Anurag Kashyap reacts to Arijit Singh’s retirement from playback singing: 'He was tired of singing the same thing again and again'

Arijit Singh, one of the country’s most-loved voices, left fans stunned on January 27, 2026, when he announced his retirement from playback singing. The singer, whose soulful tracks became the soundtrack of countless love stories and heartbreaks, decided to step away from taking up new playback assignments.Reflecting on the decision, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recently shared his perspective. Speaking to Tried & Refused Productions, the Kennedy director said that Singh stepped back because “he was tired of singing the same thing again and again.”Kashyap emphasised that playback singing is only one facet of Singh’s creative identity. The singer had earlier made his debut as a music composer with Pagglait, starring Sanya Malhotra.“There’s more to Arijit Singh than just heartbreak songs. Vo bahot kuch karna chahta hai (He wants to do a lot of things),” added the Bombay Velvet director, pointing out that Singh is also a filmmaker, takes care of his entire town, and prefers to maintain a private life.Kashyap also addressed the larger pressures within the music industry. According to him, musicians often get boxed into expectations of delivering chartbusters.“But if you restrict them by saying that the song must be a hit, every musician gets bound,” he said, suggesting that artists need freedom and time to evolve creatively. Confirming the development, Arijit took to social media to make the announcement himself. In his heartfelt note, he wrote, “Hello, Happy New Year to all. I want to thank you all for giving me so much of love all these years as listeners.”He further added, “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.” Over the years, Singh has lent his voice to several films, including Ikkis, Border 2 and O Romeo, apart from working across Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Gujarati and Punjabi cinema.