'Bholenath saved my life', says Honey Singh about his battle with mental illness

Yo Yo Honey Singhrsquos music videos speak of his flamboyant lifestyle wealth and travel escapades His offscreen persona appears to be an extension of this avatar with his ambition being fiercely reflected in the words he chooses A subject that makes an appearance only in his interviews however is his newfound faith in divinity ldquoBholenath saved my liferdquo he says while describing his laudable battle with mental illnesses and his return to the industry As he encourages people to have ldquofaith in Godrdquo he describes what motivates him as a musician ldquoI will not do what others are doingrdquo he says matteroffactly going on to discuss the making of Glory his 18track album that features a host of collaboratorsEdited excerpts of the interviewHow do you believe this album is an extension of your past workLast year I decided to produce the album and create the music I conducted a lot of research to understand the kind of music that is popular today and did not make music thatrsquos already in the market Irsquove always wanted to be the person who is the first to produce music that eventually becomes popular in the market I wanted it to be a revolution just like my decadeold songs from which I still earn revenue areIrsquove been listening to a lot of Dutch Arabic Spanish Portuguese and Latin American music I was also consuming African music but this genre has been popular in India since three years So I decided against making any Afro songs in this albumIrsquom aware that you work on scouting new talent and reach out to artistes on social media Given that there are so many collaborators on this album can you describe the process of arriving at this listOne of them is Talvinder who Irsquove been talking to since three years We collaborated on the song High on me and he rendered it amazingly Then I found two Delhibased boys on Instagram and they did a musical version of Badopati The song was a parody by a Pakistani artiste but these boys made it soothing and musical If I find an artiste I like I text them directly instead of approaching my management Therersquos another girl from Delhi who I worked with too All the collaborators were handpicked Paradox is a crazy guy and I wanted to do something crazy with himWhen I make music I first make a beat then drop some ideas and then believe in almighty Bholenath and go with the flow Itrsquos been 21 years since I have been making music but I still believe that therersquos no fixed formula to making a songWhat is your opinion on the independent music scene todayToday the industry is making streaming stars but not superstars In the past decade only AP Dhillon Karan Aujla and Guru Randhawa have managed to become superstars I wouldnrsquot count Diljit Dosanjh here because he was already far ahead in the game he was already a legend Irsquove known him since several years and wersquove also worked together So while three have become superstars 50 boys and girls have unfortunately only managed to become streaming stars Thatrsquos a problemYours has been the biggest comeback story in the music industry in the recent past and yoursquove been among the few to actively speak on mental health issues When you look back at your journey what has played a vital role in your recoveryIt was a blessing that I had the support of my parents and sister I was an atheist But during my sickness I found Bholenath and he gave me a second chance I believe whatever is happening in my life today is his doing I would say follow your God Prayers are everything and gratitude is importantDo you think the young generation needs to be more comfortable speaking about mental health issues or do you believe a positive change is already being effectedIf they start talking about it what will their parents do They may take them to doctors but unfortunately India doesnrsquot have good doctors for mental health issues Irsquove seen it They fed my case for six years They were big names in the field of psychiatric medicines But they ruined me Finally I found one doctor in 2021 who could cure me I am still on medication But in the last three years I have had no symptoms I am working constantly and have returned to travelling touring and shooting So even if the young generation speaks about it they have limited means to get help I think the Indian government should work towards getting better doctors for mental illnessesConsidering the immense success you have already achieved is there anything that remains unfulfilled in your professional journeyConsidering the amount of talent I have and the work I put in I have got only 20 per cent of the fame that I deserve I have to work hard for the remaining 80 per cent I lost seven years of my life At 41 I am struggling to come back into the scene again My target is big and what I have achieved is nothingWhat is your targetThis skin I have people will be proud of it All brownskinned people be it Hispanics Arabs Indians Pakistanis Bangladeshis or Nepalis will be proud of me I will not get this success in two or five years It will take 15 years for me to get there But that will happen