Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh has opened up about his humble beginnings, revealing how growing up in a financially dysfunctional family fueled his hard work and ambition to be “rich and famous.“Despite being one of India’s most popular artists today, selling out stadiums and arenas across the world, Diljit shared that his musical journey began with singing at weddings and birthday parties after releasing his debut album in 2002.Speaking on Q with Tom Power, the singer recalled how acting unexpectedly became his main source of income.
‘Making money became an addiction’
When asked about performing at a wedding early in his career, Diljit said, “It’s amazing. There is a lot of money in that field.”Recalling how it all started, he shared, “My album came out in 2002 and 4-5 people came to my company and said we want to book this guy for a birthday party.”At first, Diljit didn’t want to sing at the birthday parties, but since he had a contract, he agreed to be booked. It didn’t take long for him to realize that album sales alone would not provide him with a steady income.“So when they gave me the money, I thought this is the way to go,” he said, adding that earning money “is like an addiction.”He said: “I didn’t say no to anyone.
Why did they stop attending weddings?
Diljit also explained why he stopped accepting wedding performances.According to the singer, some Punjabi music stars mocked her wedding shows and said that she was only suitable for that region.Eager to prove himself, Diljit decided to come up with a different strategy.“I said, ‘Okay, I’m not doing wedding shows now. I’m going to start my own concerts and I’m planning some concerts,'” she said.
‘Money was important because we didn’t have it’
Reflecting on his childhood, Diljit admitted that his ambition to become rich started from growing up in poverty.He said that when he was a child, he wanted to be “rich and famous”—someone known by everyone, even if no one knew him.Although his opinion has changed over time and he now believes that “it doesn’t matter,” he said that financial security was his biggest motivation as he grew up.“Because I came from a poor family. It was like a small family. If you get sick, you don’t have money to go to the doctor, so don’t get sick because you don’t have money,” he said. The experience taught him at a young age that “money was important,” pushing him to work tirelessly and accept every opportunity that came his way.Diljit released his latest album, Aura, in October 2025. He was recently seen in director Imtiaz Ali’s Hindi film Main Vaapas Aaunga.