abuse", and accused him of adultery.
In 2025, a notice was sent for the singer to appear on August 11, 2025, by Punjab State Women's Commission for lyrics on his 2024 album Glory×Glory26 August 2024 · Album · SoundtrackSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Millionaire3:192Jatt Mehkma3:163High on Me2:564Fuck Them3:515Bonita2:596Hide It3:057Malamaal3:098Rounds n Ring2:569Lapata3:1210Payal3:4711Caliente3:16126 Am2:5613Majnoonh3:1114Sheeshe Wali Chunni3:1015Shamaan de Vele2:5216Beeba2:5517Chhori2:2918Rap God3:24, in the track "Millionaire" being perceived as derogatory towards women. A report was demanded from the Director General of Police (DGP). Chairperson Raj Lali Gill demanded an investigation by the Punjab DGP and sought to ban such content.
Following a plea filed by Hindu Shakti Dal in March 2026, Singh's 2006 collaboration with Badshah, titled "Volume 1", was ordered a takedown by the Delhi High Court, from all social media and music streaming platforms, citing its derogatory nature towards women.