Arijit Singh's decision to stop performing as a playback singer has surprised both his fans and the entire film industry.

The singer who is regarded as the voice of a generation achieved success through his soldout performances and his appearances in nearly all major Bollywood movies. At the highest point of his professional success Arijit chose to leave his career behind to pursue his passion for Indian classical music.

Although the announcement caught many people off guard the organization had been planning their decision for some time. Arijit revealed his personal battles through different interviews which he had conducted throughout his life.

He explained in that discussion that he experienced a loss of connection with his personal identity and his vocal abilities which caused him to feel annoyed by his given name.

In a 2023 interview with The Music Podcast Arijit recalled a phase when fame started weighing heavily on him.

Arijit Singh reveals why his music isn’t played at home

“There was a time when I used to associate with my name Arijit Singh. But as I grew up, there came a point when hearing my name would annoy me. There would be a crowd calling out my name. Initially it felt overwhelming but eventually I realised that my name is not me anymore. It’s a perception people have created about me. Now nobody at home or at work addresses me by that name. It has become a joke. I get irritated hearing it. There was a time when I even got irritated listening to my own songs. Now I don’t feel irritated I simply ignore it. Earlier I was very strict about not hearing my songs. The situation was such that nobody would play a song when I was at home. Then I became a little easy around it.”

Arijit Singh says Bollywood is ‘killing artists’

He discussed unfair payment practices which the music industry uses to pay artists because these practices ultimately lead to an artist's decline.

Arijit, one of the highest-paid singers of his generation maintained that most artists receive inadequate pay which does not reflect their actual work.

“They are fair in their own game. This entire business is conducted on the back of artists. An artist is not as practical as a businessman. But since the business depends on the artist’s work, if everyone feels it’s not fair, then something is wrong. People should think about it.”

Speaking about music labels he added, “They should be clear about certain things. Either pay fairly for the work being done or don’t assign work at all. There are many people who don’t get paid in proportion to the work they put in. Everything is negotiated at the end of the day.”