Arijit Singh's Retirement: A Pattern in Playback Singers' Careers

Opinion
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News18•31-01-2026, 16:30
Arijit Singh's Retirement: A Pattern in Playback Singers' Careers
- •Arijit Singh's decision to retire from playback singing follows a consistent pattern observed in Indian film music over decades, where even dominant voices eventually yield centrality.
- •Singers like KK, Kumar Sanu, Mohammed Rafi, and Kishore Kumar also experienced periods of immense popularity followed by a gradual shift in industry dependence, not necessarily a decline in skill.
- •Arijit consciously redesigned his voice, creating a recognizable acoustic signature that led to his rise as a monarch of romance after Aashiqui 2 in 2013.
- •The article highlights that female playback singers tend to have longer reigns, citing Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle as examples, possibly due to biological factors and different industry dynamics.
- •Arijit's retirement is seen as a voluntary departure, making way for new voices and musical evolution, rather than waiting for displacement, thus becoming an 'immortal chapter' in playback history.
Why It Matters: Arijit Singh's retirement reflects a recurring cycle of dominance and succession in Indian playback singing.
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