Heartbroken fans of renowned Indian singer Arijit Singh have been paying tribute to him after he announced he would no longer take on new playback assignments, marking the end of a defining chapter in contemporary Bollywood music.
Some described his voice as the sound of our heartbreaks and celebrations, while others called it a presence in every corner of our lives.
In Indian cinema, playback singing refers to studio recordings of songs that actors lip-sync on screen - a bedrock of Bollywood storytelling.
Singh's voice became inseparable from that tradition, providing vocals for romantic ballads and chart-topping soundtracks in recent years.
The 38-year-old, who has collaborated with global pop icons like Ed Sheeran, made his announcement on Instagram on Tuesday. I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey, he said.
Fans then flooded social media with posts reflecting on how his songs, which consistently topped the charts, had become part of India's cultural soundtrack.
Singh did not explain why he was quitting playback singing, but reports say he will finish existing commitments and projects and continue making music independently, exploring creative projects beyond commercial cinema.
The decision is unusually bold for a singer at the peak of his career.
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Singh was born in 1987 in Jiagang, a small town in West Bengal state, into a household where music was not an aspiration but a daily practice, permeating every aspect of life.
His first brush with national attention came in 2005 when he appeared on the reality singing show, Fame Gurukul (Fame Academy). He did not win and his presence barely registered. But the setback, in some ways, proved formative.
Singh returned to Kolkata city in West Bengal, where he worked as a music programmer and assistant, learning studio work. For several years, he existed on the margins of the industry he would later dominate.
When recognition finally arrived, it did so with unusual force. In 2013, Singh sang Tum Hi Ho for the film, Aashiqui 2. The song released at a time when Bollywood's romantic music leaned toward scale and spectacle. Singh's voice - inward and raw - reintroduced vulnerability to Bollywood audiences as an acceptable emotion.
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Whatever the reason, his voice will keep defining music in India.
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