Playback singers, like politicians in India, do not retire from playback singing.
Some die while at the peak of their careers, others fade away leaving the recording studio for new voices.
Arijit Singh chose to step away.
“I am happy to announce that I am not going to be taking any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey,” Arijit announced on Tuesday evening on social media while thanking fans for their love.
The first step that he took towards that decision was over a decade ago, when he bade goodbye to the relentless lifestyle in Mumbai and moved back to his quiet hometown on the banks of the Bhagirathi in Murshidabad’s Jiaganj.
The second step which completed the act was Tuesday night’s announcement.
“At the height of their powers, some artists step away — not from art but from noise. They choose silence, solitude, and truth over constant performance,” filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt told The Telegraph Online.
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Bhatt recalled the first time he met a young Arijit during the making of Mohit Suri’s Aashiqui2, produced by the veteran filmmaker.
“When I heard about Arijit’s decision to stop singing for others, I was unexpectedly taken back to an afternoon at Super Sound Service in Khar — the old T-Series building — where the journey of Aashiqui2 truly began. We were releasing the music, and Arijit was called to sing Tum Hi Ho,” said Bhatt. “A shy self-effacing young man walked up to the dais and sang a song that would quietly mesmerise the world. That moment became a springboard into a life that would never be the same again.”
Since he first burst into the music scene with the reality show Fame Gurukul, Arijit has been a phenomenal and exceptional talent.
Tum Hi Ho gave Hindi films a new voice for love. One chartbuster followed another.
Thirteen years later his seeming departure from the world of Hindi film music also reflects a change.
For singers today playback in Hindi films is not the only option. This has always been at the top of Arijit’s mind. He had once told Javed Akhtar, he wanted to be a composer.
For the 2017 period drama Begum Jaan, Anu Malik had composed all the songs. For one song, they wanted Arijit. He came to the studio, heard the tune and delivered. That was the only song of Arijit under Malik’s baton.
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“Mukesh Bhatt wanted him (to sing). He loved the tune. He must have asked for a hundred takes. I would say ok, but he would insist on one more take,” Malik told The Telegraph Online. “He is phenomenal, a prodigy and at the same time one of the most grounded and sorted individuals I have met in my life.”
Malik said Arijit was the most complete musician he has come across, who sings, plays various instruments, arranges music, and knows music programming and production.
“Like everyone else I have heard the announcement. I would like to talk to him. There must be a good reason for him to have decided to step away. It will always remain a regret that I could not work with him on another song. He was busy and for the last eight to nine years I hardly had any work. Thankfully he will continue as an independent musician, as a singer,” Malik said.
At least twice in his career, he has dethroned Taylor Swift, the world’s most popular singer from the number one slot on the music streaming app Spotify. For years his voice remains the most heard among all Indian musicians. He had Ed Sheeran come to Jiaganj and collaborated on music. He has made films in the tiny, dusty town of Jiaganj.
He will continue to sing.
“So his choice today doesn’t provoke a ‘why’ in me. Because a voice that has already given itself so fully to the world sometimes needs to return home – to itself,” said Bhatt.
Arijit Singh is at home.