Singer Shreya Ghoshal has weighed in on Arijit Singh’s decision to step away from playback singing in Bollywood, admitting that the thought of taking a break has crossed her mind too.
The singer praised Arijit for having the courage to make such a brave choice.
Shreya Ghoshal on Arijit Singh’s retirement
Recently, in an interview with ABP News, Shreya opened up about Arijit Singh’s decision to retire and her desire to take a break.
Shreya said that performing live lies at the heart of her identity as an artist, emphasising that lip-syncing on stage is something she would never want to depend on. She said, “I feel very uncomfortable with that. I will stop singing the day I have to do that.”
Reacting to Arijit’s recent decision to step away from playback singing for films, Shreya said she respects the courage it takes to make a call like that. She said, “I also feel like taking a break sometimes. He took that decision very bravely…He is a musician from the heart. He doesn’t think about why he is making music or what he will get from it. He just does what makes him happy.”
Shreya said that Arijit’s sincerity toward music is one of the key reasons audiences feel such a strong connection with him. According to Shreya, music is bigger than everything else for Arijit, and that’s why people love him so much.
Shreya began her playback singing career with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas, which had music by Ismail Darbar. She won her first National Award for Best Female Playback Singer for Bairi Piya. Since then, she has sung in multiple languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.
Shreya recently announced her The Unstoppable World Tour, with planned performances in the UK, USA, India and Abu Dhabi.
Arijit Singh announces retirement
On January 27, Arijit revealed he was retiring from playback singing. In a post on X, 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.”
The singer said he now wants the new generation to step forward and inspire him with their talent. While he promised not to stop making music, he clarified that he would not be singing for Bollywood films after completing his current commitments. Earlier this month, Arijit released his first independent track, Raina, after stepping away from Bollywood music. The independent single Raina features music composed by Sheykhar Ravjiani, vocals by Arijit Singh, and lyrics by Priya Saraiya.