Yo Yo Honey Singh opens up on 18-month long absence and his battle with alcoholism

Till a week ago, rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh seemed to have disappeared from the face of Earth. For 18 months, the popular desi rapper had gone underground and not a peep was known about his whereabouts or his state of being. Plenty of rumours swirled around regarding his absence from the limelight and the rapper refused surface up and defend himself.

However, Honey Singh is now back and how. His new Punjabi film -- Zorawar -- is ready for release. Yo Yo (as he his fondly called) turns 33 today, and to mark the occasion, he gave an honest interview to a leading daily. Ranking high on the revelations meter, India's most famous rapper divulged these facts in this interview:

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"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. It went on for 18 months, during which I changed four doctors, the medication wasn't working on me and crazy things were happening.

I must confess that I was bipolar and an alcoholic, which aggravated the condition."

Photo: IANS

"It was scary. One year had passed and I wasn't responding to medicines, until a fourth doctor from Delhi treated me. At one point, I thought I would live in this darkness forever. I had cut myself off from everyone. I didn't come out of my room, forget stepping out of the house. I had a beard and I didn't get a haircut for months. For someone who has performed in front of a crowd of 20,000, I was scared of facing 4-5 people. That's what bipolar disorder does to you."

"After the sun went down, I was scared of my own family. I wasn't behaving like myself. I was a sick person. I wasn't in my own control. 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, or my parents' property. 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."

File photo

"Nothing like that ever happened. During my low phase, a lot of people visited my place, including Bhushanji (Kumar). I got calls from Shah Rukh bhai, too. Recently, I met him at a show and we were chatting about films and music. He is amazing, he's not just a great actor, but also a superb personality"

"Luckily, four of my songs released even while I was ill, and they did so well. I am getting into the groove. I don't plan too much, just let it flow. Now, I want to work more on contemporary music, as I have done a lot of dance music. I am bringing back street hip-hop again. The whole music scene here is urban and international, as compared to 10 years ago when it was dominated by Bollywood music."

"I 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. I started with Angrezi beat. Everyone wanted that, but I moved on to Lungi dance, then Party all night. I don't need to position myself, my fans will. They know the difference between a luxury car and an ordinary car."