Arijit Singh sent shockwaves across the music industry yesterday as he announced that he will be stepping down from playback singing. While fans are shocked, so is the industry. Weighing in on the decision, ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ fame Abhijeet Ghoshal says the move reflects an artist who has always evolved with clarity and courage.“The initial Arijit that I remember is from around 2005–6. Even then, Arijit was an amazing classically inclined artist and did a lot of riyaaz,” says Ghoshal, recalling their early reality-show years. “The Arijit I knew from the 2006–08 time used to sing incredibly beautiful Manna Dey songs.”
Abhishek Ghoshal on Arjit Singh’s journey
According to Ghoshal, Arijit’s journey has been defined by awareness and adaptability. “Later in the industry, when he realised that that particular thing would not work for that era, he changed his voice. He was so, so very capable of changing his voice from his original to the latest Arijit that we listen to today,” he says.Pointing to the current state of playback music, Ghoshal adds, “It has become monotonous. The same old songs keep rotating again and again. Wonderful new songs are being created, but many are not cutting through in these times of heavy supply of songs. After waving the flag so high, there is literally no one around Arijit in today’s playback scene.”
Arijit Singh on his path to reconnect with music
Ghoshal believes the decision will allow Arijit to reconnect with the music he has always wanted to pursue. “I am more than 1000 percent sure that he will now focus more on his classical, semi-classical music and his contemporary creative music, just the way he sang in Sukoon for Salim Sulaiman. For the next 25, 30, or 40 years, Arijit will serve the country through music in many different ways,” he says.Drawing a parallel with his own journey, Ghoshal says the rise of independent music has made such choices possible. “When I was in ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa,’ many music directors appreciated my singing, but our levels never matched. Sanskrit is my first language, yet I did not get Sanskrit songs just by name,” he shares. “It was only through independent music that I could release works like ‘Shiv Tandav Stotra,’ ‘Mahalaya,’ and later create more music rooted in old scriptures.”Also See: Arijit Singh says he’s not done with music, cites multiple reasons for quitting playback singing; ‘Going back to Indian classical music’
Defining independent music
He adds that independent music has changed the ecosystem entirely. “If independent music did not exist, I would be sitting under a label waiting for someone to decide what to release. Independent music has become such a big thing today, and Arijit has become such a big brand, that now independent music will be seen in a completely different league,” Ghoshal says.
