Honey Singh on His Struggle With Bipolar Disorder & Alcohol Abuse

Honey Singh confesses to having suffered from bipolar disorder and alcohol abuse in the last 18 months.

Singer Yo Yo Honey Singh during the trailer launch of the Punjabi film Zorawar, in Mumbai on 10 March 2016. (Photo: IANS)

When a popular artist like Honey Singh goes MIA, people notice. In the last two years as fans grooved to the tunes of Yo Yo’s songs, Honey Singh himself was far away from the scene.

That gave ample opportunity for the tabloids to run headlines with rumours of him being in rehab because of a drug overdose until recently when he performed at a music award show.

In an exclusive interview with Times of India, he finally broke his silence.

This is the first time I am talking about it as I want my fans to know what happened to me. Nobody knows about this, and I wanted to tell the world myself, not through a spokesperson. The last 18 months were the darkest phase of my life, and I wasn’t in a state to talk to anyone. I know there were rumours that I was in rehab (for drug overdose), but I was in my Noida house throughout. The truth is I was suffering from bipolar disorder, I must confess that I was bipolar and an alcoholic, which aggravated the condition.

<b>Yo Yo Honey Singh</b>

Being bipolar made it difficult for him to face even a handful of people, save a crowd. Losing himself was a scarier thought than losing his stardom, Singh said.

After 18 months of medication, he claims to have finally come out of it.

But now it is all behind me and I’ve come out of it. I am under a doctor’s supervision, and before doing this interview, I called and told him that I was going to tell the world about this. I think I’m not my own...I belong to my fans who have made me. They needed to know, and this was the best time to talk about it. Today is also special as it’s my birthday.

<b>Yo Yo Honey Singh</b>

Read: Happy B’Day & Welcome Back, Honey Singh: Here’s What You Missed

He is also excited about his upcoming performance at the Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) 2016, in Dubai, on 18 March.

When asked about competitions among artists in the music industry, he brushed it off and said:

Don’t consider anyone my competition. I am secure about my music. When some artistes give a hit song, they keep repeating themselves in the same genre. I always try to create something new.

Read the full story on Times of India.