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.
The kind of songs I sing have been existing in Bollywood music since a long time. In fact, the reason my music is so popular amongst the millions of youth is because I sing in their own language, in their own slang, and about their lives.
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.
When some artistes give a hit song, they keep repeating themselves in the same genre. I always try to create something new.
I got a lot of support from the entire industry, stars like Akshay Kumar. A. R. Rahman told me to keep doing the good work and not get bogged down by anything.
After ten years of struggle I reached somewhere, and then I see some people pulling me down. I tell myself that if this is what singers have to go through, I would never let my kid enter this field.
I am overwhelmed for whatever I have achieved so far. I give the credit to my mother and everyone who has helped me.
I don't take my work ever for granted. I still work very hard on every song and try to outdo myself every time.
I am happy film stars are singing in their films. I hope to work as a music director for a film where actors will sing all the songs.
As an entertainer, my first responsibility is to entertain my fans who have made me who I am today. I am not a preacher who can tell youngsters what they should be doing and what they should not be doing. The youth of our country is intelligent enough to know what is good and bad, and my songs can't change their thinking.
I like action-based sports, and kabbadi is my favourite. I wanted to be associated with a sport on which I really believe in, and so I bought a team in World Kabbadi League, and Toronto will host my team.
Just because I take my music international doesn't mean I have to sing in English. I will continue to sing in Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarati, and Tamil. I want to represent my own country through its own languages.
I've seen my family watch TV every day, and they develop a liking for various characters more and more with time. So, I think TV does bring a celeb closer to his fans. I feel I have come closer to people without losing my raw appeal.
Music industry is a very competitive field, and one has to continuously entertain and excite the audience, which is a difficult task.
It's a misconception that I compose songs for girls. I have sung a song for Bhagat Singh, too, but nobody knows about it. I have sung about boys, but all of them are super-duper flop.
I am not interested to sing in Bollywood. I sing for only those actors whom I admire. I sing free of cost for them. I want to take independent music ahead, and my songs are completely based on my observations.
I am glad that my fan believed in me and stood by me in my hard times and continued to enjoy my songs. That's the real victory for me.
'The Xpose' was just an experiment, a small step into Bollywood. It wasn't my acting debut, as reported in Mumbai. I've done a couple of Punjabi films.
The guy I played in 'The Xpose' is more like a spoiled brat who likes to have his way than a villain. No more negative roles after 'The Xpose' for me. I've enough problems dealing with the negative image I've been saddled with in some sections.
I was looking online; many singers have sung songs for the elections, but I am not doing anything like that.
There are many politicians who are from the Congress or the BJP or the Aam Aadmi Party who are all my friends and who are all young politicians between the ages of 27 and 35.
It was very difficult acting. I feel it is a very tough job to portray someone else's character and to behave like that on screen.
I don't consider myself just a rapper or just a singer. I'm a music producer, lyricist. I'm a poet as well, and acting is also a part of big entertainment.
I compose for very limited people in Bollywood, as I am not a playback artist. I compose my songs and sing them.
I need to focus on other things before I carry on in Bollywood. I can't be doing what I've done in 'Lungi Dance' and now the song 'Party With Bhootnath' with Bachchan over and over again. I've to reinvent myself for Bollywood.
I have fulfilled all my dreams in Bollywood. Now I have to find new dreams for Bollywood before I strike again.
After I did 'Lungi Dance' with Shah Rukh, I felt I had achieved everything there is to achieve. But then I am getting to work with Amitabh Bachchan now. And it's really the ultimate Bollywood experience for me. It really can't get any better for me.
I'm working on an international album which will be out soon, and Lollypop is gonna be a part of it. I want to let the world know what happens when a desi song is remixed with Honey Singh's English Tadka.
I will win a Grammy for India.Collection: Winning