The music world was left stunned on Tuesday evening after Arijit Singh announced that he was retiring from playback singing. The singer shared the update on social media, triggering an emotional response from fans who have grown up listening to his voice across films and genres.
Soon after the announcement, Arijit clarified on his private X (formerly Twitter) account that the decision should not be seen as a break from his singing career. While the clarification offered some reassurance, the news of his exit from playback singing continued to flow all through the day on social media.
Shreya Ghoshal, Badshah, Shilpa Rao react to Arijit Singh’s announcement
Singer Shreya Ghoshal, who has collaborated with Arijit on several popular songs, reacted in the comments section of his Instagram post. She wrote, “It’s the start of a new phase of @arijitsingh, and I am truly excited to hear, listen and experience what this genius churns out!! I can never call this the end of an era. An artist of his calibre can never be defined by the traditional means and medium and be boxed in to fit in the set formula. Time to soar higher, my dear Arijit.”
Other singers from the film industry expressed their respect and affection in brief but heartfelt messages. Armaan Malik wrote, “love and respect, always thank you for giving your everything to the craft!” B Praak shared, “Fan For Life,” while Badshah posted, “Sadiyon mein ek.”
What did Arijit Singh post?
Arijit Singh’s playback retirement post, shared on the evening of January 27, caught fans by surprise. In his message, he wrote, “Hello, Happy New Year to all. I want to thank you all for giving me so much of 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.”
While Arijit has made it clear that he is stepping away from playback singing, his clarification that this is not a break from singing has kept fans hopeful about what lies ahead.
Arijit Singh's music journey: How it all started
Arijit Singh's music journey began with the reality show, Fame Gurukul, in 2005. He made his Hindi film debut with the song Phir Mohabbat from Murder 2 in 2011. However, his breakthrough came with Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2, which made him a household name in 2013.
Going forward, Arijit Singh will remain professionally active in 2026. He wrote in a private X thread: "I am going to go back to Indian Classical Music. I wanna go back to making music. I wanna start again,” he shared, before adding, “I will make my own music. Will come up with my music whenever I am ready.” Ending on a lighter note, he wrote, “Ab aayega maza!!”
Also read: Arijit Singh retirement: Has the singer quit singing? FAQs answered