punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh Telling the story of his humble beginnings, he reveals how growing up in a financially challenged family shaped his relentless work ethic and ambition to become “rich and famous.”“Although Diljit is one of India’s biggest global entertainers today, performing in stadiums and arenas around the world, he says his musical journey began with performances at weddings and birthday parties after the release of his debut album in 2002.In an interview with Tom Power’s Q, the singer recalled how live performances unexpectedly became his main source of income.
“Making money is like an addiction”
When asked about performing at weddings early in his career, Diljit said: “It was amazing. There is a lot of money in this field. “Recalling how it all started, he shared, “My album was released in 2002 and 4-5 people came to my company and said we wanted to book a birthday party for this person.”Initially, Diljit was not interested in singing at the birthday party, but since he had a contract, he accepted the booking. It didn’t take long for him to realize that album sales alone wouldn’t provide him with a steady income.“So when they offered me money, I thought this was the way to go,” he said, adding that making money became “like an addiction.”“I didn’t say no to anyone. If someone offered me Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 15,000, I said yes. I didn’t say no to anyone. I went everywhere day and night,” he recalled.
Why he no longer performs at weddings
Diljit also explained why he eventually stopped accepting wedding performances.According to the singer, some senior artists in the Punjabi music industry looked down upon his wedding performance and suggested that he was only suitable for that tour.Determined to prove himself, Diljit decided to forge a different path.“I said, ‘Okay, I’m not going to do wedding shows now. I’m going to start my concerts, I’m going to plan concerts,'” he said.
“Money is important because we don’t have it”
Looking back on his childhood, Diljit admits that his dream of becoming rich stemmed from a poor upbringing.He shared that as a child, he wanted to be both “rich and famous”—to be someone everyone recognized, even if he didn’t know anyone personally.Although his perspective has changed over time and he now believes “none of it matters,” he says financial security was his biggest motivator growing up.“Because I come from a poor family. It’s like a below-average 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. This experience taught him that “money matters” from an early age, prompting him to work tirelessly and accept every opportunity that came his way.Diljit released his latest studio album “Aura” in October 2025. He was last seen in director Imtiaz Ali’s Hindi film Main Vaapas Aaunga.
