Arijit Singh to Stop Taking New Playback Assignments: “I am calling it off”

Bollywood’s most recognised voice of the past decade, Arijit Singh, announced on Tuesday (27th January) that he will no longer accept new playback-singing assignments, saying in a social-media note that he was “calling it off” and thanking listeners for years of support. The 38-year-old posted the message on Instagram, adding that he would continue to make music but move away from the commercial film system.

The declaration stunned fans and industry figures alike. Within hours, social feeds filled with tributes calling Singh’s voice “the soundtrack of our heartbreaks and celebrations” and reflecting on how often his songs became the emotional centrepiece of modern Bollywood films. Commentators described the choice as unusually bold for an artist widely regarded as being at the peak of his powers.

Singh’s note did not set out a single reason for the decision. Media reports say he will honour already-committed projects and then focus on independent music and other creative pursuits outside mainstream playback work. Reports and interviews in recent days have also suggested a mix of creative restlessness and a desire to return to roots and more selective work — a shift some observers see as a reaction to the pressures of commercial film music.

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Arijit rose from modest beginnings in Jiaganj, Murshidabad district, West Bengal, to become one of India’s defining vocalists. His breakthrough came with the 2013 ballad “Tum Hi Ho” from Aashiqui 2, a song that re-centred vulnerability in mainstream Hindi film music and made Singh a household name. Over the next decade he recorded across languages and collaborated with many leading composers, shaping the sound of contemporary Bollywood.

The singer’s appeal has extended beyond India. In 2025 he headlined a major stadium show in London — a milestone for an Indian playback artist — underscoring his international reach as a live performer. He has also collaborated on cross-border projects, including work connected to global pop names in recent years.

Despite a colossal public presence, Singh has long cultivated an unusually private profile for a megastar. In earlier interviews he described himself as uncomfortable with celebrity and said he became a public figure almost by accident — comments that have framed public reaction to his latest move as consistent with a long-standing ambivalence about the trappings of fame.

Industry figures and fellow artists have been quick to pay tribute. Colleagues praised Singh’s technical skill and emotional intelligence as a vocalist, and wrote about the difficulty of imagining contemporary Hindi film music without his voice. Fans, meanwhile, expressed sorrow and gratitude — and curiosity about what artistic directions Singh might take next.

For now, the immediate question is how Singh’s withdrawal from new playback work will reshape the soundscape of film music. Playback singing remains central to Indian cinema’s storytelling, and Arijit Singh’s voice has been a dominant element of that tradition for more than a decade. Whether his stepping back will prompt wider discussions about creative control, compensation or the future role of singers in the industry remains to be seen.

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Singh’s post sign-off was conciliatory: he thanked listeners for their love and called his career “a wonderful journey.” Fans and industry insiders say they will watch closely as the singer—who helped define a generation’s sound—charts his next steps.