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Arijit Singh's real reason for announcing he's stepping back from playback: Turning a film director; break not permanent

Singer Arijit Singh, who has regaled audiences for a decade, announced he's going to stop playback singing. But our source says it's only for film direction.

Published on: Jan 28, 2026, 11:40:26 IST
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Tuesday night saw a single announcement by Arijit Singh breaking the internet: he is going to step back from playback singing. In a series of tweets done from an X handle which has long been speculated to be his, and then an Instagram post from his official handle, he shared, “Hello, Happy new year to all. I want to thank you all for giving me so much of love all these years as listeners. I am happy to announce that I am not gonna be taking any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey.”

Arijit Singh
Arijit Singh

The industry and the fans were naturally left shocked. But when HT City spoke to several people close to the singer, they said things aren't as they seem.

A source tells us, "Arijit is going to be busy with his film as a director. He's been very passionate about it for long, and that required his time and efforts. Among the flood of offers, he wouldn't have been able to do it. He will complete his director duties. This is more like a break for a year or so."

Arijit further clarified in the tweets that he won't stop making music. "Just to be clear that I won't stop making music." When a fan asked him to "justify your inappropriate decision", he replied, “Justify my inappropriate decision!!?”

In another tweet, he added, “I still have to finish some pending commitments, will finish them, so you might get some releases this year.”

Reacting to his decision, a fan said, "This is a Virat Kohli test retirement level of shock." A person wrote, “As he has said, he will be making music, but as a vocalist, he won't be available. Should’ve selected only a few songs to sing, but it's his call. I wish him the best.”

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rishabh Suri

Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.

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