5 min readMumbaiAug 8, 2026 02:02 PM IST
Earlier this year, fans were left stunned when playback singer Arijit Singh announced that he was stepping away from playback singing. The decision was unexpected, and soon, social media was filled with an overwhelming sense of sadness. After all, over the last decade, Arijit had done more than lend his voice to Hindi film songs, he had become a defining voice of an entire generation.
‘I don’t think anyone forced him’
For many, the announcement felt like the end of an era. But music composer Amaal Mallik, who has worked extensively with Arijit over the years and has also collaborated with him on the upcoming Awarapan 2, believes the decision was neither sudden nor forced. In a recent conversation with Pinkvilla, Amaal revealed that those who had worked closely with Arijit had sensed his growing disinterest in film music much before he made the announcement public.
“I don’t think anyone forced him in any way. He made this decision himself. In fact, when he announced it publicly, all of us who had worked with him had already realised one or two years earlier that he had lost interest in this kind of film music.” Amaal also spoke about the changing nature of the Hindi film music industry and how the presence of a celebrated singer can sometimes become a commercial proposition in itself.
‘Industry is so driven by money’
“Even in film music, once you become a big artist, you have the freedom to choose your projects. The industry is so driven by money that people often think, ‘Just pay whatever it takes, make the song, and get Arijit to sing it.’ That’s because having Arijit Singh on a song increases the chances of it becoming a hit, or at least getting noticed. But even Arijit later realised that what truly matters is how good the song itself is.”
According to Amaal, Arijit’s journey also reflects an important reality about celebrity in music: a singer’s name can draw listeners to a song, but it cannot replace the song itself. “If you look at the first three or four years of Arijit’s career, you could make almost any song with him, and it would become popular simply because of his name. That’s no longer the case, and it isn’t true for any singer, whether it’s Arijit or Sonu Nigam. If the song itself doesn’t have substance, a famous singer can only keep it afloat for a short time. A song is loved because of the combined effort and chemistry of the singer, composer, and lyricist.”
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Amaal believes Arijit has also earned the right to be selective after years of an extraordinarily prolific career. “After singing around 700 songs in multiple languages, any artist gets tired. Someone like Arijit Singh comes only once in a generation. Not everyone has his talent, God’s blessings, or the courage to step away at the peak of their career.”
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‘This isn’t an obituary’
Amaal’s own collaboration with Arijit has, meanwhile, inevitably led to speculation about whether the singer is making a comeback to playback singing. But the composer believes Arijit’s decision should not be viewed in such absolute terms. “People will say all sorts of things, ‘Arijit has come back from retirement for this song,’ or ‘This is his last song.’ But if he likes someone else’s song in the future, he’ll sing it, and I’ll be happy if he does. At least he’s still coming in and working when he feels inspired.”
He also urged people to understand the distinction between Arijit stepping away from playback singing and stepping away from music altogether. “People are treating this as if he’s no longer with us. This isn’t an obituary. Arijit Singh has stepped away from film music, not from music itself.”
What Arijit Singh said?
Arijit had announced his decision in January through a social media post, revealing that he would no longer take on new assignments as a playback vocalist. At 38, the announcement marked a striking turning point for an artist whose voice had become almost inseparable from contemporary Hindi film music.
“Hello, Happy new year to all. 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 going to be taking any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey,” he wrote.
