Popular playback singer Arijit Singh announced his exit from film music earlier this year, sparking a nationwide conversation. Composer Pritam, who has worked with Arijit on several hit songs, recently shared his take on why the singer called it quits—and how his own “retirement” plan is interlinked with Arijit’s.
Pritam, who has back-to-back projects lined up, has been musing over taking a break for quite some time. He wants to spend time with his children, who will be heading to the US for studies in the coming months.
Asked if he had ever discussed his plans with Arijit Singh, the composer told Screen, “I’ve told Arijit a few times about retirement. Everyone has been to his hometown, Jiaganj, except me. He’d laugh and tell me, ‘You wouldn’t come.’ I told him, ‘No, I’m retiring. Once I make the announcement, I’ll come to you and we’ll go to Tarapith together.'”
“He was hearing this from me for the past year. One night, he told me, ‘The day you retire, I’ll also retire.’ The next day, he announced his retirement from playback singing. After doing that, he called me and said, ‘Aapse nahi hoga (You won’t do it).'”
Asked about his idea of “retirement,” Pritam clarified that artistes actually seek a break, not true retirement.
“No artist retires. I think you should treat it as just a break rather than retirement. Actually, I’ve been talking about my retirement for eight months. I’ve been wanting to retire ever since then. I’ve told everyone, but they just laugh at me. Ultimately, it’s not retirement, but just a break,” he told the publication.
Asked about the reason behind Arijit’s decision, Pritam said the singer wants to ‘explore’ more.
“Artists don’t retire. They take a break and redirect to something that is interesting them more. Let him move at his own pace. There’s so much he wants to explore. To start with, he is directing a film with an extremely beautiful and meaningful script. Also, it’s his life, his voice, so it should be his decision when to sing and when not to sing what to sing and what not to sing. He was singing so many songs, maybe he doesn’t want to sing for now. Sometimes directors also pressurize all of us. I also find it hard to say no. Give him time, he’ll be all okay. People are thinking too much into his retirement. Why are you giving him so much pressure? Let him do what he wants. He’ll sing when he wants to. Somebody said if he’s retired, why are his songs still coming out? Arey, but why are you bothered? Why are you after him? He has a life. Every artiste wants a break. A lot of things trigger us,” said Pritam.
On January 27, Arijit Singh shared on his social media handles that he wouldn’t take any new assignments as a playback singer.
“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 take any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it quits. It was a wonderful journey,” Arijit wrote on his Instagram feed.
In subsequent posts, Arijit clarified that he would be keen on pursuing independent music in the coming months.
Arijit Singh and Pritam have collaborated on hits like Kesariya (Brahmastra), Channa Mereya (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil), Hawayein (Jab Harry Met Sejal), and Kalank Title Track, to name a few.
