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 become “rich and famous.“Despite being one of India’s biggest global artistes today, selling out stadiums and arenas across the world, 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 primary source of income.
‘Making money became like an addiction’
When asked about performing at weddings early in his career, Diljit said, “It’s amazing. There’s so much money in that field.”Recalling how it all began, he shared, “My album came in 2002 and 4-5 people came to my company and said we want to book this guy for a birthday party.”Initially, Diljit wasn’t interested in singing at birthday parties, but since he was under contract, he accepted the bookings. It didn’t take long for him to realise that album sales alone wouldn’t provide him with a stable income.“So when they gave me the money, I thought this was the path,” he said, adding that earning money became “like an addiction.”“I didn’t say no to anybody. If someone offered Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 15,000, I said yes. I didn’t say no to anybody. I went everywhere day and night,” he recalled.
Why he stopped performing at weddings
Diljit also explained why he eventually stopped accepting wedding performances.According to the singer, some senior artistes from the Punjabi music industry looked down on his wedding shows and implied that he was only suited for that circuit.Determined to prove himself, Diljit decided to chart a different path.“I said, ‘Okay, I am not doing wedding shows now. I am going to start my concerts and I am going to plan the concerts,'” he said.
‘Money was important because we had none’
Reflecting on his childhood, Diljit admitted that his dream of becoming wealthy stemmed from growing up in poverty.He shared that as a child, he wanted to be both “rich and famous”—someone recognised by everyone, even if he knew no one personally.Although his perspective has changed over time and he now believes “nothing matters,” he said financial security was his biggest 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 don’t get sick because you don’t have money,” he said. The experience taught him at an early age that “money was important,” pushing him to work tirelessly and accept every opportunity that came his way.Diljit released his latest studio album, Aura, in October 2025. He was most recently seen in director Imtiaz Ali’s Hindi film Main Vaapas Aaunga.