Mumbai, Sep 18 (IANS): Yo Yo Honey Singh insists he is a pop star and not a rap artiste because he blends pop music, rap lines and singing in his numbers.

"I wouldn't call myself a rap artist. I just blend rap, singing and pop music. I am not a strict rap artiste. I don't just rap, I also sing. I blend the song with rap lines. You can say I am a pop star, not a rap artiste," Honey Singh told IANS.

He added: "Rap has changed a lot and some really good guys have come who are rapping properly. I have just sung some songs if you notice."

Honey Singh shared that he sang his popular remake "Dheere dheere se meri zindagi" during his time of personal struggles.

"I sang 'Dheere dheere se meri zindagi' in a difficult time of my life, but I sang it. It has a small rap portion but the whole song is sung by me. You can't call it a rap song. That is a pop song. There has been a lot of change in the pop industry. New and better artistes have come," he said, of the song that was a remake of the Kumar Sanu-Anuradha Paudwal superhit number from the 1990 film, "Aashiqui".

The Honey Singh version of the song was picturised on Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor.

The singer claimed he only competes with himself.

"I consider myself a competition because I struggle with myself every day. I compete with myself and I think of making something new every day. This is a cliched line but it is true that I am my competition," he said.