I don't consume alcohol, says Chaar Bottle Vodka singer Honey Singh

You won’t believe it, but Yo Yo Honey Singh says he doesn’t drink. Yes, even after songs similar to Chaar Bottle Vodka, Party All Night, High Heels, Blue Eyes and Sunny Sunny, the rapper insists that he does not do ‘daaru’.“Main alcohol nahi peeta. Aapko meri ek bhi photo nahi milegi jahaan main daru pee raha hoon (I do not consume alcohol. You won’t notice a ­single photo that shows me drinking),” says the 31-year-old pop icon, whose birth name is Hirdesh Singh.

Asked where he then finds out inspiration for his ­controversial lyrics with explicit use of booze words such as vodka, daaru and ­champagne, he says it’s all of ‘observation’. “Mere gaane ke ­lyrics toh meri observations se influence hote hain. Main clubs mein youth ko yeh sab karte aur bolte huye dekhta hoon, aur ussi ki ­reflection mere gaano main hoti hai. I just sing about precisely how youth party these days,” he explains.

So what does he have to say to critics who believe that he is adversely influencing younger people through his songs? “Aaj ki date mein koi apne baap ki nahi sunta toh meri kya sunega! The thing is, with today’s busy schedules, har insaan ko poochha jaata hai ki yeh kyon kar rahe ho … woh kyon kar rahe ho... kahaan jaa rahe ho... par mere gaane iss sab se alag hain, aur kehte hain ki kuchh bhi karo. Isliye logon ko ­pasand hai,” he retorts.

“Moreover, I have created a music on Shaheed Bhagat Singh as well, apart from writing on the problem of alcoholism and drug ­addiction, but they didn’t become successful,” he adds.

Stressing his point, Honey goes on, “As an entertainer, my first assignment is to entertain my fans who have made ­me who I will today. I am not a preacher who can notify youth what they should be to do and what they should not be doing. The youth of our country is brilliant enough to know what is good and bad, and my songs can’t convert their thinking.”

As many of his sounds are about girlfriend bashing, we couldn’t help but then ask what his girlfriend Shalini thinks of these. “She doesn’t wish my songs but she likes me. She is not always that musically inclined but she prefers romantic numbers,” signs off the singer, who is getting ready to release three more ­singles.