punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh has opened up about his humble beginnings, revealing how growing up in a financially struggling household shaped his relentless work ethic and ambition to be ‘rich and famous’.“Despite being one of India’s biggest global artists today, selling out stadiums and arenas across the globe, Diljit shared that his musical journey began by performing at weddings and birthday parties after the release of his debut album in 2002.Speaking during an interview on Q with Tom Power, the singer recalled how live performances unexpectedly became his main source of income.
“Making money became an addiction”
When asked about performing at weddings early in his career, Diljit said, “It’s amazing. There’s a lot of money in this 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.”Initially, Diljit was not interested in singing at birthday parties, but since he was under contract, he accepted the bookings. It didn’t take him long to realize that album sales alone weren’t going to provide him with a stable income.“So when they gave me the money, I thought this is the way to go,” he said, adding that making money became “like an addiction.”“I didn’t say no to anyone. If someone offered 5,000, 10,000, 15,000 rupees, I said yes. I didn’t say no to anyone. I went everywhere day and night,” he recalled.
Why he stopped performing at weddings
Diljit also explained why he finally stopped accepting wedding performances.According to the singer, some senior artists in the Punjabi music industry looked down on his wedding shows and implied that he was only fit for this circuit.Determined to prove himself, Diljit decided to chart a different path.“I said, ‘OK, I’m not doing wedding shows now. I’m going to start my concerts and I’m going to plan the concerts,'” he said.
“Money was important because we didn’t have any”
Reflecting on his childhood, Diljit admitted that his dream of becoming rich stemmed from growing up in poverty.He shared that as a child he wanted to be both “rich and famous,” someone recognized by everyone, even if he didn’t know anyone personally.Although her perspective has changed over time and she now believes that “nothing matters,” she said financial security was her main motivation while growing up.“Because I came from a poor family. It was like a below-average family. If you got sick, you wouldn’t have money to go to the doctor, so you don’t get sick because you don’t have money,” he said. Experience taught him at an early age that “money was important,” pushing him to work tirelessly and embrace every opportunity that came his way.Diljit released his latest studio album Aura in October 2025. He was recently seen in director Imtiaz Ali’s Hindi film Main Vaapas Aaunga.