In conversation with Yo Yo Honey Singh

After a brief hiatus, Yo Yo Honey Singh is back; here he chats exclusively with City Times about his upcoming performance at TOIFA

WE FOUND INDIA'S favourite rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh for you. The rapper, singer, music producer-turned actor, whose real name is Hirdesh Singh, had kept himself away from the limelight following his abrupt departure midway from the highly publicised Happy New Year's promotional event Slam The Tour in October 2014.

While rumours were rife about a so-called showdown between the singer and Shah Rukh Khan, with some even hinting at a darker reason, the rapper chose to keep mum and has of late been making his way back into the spotlight, mainly courtesy his new movie Zorawar.

Dubai fans can now look forward to a foot-tapping event as the rapper joins a slew of stars for the much-anticipated TOIFA event taking place in our city on March 18.

The singer who was reportedly one of the highest-paid musicians in Bollywood during his peak (he is reported to have got Rs7million for a song in Mastan), will be performing to some of his biggest hits at TOIFA. "I'm very much excited because Dubai is one of my favourite cities in the world," the singer told us in an exclusive email interview. "And to perform at the Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA2016) is a great privilege among all the big stars."

While not explicitly referring to his mysterious break from the public eye, the singer did admit to us that, "I am going to be performing after a long time," so fans can look forward to some of his new songs as well from his up upcoming movie Zorawar, a Punajabi action-romance film, which features the singer in the lead role.

While the singer has been constantly in the news, mainly for his controversial lyrics, his foot-tapping numbers have for long been a staple in Indian clubs.

When asked if he would like to set the record straight about his break from public appearances, the singer chose to keep mum and merely say: "My upcoming work and songs will speak for me."

Known for his energetic performances on stage, fans in Dubai can be assured of a high-wire act from the rapper. As he himself confessed to us, the city is more than just special to him. "I find (Dubai) to be a very multicultural society accepting of all the races of the world. And this is the only place where I not only get to perform in front my Indian fans, but my much loved Arabic and Pakistani fans also," said Honey Singh.

The singer who boasts of many fans in the city, also referred to one of his ardent fans: "She's a Dutch girl who lives in Dubai, she attends all my shows and knows all of my Hindi and Punjabi raps. I often call her up on the stage as well."

BOLLYWOOD CALLS

Honey Singh became one of the most sought after musicians in Bollywood following the success of Angrezi Beat and Main Sharabi from Cocktail (2012) and Party on my mind from Race 2 (2013). While many have critised the singer for his less than complimentary lyrics about women, his music seems to have struck a chord with the youth, so much so that at one point many of Bollywood's top-stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Saif Ali Khan were vying to sign him on for their movies - after all it is an industry where a hit song can change the fate of even the most questionable film.

Considering their earlier partnership in Chennai Express, Dubai fans are no doubt raring to catch the duo together. So are we going to get a dose of the SRK-Honey Singh magic again? "It's a great compliment to me that you see me as the main attraction among India's biggest stars," Honey said. However he chose to maintain secrecy about his performance during the night: "As for the act, let's see how the flow goes."

However, he did reveal that he will perform a number from his new film Zorawar. "I am excited to perform Raat Jashan Di from my new movie Zorawar along with my other hits that fans have loved."

Tickets for TOIFA 2016 Dubai are available on platinumlist.net, and are priced from Dhs199/-

Visit: www.toifadubai.com

arti@khaleejtimes.com

• Music