'Dubai feels like India', Yo Yo Honey Singh on making UAE home, his big comeback, and leaving party life behind

Dubai: Yo Yo Honey Singh is no longer the wild, party-fuelled Indian rapper who once ruled the charts with swaggering hits like Lungi Dance and Angrezi Beat with raunchy lyrics.

These days, he’s a man on a mission — spiritual, creative, and, surprisingly, paternal.

“I want to have a daughter soon,” Honey Singh told Gulf News in a rare sit-down interview, with a sincerity that’s both disarming and endearing.

“That’s how I want to pay it forward — raise her to be a superstar and a super social worker, just like my mother and sister.”

In Dubai, a city that he has called his home for more than two years, the rapper was on call to launch Yo Yo Watches, his not-so-blingtastic line of timepieces.

And clearly, Singh is embracing a new phase of his life — one driven by reinvention, humility, and hustle. His partner in the venture, entrepreneur Neeraj Bhatia, surprised him on his birthday with custom-designed watches for his parents, sparking what would become their collaborative brand.

“We were 30,000 feet up in the air talking about watches,” he recalls. “I forgot the idea — until he surprised me with designs. It was his vision. I’m just the artist.”

While Singh is known for his larger-than-life flamboyant style, he insists the first wave of watches are designed for mass appeal.

“It’s classy, like me — and affordable too. If you can buy an iPhone, you can buy a Yo Yo watch. And it’ll probably hold more value,” he quips.

A premium, Swiss-made collection with limited-edition pieces is also in the pipeline.

Dubai dreams and new beginnings

Having been based in Dubai since 2023, Singh credits the city with giving him a second wind.

“Dubai has always felt like India to me,” he says.

“We speak Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi here, and it just feels like home.” The rapper’s Dubai connection goes way back — his first music video Brown Rang was shot here in 2011, at the Roberto Cavalli club.

When this journalist first met Yo Yo Honey Singh in 2011, he was deep in his live-on-the-edge era — the stereotypical rockstar riding high on fame, fuelled by a heady mix of drugs, parties, girls, and the intoxicating chaos of success.

But this time, the city has brought something deeper.

“Dubai allows everyone — British, Egyptian, Filipino, Indian — to become one family,” he says. “It’s made me more open, more multicultural.”

From turmoil to transcendence

Singh is candid about his personal battles. His fall from fame — marked by addiction, illness, and withdrawal from the limelight — was well-documented.

At the height of his fame, he spiraled into a dark phase. What began as a meteoric rise soon turned into a harrowing descent, as the rapper battled personal demons, mental health issues, and the crushing weight of expectations — nearly disappearing from the music scene for years.

But sitting across from him now, it’s clear he’s evolved.

“I’ve changed as a human,” he says. “I kept the best parts of myself and deleted the rest. I turned towards God, spirituality, friendship, love. That’s what keeps me going.”

Gone are the hedonistic nights. These days, Honey Singh is all about rhythm, routine, and relentless creation.

“I don’t go to parties anymore. I make two songs a day, three beats a day. I don’t work for labels or industry — I work for my fans, and for myself. That’s my kick.”

With over 400 songs in his catalogue and a habit of creating daily, he calls himself an independent artist with a global fanbase.

“When Lungi Dance happened, it blew up the whole scene. I still get recognised as ‘Bollywood rapper, Lungi Dance’ in airports around the world — like in Morocco!”

Tattoos, Titan watches, and tough love

Singh’s connection with Titan — India’s legacy watchmaker — runs deep. His first watch, gifted by his father, was a Titan.

Today, the same brand is producing Yo Yo watches. “It’s a full circle moment,” he says. “Titan was always about quality. Their ads still give me goosebumps.”

Equally personal are his tattoos — one of which features music maestro A.R. Rahman’s name on his neck. “I went with my manager to a tattoo place, wasn’t planning on getting inked. But I ended up getting three. I couldn’t leave without Rahman sir on me — he’s a legend.”

And when asked about future kids, Singh doesn’t hold back. “For a daughter, I’ll be the most amazing father. For a son? I’ll be the hard one,” he laughs.

“My brother’s sons lived in Karampura, our old ghetto in Delhi, till they were 13. I wanted them to hustle — because what the streets teach you, no book can.”

His vision for parenting is as unconventional as his career, but it’s rooted in intent: “My daughter’s going to LA. My son? Karampura. Balance is key.”

Manifesting a new legacy

As Singh steps into this new chapter — watch designer, aspiring father, spiritual artist — one thing’s clear: reinvention isn’t just a buzzword for him. It’s a lifestyle.

“Whatever we do, it’s all God’s doing,” he says. “Humans can’t do anything without his blessings. I believe that now.”

And when asked if Yo Yo Watches might one day rival the Rolexes of the world?

“It took them 200 years,” Singh smiles. “We’ll do it in two decades.”