Arijit Singh’s retirement a ‘brutal slap’ to Bollywood’s clone culture, and how Shaan predicted it a year ago

“In the recent past, of course, Arijit gets the lion’s share of the good songs. Today, even among composers, I think there’s a certain amount of insecurity in music because the business has become big and it’s also about numbers. So people tend to bring in a big name that guarantees a certain stature to the song, and they push for that. I find that a little sad because, at the end of the day, there are so many fantastic, original voices with their own styles. But now, whoever even gets a chance to sing has to, I’ve said this before as well, try and sound like Arijit.”

Shaan went on to question this growing culture of musical “clones,” while clarifying that his criticism was not directed at Arijit himself. “He’s doing his own thing and he’s fantastic, but why the clones? Do your own thing. If you can’t get him, at least people try to get a closer-sounding voice. This stems from a kind of insecurity, I feel, people aren’t willing to take chances. You’ve made a great song, it’s a fantastic setup: get a great voice and let him or her sing it in their own style and space.”

Arijit Singh said he got bored

In hindsight, this very creative monotony may have also contributed to Arijit’s decision to step back. After years of lending his voice to countless films, the singer may have felt creatively exhausted. Taking to his private X account, Arijit addressed his decision and revealed that it was not an impulsive choice. “There is not one reason behind this, there are several reasons plus I have been trying to do this since a long time. Finally I have gathered the right courage,”

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Opening up further about his creative restlessness, Arijit spoke candidly about his need for change. “One of the reasons is simple, I get bored pretty quick, that’s why I keep changing arrangements of the same songs and perform them on stage. So here is the thing, I got bored. I need to do some other music to live.”

The singer also expressed his desire to make space for fresh voices in the industry, signalling that his decision may be as much about the future of Hindi film music as it is about his own journey. “Another reason is I am excited to hear some singer come up and give me real motivation,” he added.