Renowned singer Arijit Singh on Tuesday evening announced that he is stepping away from playback singing. While the announcement came as a shock to his fans, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Over the years, Arijit has spoken about his inner struggles and in one such interview he opened up about feeling disconnected from his own identity and voice, even admitting that his name had begun to irritate him. He also spoke about how the music industry’s unfair payment practices “kill an artiste”
In a 2023 interview with The Music Podcast, Arijit had said, “There was a time when I used to associate with my name — Arijit Singh. But as I grew up, there came a point when hearing my name would annoy me. There would be a crowd calling out my name. Initially, it felt overwhelming, but eventually I realised that my name is not me anymore. It’s a perception people have created about me.”
“Now nobody at home or at work addresses me by that name. It has become a joke. I get irritated hearing it. There was a time when I even got irritated listening to my own songs. Now I don’t feel irritated — I simply ignore it. Earlier, I was very strict about not hearing my songs. The situation was such that nobody would play a song when I was at home. Then I became a little easy around it.” he added.
Arijit also stated in the interview that many artists are underpaid and often not compensated according to their efforts.
“They are fair in their own game. This entire business is conducted on the back of artistes. An artiste is not as practical as a businessman. But since the business depends on the artiste’s work, if everyone feels it’s not fair, then something is wrong. People should think about it,” he said.
Speaking about music labels, he added: “They should be clear about certain things. Either pay fairly for the work being done or don’t assign work at all. There are many people who don’t get paid in proportion to the work they put in. Everything is negotiated at the end of the day.”
Explaining how the process often becomes exploitative, he said: “Because it’s mostly a verbal discussion. One thing is discussed, the work becomes something else, and the payment turns into something entirely different.”
“Artistes keep wondering whether they’ve earned enough for the month or year. That stress is always there. All they have is their art. So, they use it to survive. They negotiate an amount and agree to work. But during the process, they forget how much they should be working for that money,” he added.
On Tuesday evening, Arijit took to social media to announce his retirement from playback singing. “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.” While he did not provide any particular reason for his decision, he said, “There are several reasons behind this. I have been trying to do this for a long time, but finally got the right courage. I got bored. I need to do some other music to live.”
The singer, however, did clarify that he will continue to be active as a musician. “Just to be clear, I won’t stop making music. God has been really kind to me. I am a fan of good music and in future will be learning more and doing more on my own as a small little artist. Thanks again for all your support,” he stated.
Arijit recently lent his voice for ‘Maatrubhumi’, a patriotic song from Salman Khan’s upcoming film Battle of Galwan.