Arijit Singh on Tuesday left the music industry and his fans in shock after announcing that he would be stepping away from playback singing. The singer shared the news through a social media post, prompting an outpouring of reactions from admirers, musicians and members of the film fraternity.
What's Happening
- Soon after his announcement, several old posts by cricketer Virat Kohli resurfaced online, highlighting his admiration for the singer.
- In a post dated January 26, 2016, Kohli had written, “I am probably one of the biggest fans of Arijit Singh. Mesmerized by his talent and soulful voice. I am short of words actually.”
- Another widely shared post showed Kohli posing with Arijit, calling it a “pure fanboy moment,” and adding, “What an amazing person he is. No one has captivated me with their voice like this man. God bless you, Arijit.”
- On social media, some users drew parallels between Arijit's decision and Kohli's unexpected retirement from Test cricket last year. “Arijit is the Virat Kohli of music. His retirement has left me in shock,” one fan wrote.
- Another commented, “Both chose to retire when they were at the top of their game.”
- Others took a lighter approach, joking, “Kohli retired from tests. Arijit retired from singing. But ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai' is still playing on TV.”
Background
In his statement, Arijit clarified that he is only stepping away from playback singing and not from music altogether. He outlined his intention to return to his roots and explore new creative directions.
“I will make my own music. Will come up with my music whenever I am ready. I am going back to Indian Classical Music. I wanna go back to making music. I wanna start again,” he wrote.
Responding to fans on X, the singer explained that the move had been on his mind for some time. “There is not one reason behind this, there are several reasons plus I have been trying to do this since a long time. Finally I have gathered the right courage,” he shared. He also spoke about feeling creatively restless, stating, “One of the reasons is simple, 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.”
Arijit further said that he hopes to see fresh voices emerge in the industry. “Another reason is I am excited to hear some singer come up and give me real motivation,” he wrote.
Arijit Singh began his journey in the industry in 2010 as an assistant to music composer Pritam. Over the years, he became one of Bollywood's most prominent playback singers, delivering chart-topping songs such as Phir Le Aayaa Dil, Tum Hi Ho, Kabira, Channa Mereya, Kesariya, Phir Bhi Tumko Chahunga, Jaan Nisaar, and the title track of Kalank.
His work earned him two National Film Awards, for Binte Dil and Kesariya, cementing his reputation as one of the defining voices of his generation.