One of India’s most popular and commercially successful singers has announced that he is stepping back from recording songs for films in order to focus on classical music.
Arijit Singh, 38, whose voice has dominated Bollywood soundtracks for over a decade, said in an Instagram post on Tuesday he wouldn’t be taking “any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on”.
“I want to thank you all for giving me so much of love all these years as listeners. I am happy to announce that I am not gonna be taking any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey,” he wrote.
In Indian cinema, songs are usually recorded by professional singers, called playback singers, and then lip-synced by the actors on screen.
Fans reacted with disbelief online, with some even wondering if Singh’s account had been “hacked”.
Singh later clarified on X that he wasn’t giving up music altogether, only returning to Indian classical music.
The singer explained that he had “several reasons” to quit and had only now “gathered the right courage” to do so, according to Times of India.
“I get bored pretty quick, that’s why I keep changing arrangements of the same songs and perform them on stage. So, here is the thing, I got bored. I need to do some other music to live,” he wrote, explaining one of the reasons.
“I am going to go back to Indian classical music. I wanna go back to making music. I wanna start again. God has been really kind to me. I am a fan of good music, and in future will be learning more and do more on my own as a small little artist.”
Singh signed off confirming that he still had some “pending commitments” he meant to honour, and which fans could look forward to this year.
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“Just to be clear that I won’t stop making music,” he said.
Born in Murshidabad in eastern India, Singh began formal training at the age of three. He studied Indian classical music and learned to play the percussion instrument tabla. By nine, he had secured a scholarship in classical vocals from the Indian government and chose to pursue a career in music.
Singh’s breakthrough came in 2005 at the age of 18 on the reality show Fame Gurukul. He remained popular, despite not winning the show, and later said he entered to test himself after his teacher urged him to audition, fearing classical music was in decline.
Singh made his Bollywood debut in 2011 with the song “Phir Mohabbat” for Murder 2, with his breakthrough song, “Tum Hi Ho” for Aashiqui 2, coming two years later.
Singh has since worked with some of Bollywood’s biggest composers such as AR Rahman, Pritam, and Amit Trivedi.
Singh has also done international collaborations, releasing the English-Punjabi fusion “Sapphire” with Ed Sheeran and the single “Weightless” with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix last year.
In September, he became the first Indian artist to headline a British stadium when he performed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This followed a sold-out concert at the O2 Arena the previous year, which featured a surprise appearance by Sheeran, who joined Singh on stage for a duet of “Perfect”.
