Singer-songwriter Arijit Singh performed at a packed Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday — this was his first public appearance since announcing retirement from playback singing on January 27.
He walked onto the stage to a thunderous applause, and crooned into the microphone, catching hundreds of fans off-guard. They all cheered for him, chanted his name, and some broke into tears.
"I am very nervous. Thank you for having me," said Arijit, joining Anoushka Shankar and Bickram Ghosh to sing Maya Bhora Raati.
Maya Bhora Raati is a Bengali modern song sung by Lakshmi Shankar and composed by the legendary sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.
Arijit also joined Anoushka for a duet on Traces of You, a track by Anoushka and Norah Jones.
He performed the original soundtrack of a song he recorded at Anoushka’s London residence years ago.
Amit Datta
The 38-year-old singer announced his retirement from playback singing on January 27.
“I want to thank you all for giving me so much 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 said in a statement.
His announcement came as a shock to his industry peers and fans who have been following his music for years.
Arijit shot to overnight fame with Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2 (2013), a song that cemented his status as the voice of a new generation of Bollywood romance, and never looked back. He went on to top several charts, beating global pop sensations like Taylor Swift on music streaming platforms.
He launched his independent label Oriyon Music in July 2020. Arijit will continue making independent music and perform at concerts, he said last month in a statement.
Days after Arijit’s retirement from playback singing, actor-producer Aamir Khan visited him at his Jiaganj residence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad.