The Indian music industry was jolted after Arijit Singh announced that he is stepping away from playback singing, a decision that immediately triggered emotional reactions from fellow singers including Shreya Ghoshal, Shilpa Rao and Sona Mohapatra.
While many fans framed the move as the end of an era, Sona Mohapatra pushed back sharply, questioning why the announcement was being treated “like an obituary” when Arijit is still actively making music.
In a long Instagram post, she argued that the singer is not vanishing but choosing a different creative path, one that could reshape the industry and open doors for others.
Sona described Arijit’s decision as a moment of liberation rather than retreat. “Arijit Singh stepping away from playback singing feels less like an exit and more like an arrival into freedom, authorship and possibility. Not speculating on why. I’m sure the reasons are deeply personal and entirely valid. What matters is the choice,” she wrote.
She added that no major playback singer before him had even considered such a move. “None of his predecessors even imagined this path: stepping aside to make space. For himself first, to explore, to create, to sing his own songs on his own terms. And yes, whether intended or not, this will create space for newer voices who today remain scratch singers on demos... for songs they’ll never be allowed to sing.”
Sona also took aim at what she described as the film industry’s dependence on safe formulas, arguing that Arijit’s dominance had become a symptom of a larger exploitative cycle. She claimed producers routinely audition multiple singers only to default to his voice in the end.
“Let’s be honest, this industry thrives on zero-risk formulas. Producers overuse one voice and don’t pay demo singers at all, avoid paying most established ones too, with the carrot of ‘opportunity’ even after two decades of being around, try 10 voices, killing the music director in the exhausting process and then record Arijit and everyone keep an exploitative cycle alive because it’s convenient. Not because it’s right.”
Calling his decision courageous, she continued, “So this choice? It’s brave. It’s generous. It’s disruptive in the best way. Big cheer to you, Arijit. May this new road be full of joy, fulfilment and abundant creativity.”
She then directly addressed the dramatic public reaction. “And honestly, why are we treating this like an obituary? The man is making music, not disappearing. Why are we so terrified of more flavours, more voices, more imagination? Why do we enjoy a creative famine of just one flavour of ice cream in a store?”
Sona ended her note by celebrating artists who reject fear-driven systems. “Here’s to artists choosing freedom over fear. That’s how new eras begin. Here’s to the Artist that Arijit is & will become in the coming years. Here’s to original music which is not a subset of a film ecosystem but exists and thrives on its own.”
She captioned the post with a personal note about independent music-making, writing that releasing one’s own music year after year is “very fulfilling & incomparable,” even if exhausting.
Shreya Ghoshal also weighed in after Arijit shared his announcement with fans on Instagram. In his message, Arijit wrote, “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.”
Responding in the comments, Shreya made it clear she does not see this as a conclusion. “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.”
Singer Shilpa Rao echoed the sentiment, writing, “@arijitsingh whatever you do you always do it with all your heart. My love and bests with everything you do.”
Arijit Singh began his musical journey on the reality show Fame Gurukul in 2005 before making his Hindi film debut with Phir Mohabbat from Murder 2 in 2011. He became a household name in 2013 with Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2 and went on to define an era of Hindi film music with countless chart-topping songs across generations.
Now, as he steps away from playback singing, fellow artists are reframing the moment not as a goodbye, but as a radical reset that could alter how music is made, credited and valued in India.